When we moved from Lansing to Grand Rapids (technically Wyoming but I think that might confuse people because one usually thinks of Wyoming as a state first, and not as a city within Michigan) and again, this last couple of weeks – I really got a good overall picture of the fact that we have so much Stuff. We have about 10 toothbrushes, aside from the ones we actually use daily (thank you Dr K, for providing most of those free with dental cleanings), a dozen or more cartridges of dental floss, a horde of this, a gazillion of that, etc. Most of which is not being used. We brought a plastic 3-drawer cart full of “stuff” from Lansing, and for the 10 months we lived in our first apartment here, it was never opened. I don’t even know whats in it anymore (toiletries of some kind I’m guessing, but beyond that, no idea). Cutting the tape open on that sucker is going to be like Christmas.
CLOTHES. OMG clothes. I know, just offhand, there are 3 fairly large plastic totes full of just clothes. Some are mine, some are Barton’s. That we’re not wearing now. That we might never wear. In the fall we took a couple of boxes of clothes to my Dad’s (along with boxes of other Stuff).
I don’t know why this happens. I’d like to think I tend to be frugal in my purchases. I don’t go on “shopping sprees” very often, maybe twice a year. I spend hours in the store(s) looking for just the X thing that suits my need. I have a coupon or its on sale. I buy it, bring it home, BUT.. (like in the case of the damned clothes) I re-decide later that it doesn’t work. The clothes that DO work for me though. I keep wearing those for years. Looking at my ‘wardrobe’ now, honestly, most of the stuff I wear daily looks kinda shabby. :/
“Damn, the legs on these jeans I just bought are too tight. But they didn’t feel that way in the store? Well, shit. I washed them now, they probably shrank. I’ll throw them in the closet and maybe in 6 months I’ll lose some weight and they’ll fit.”
But does that ever happen? Fuck no. And so, the Stuff Grows.
We’re going to be in this new apartment at least until May 2011. Between now and then, the extra, unused, unnecessary Stuff must shrink, and be gone. Really gone. Donated, trashed, sold – not just stored, but really and truly gone. It will be my mission.
I hear you, totally. When I moved to Washington, I took with me 6000lbs of stuff. When I came back, I had under 4000lbs, thankfully, but it’s still Too Much. The process of grooming the excess BS is really liberating,t hough, once you get into the swing of it.
Giving to Goodwill is my preferred method – they’ll take nearly anything and get it to someone else for great justice. I hate putting stuff into the landfill. For some items, I do Freecycle, but the people on that list can be so demanding and rude. Still for non-empty toiletry items, and other weird stuff that’s still useful but that Goodwill won’t take, it gets it out of the house and used.
If you start small, say with the stuff you literally haven’t seen in years, it might be easier to get in the groove. I try to be realistic – “Am I *really* going to ever be this skinny again?” or “Will I seriously ever use this again? In the unlikely event I ever do need it, how much would it cost to replace it?” “Is there someone else who would use/need this more than I do?”
Once you start ridding yourself of the stuff/clutter, it really does feel good. I still have a long, long way to go, but I’m getting there.
[quote]But does that ever happen? Fuck no. And so, the Stuff Grows.[/quote]
i got a chuckle from that line, but I know what you mean.