#40 Give Away 50 Things

#40 – Give Away 50 things

It wasn’t hard to give away 50 things. I seem to naturally like to purge my closets and shelves at least a couple times every year. In addition, since I started working on this list while we were in New Zealand and I wanted to have space in my suitcase for the new things I bought and not end up needing to buy another suitcase, so as we traveled I made trips to local thrift shops to drop things off.

It also didn’t hurt that as we traveled I read a couple books that added to my desire to downsize. One was My Van, My Castle, by Jackie Norman – a woman sells her home and nearly all her possessions to travel throughout New Zealand while living in her van. The other was, “Bewildered,” by Laura Waters – a woman spends five months hiking the Te Araroa trail in New Zealand and carries in her backpack everything she needs for those months. I was deeply enchanted with the idea of paring down my level of stuff.

So, I went through my suitcase each time we repacked to go to the next place on our journey and whittled out items bit by bit. Then, I asked my kids and my husband if they really were wearing all the clothes they had brought with them and we got rid of a few of their things because I wasn’t willing to pay for an overweight bag fee for anyone.

I had gotten rid of at least 25 things before we even returned to the States and then as I was unpacking, I took a discerning look at everything in my closet and got rid of 25 more things plus a few more. I brought them directly to the Goodwill the very next day. I wasn’t going to make the mistake I usually make – which is to hold them on until our church rummage sale a few months later. Every time I do that I end up going through the bags again and deciding to give this or that item a little more thought. I’ve learned by now that if I haven’t worn a piece of clothing hardly at all in the first months I have owned it, it doesn’t magically become a favorite thing to wear in the future. I like what I like and I know it after the first time I wear it.

So here is a summary of all that I redistributed:

4 sweaters

15 shirts

5 pairs of pants

1 pair of pajama pants

1 swimsuit

4 towels

2 books

10 miscellaneous items (nail polish, phone case, headphones, etc.)

2 tank tops

2 skirts

2 dresses

1 bra

1 jacket

2 pair of sandals

I haven’t missed any of it – although I have thought fondly on a couple of the sweaters. I wore them all the time but I had them for eleven years and I was ready to not wear them anymore. For everything there is a time and a season – even when it comes to our stuff.

For the Next Fifty Years: I used to travel very lightly before we had kids and before we inherited the stuff that belonged to our parents and grandparents. I will travel lightly again someday. In the meantime, I’m thankful for our home and I’ll gently pass on what I no longer need as the time comes.

Have you read Marie Kondo’s book about how to get rid of clutter in your home? Check it out at Amazon by clicking on the picture. 

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