Emptying the Space

I've been cleaning some closets lately.
Shocking, I know.

But here's the thing- this time around, I've been SERIOUSLY purging stuff. I might talk a big game when it comes to "how to clean a closet," but deep down inside of me there's a girl who's deeply nostalgic, who remembers when and where she wore every special outfit, and who gifted every item or trinket. I'm also a woman who's had 2 kids and worn every size pants between 0 and 10, and who has had jobs with a large variety of dress codes. I'm forever hoping I might squeeze back into those skinny jeans, and hanging onto my "fat pants" just in case. I'll save a shirt because it fits perfectly under that one sweater that I never wear, and I'll save a skirt just in case I need it for the job interview that I have no plans to go on.

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Everything that I own fits into my closets with some room to spare, but based on some comments on this blog, I've come to realize that I live someplace with more than the average number of closets! This is definitely not something that I am complaining about- but the truth of my story is that I've been saving a lot of stuff simply because I can. I HAVE the space to store it- so why not?

Well, theoretically I could eat a donut for breakfast everyday- but I don't.

I have a hard time letting go of some stuff, and there are instance when I've been happy that I hung onto those fat pants or those skinny jeans, or that one shirt that looks good under that one sweater. But 90% of the time I wear the same 2 pairs of comfy (and appropriately sized) jeans, and rotate between my 6 favorite shirts. And when an "out of the ordinary" occasion comes up, I usually find a way to borrow or buy something new instead of digging for the skirt I was saving for such an instance.

I love where we live, but we are not going to live here forever. In fact, based on the ever increasing ammount of time that I spend on realtor.com I'd say that our stay here is probably drawing to a close rather quickly. So of course I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about what I want out of our next home.

I know that I want sidewalks, a good neighborhood, a great school system, a kitchen with room to cook, and a family room with space for our family and friends. I don't want to have a list a mile long of must haves that include a walk in closet in every room, a mud room, a storage shed, a hall closet plus a coat closet plus a linen closet plus a pantry closet plus a bonus closet.

I don't need to have a house filled with stuff that I don't need.

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So....I tried on the jeans. I put at least half of them into the donate pile. I tried on the dresses, saved myself a little black one and not much else. I thinned out my sweater collection, I tossed a ton of shoes, I got rid of a few coats, some ill fitting workout clothes, and some duplicate colored shirts. 

I accepted that the way that my body looks now is the way that it looks and there isn't much point in hanging onto the things that no longer flatter me. (This was a big step in the purge process).

I filled 3 HUGE bags full of stuff to donate in a matter of minutes, and I'm sure I'm not done yet. I think that if I can keep at, when the time comes to move- closet space won't have to be the deal breaker, and I already feel so much lighter because of it.