Spring Cleaning
Recently, I was inspired by someone close to me--we'll call him J--to do some heavy Spring Cleaning. I've always attempted to do this in the past, but have never been very successful. I always think, "What if I need this someday? I don't want to have to buy it again!" I think this stems from not always having the money to buy all the things I want, but that's another story...
The idea for this came from J, who had recently been inspired to do some spring cleaning of his own. He is currently on a journey of finding the balance between "having" and "giving," as giving to those who are less fortunate is the Biblical mandate for all who claim to be Christians. How much is required of us? Do we need to give away everything and live amongst the poor, or are we allowed to enjoy some material possessions? I don't know the answer, and I don't know if there is one set answer for every person, but I do know that I was doing too much "having" and not enough "giving."
So, I decided that with the help of J, I would clean out my walk-in closet. In hindsight, I should have taken a "before" picture.
It started out rough; I had a stockpile of empty cardboard boxes "just in case" I ever needed to put something in a box. After I was assured that I could easily replace the cardboard boxes, things went a bit more smoothly. It was almost embarrassing to really see how much I was holding onto, and let someone else see it all, too!
The whole process took about 2 hours, which really isn't bad considering that I donated about 6 garbarge bags of clothes, shoes, and purses, and recycled a huge stockpile of cardboard, plastic grocery sacks, etc. I also donated 2-3 boxes full of household items.
I was really worried that I would miss the items after I got rid of them, but I can honestly say that a month later, I haven't missed anything (with the exception of a belt I threw out that goes with a shirt I kept--oops!). Embarassingly, there were clothing items in my closet that still had the tags on them! (Not as embarassing: I only paid $1.47 for one of the shirts I never wore).
It feels really good to be able to walk into my closet and BREATHE!! I still have more things to sort through in my apartment, but I think this was a great start. I'm starting to realize how much I have, even though I know I don't always get everything I want. I'm also starting to realize how much money I have wasted accumulating all of this "stuff" (I have the credit card debt to prove it!). I'm willing to venture a guess that I'm still paying off (plus interest) some of the items I just threw out...but, lesson learned I suppose. I do wish there had been some way I could have at least gotten a bit of cash for some of the items I purged to put towards my debt (as suggested by Dave Ramsey), but it's difficult to have a yard sale from an apartment, so I'll just have to swallow the loss this time.
I encourage anyone who has been considering a serious Spring Cleaning project: DO IT! I also encourage you to do so with a loved one--someone who won't judge you, and who is supportive of your intentions. Having someone there can also make the process more enjoyable, assuming that person is someone you like :) And consider that those who are less fortunate than you may really benefit from that shirt hanging in your closet that you've never worn.
The idea for this came from J, who had recently been inspired to do some spring cleaning of his own. He is currently on a journey of finding the balance between "having" and "giving," as giving to those who are less fortunate is the Biblical mandate for all who claim to be Christians. How much is required of us? Do we need to give away everything and live amongst the poor, or are we allowed to enjoy some material possessions? I don't know the answer, and I don't know if there is one set answer for every person, but I do know that I was doing too much "having" and not enough "giving."
So, I decided that with the help of J, I would clean out my walk-in closet. In hindsight, I should have taken a "before" picture.
It started out rough; I had a stockpile of empty cardboard boxes "just in case" I ever needed to put something in a box. After I was assured that I could easily replace the cardboard boxes, things went a bit more smoothly. It was almost embarrassing to really see how much I was holding onto, and let someone else see it all, too!
The whole process took about 2 hours, which really isn't bad considering that I donated about 6 garbarge bags of clothes, shoes, and purses, and recycled a huge stockpile of cardboard, plastic grocery sacks, etc. I also donated 2-3 boxes full of household items.
I was really worried that I would miss the items after I got rid of them, but I can honestly say that a month later, I haven't missed anything (with the exception of a belt I threw out that goes with a shirt I kept--oops!). Embarassingly, there were clothing items in my closet that still had the tags on them! (Not as embarassing: I only paid $1.47 for one of the shirts I never wore).
It feels really good to be able to walk into my closet and BREATHE!! I still have more things to sort through in my apartment, but I think this was a great start. I'm starting to realize how much I have, even though I know I don't always get everything I want. I'm also starting to realize how much money I have wasted accumulating all of this "stuff" (I have the credit card debt to prove it!). I'm willing to venture a guess that I'm still paying off (plus interest) some of the items I just threw out...but, lesson learned I suppose. I do wish there had been some way I could have at least gotten a bit of cash for some of the items I purged to put towards my debt (as suggested by Dave Ramsey), but it's difficult to have a yard sale from an apartment, so I'll just have to swallow the loss this time.
I encourage anyone who has been considering a serious Spring Cleaning project: DO IT! I also encourage you to do so with a loved one--someone who won't judge you, and who is supportive of your intentions. Having someone there can also make the process more enjoyable, assuming that person is someone you like :) And consider that those who are less fortunate than you may really benefit from that shirt hanging in your closet that you've never worn.
I saw the post on auditioning for A.I. which is cool because I haven't really ever heard the story. After reading this post, I think you might also want to audition for Hoarders. You might have a better chance..... :)
ReplyDeleteOh, hush!!!
ReplyDelete