I am a strong believer that keeping something I have no use for is selfish, lazy, and immoral. Of course, gazing around my room only to be greeted by visions of clutter on every surface helps too. So, I decided several weeks ago to get rid of all these things that I do not want or need. I call it purging.
I started by attacking the clothing. Due to a large weight fluctuation in high school, I had both clothes that were too big and clothes that were too small. Out they went. The eight formal dresses dating back to middle school? Those went too, as well as the clothes that fit perfectly fine that I never wore. The heels that hurt my feet, the slippers that fell off whenI tried to walk in them, and the clunkers I had used once for a costume all went too.
Next, I hit the books. When I was little, my family didn’t have a library card, but I loved to read. My dad remedied this problem by buying me 10 cent books from the used book store each weekend. I don’t think I had ever gotten rid of one. So, children’s books I never intended to read again? Gone. Books I bought from the library on sale but had never read? Gone. Magazines I hadn’t touched since finishing them the first time? Gone.
After that, I just started in one spot of my room and worked my way around. Necklace tree that doesn’t go with the rest of my decor? Gone. Purses I no longer like? Gone. Jewelry I don’t wear? Gone. Toys and games I forgot I had? Gone.
So on and so forth until I had a huge pile of unwanted goods heaped in the middle of my bedroom floor. Not so good for organization. There were a couple bags of trash, granted, but there was also a lot of good stuff. Many of the things I was getting rid of had absolutely nothing wrong with them, I just didn’t want them anymore. What to do with it all?
Now remember, I think it’s selfish to keep something I have no use for. That’s because someone else could use it! I could have donated all of my things, but there were quite a few items I wanted to make sure went somewhere they would really be appreciated. My solution? I roped together a few friends and convinced them to go through their things as well. We borrowed the use of a basement, laid out all of our unwanted goods, and went “shopping.” Most of us are broke, so it was a great way to get rid of some things while also getting new.
Personally, I was able to give all of my old formal dresses to a seamstress friend for modification into lolita dresses. Many of my old toys went to a friend who can’t afford to buy her young daughter many new ones. A good portion of my books found new homes among several friends, including a recent graduate just starting to look for her first teaching position. I was also able to give away most of my unwanted shoes, some of my other clothes, and a lot of knick-knacky type items. For myself, I came away with three new pairs of pants, four pairs of shorts, several cute shirts, and some jewelry.
When I left for the swap meet, my trunk had been full and I had a few things in my back seat. After the swap meet, we piled everything that no one had wanted into my car. We filled the trunk and the backseat, but that was for five girls, rather than just me. A couple days later, I took all of our books to a used bookstore for store credit. I took all of our stuffed toys to a police department. (Police departments will sometimes accepts stuffed toy donations so that they have something to give to the scared children they come across.) Everything that was left I took to the local thrift store.
Now, everything that I have left is something that I know I want. However, because I had been sorting through it all, what’s left is piled on my floor. Hardly anything is put away. Check back for tales of organization and cleaning!
thoughtleaf 