Clearing the Clutter

As part of my 101, I'm getting rid of the crap (number 77). I put it under the financial category because I have stuff that needs to be used up before I buy anything new, and also because if you know what you have, you better know what you need. It could have fit just as well under a Save My Sanity category, though, because I was absolutely losing my mind over the piles of random stuff everywhere. Two of my biggest stuff problems were clothes I never wear and magazines I've already read.

Thus far I have donated (or pitched in the case of undies, because just no) 38 items of clothing & 1 pair of shoes, which is ridiculous, especially because most of it was easy to get rid of. No one should have 40 things in the closet that they never actually wear!

Those shoes look cute, but they hate feet.

I did have a bit of an argument with myself about the jeans that maybe-someday-possibly I might fit in again, but then I decided that if I ever get back to that size, I can celebrate with a Goodwill shopping spree.

However, I allowed myself to keep a couple of those It-doesn't-fit-but-it's-so-stinking-cute items, because, well, 38 is a lot, and now the majority of the things in the closet are things I actually wear.

Aside from clothes I used up one bottle of conditioner that I was really beginning to hate and that I think maybe God was multiplying to get a little giggle. Condition the hair of the 5,000!

(The conditioner counts not only because I hated it, but because I have other bottles, so I am not replacing it. If I use up a tube of toothpaste and buy another one, that doesn't count, because I haven't been hoarding that like Wal-Mart might go out of business.)

I also recycled 42 magazines & catalogs. 42. Because I am a hoarder. (I did go through each and every one of them in order to tear out recipes & articles I would actually refer to again, but they fit in a neat little pile until I get around to filing them, so again, not feeling guilty.)

So for #77. Donate/throw out/sell/use up 100 items, I am already up to 81. I'm thinking that maybe I did not make this enough of a challenge...