A new neighborhood park finally opens... June 2013.
Now that we have a looming move date, I've started to feel the pressure to go through and get rid of anything extraneous. Because we are moving into a smaller space with less storage, it makes sense to get rid of it now rather than cart it 2,357 miles across the country from Boston to Salt Lake City. Just thinking about finding a place to store all that we currently own gives me anxiety.
I do closet purges every so often but this time is different. This time I am cutthroat to things I might have normally saved. Stuff that doesn't fit all that well but I still kind of like? Gone. Jeans I spent a lot of money on but don't often wear for different reasons? See ya. Clothes that are a little to "young" for a 34-year old mom to be sporting? Buh-bye. This time I simply do not have the tolerance to keep anything that I don't wear on a regular basis or that doesn't make me feel great while wearing it.
As the pile of outcasts mounts (five grocery-sized bags at last count), I can't help but see all the money I've wasted in buying things I most likely didn't think entirely through before swiping my credit card. As much as I hate to admit it, most of those things are cheaply made, impulse buys. In hindsight I'd rather have that money back in my bank account instead of that fleeting thrill I probably got from adding to a mounting collection of stuff. There is a quote in the book I'm currently reading that totally resonated this point for me. The main character is walking through a mall and, while looking at all of the things to be bought, says this:
"I wonder where all this stuff ends up. People cart it away, stuff it into their houses: the nesting instinct. A less attractive concept if you've ever seen a nest up close. There must be a limit to how much stuff you can cram into any one house, but of course it's disposable. You used to buy things for quality, things that would last. You kept your clothes until they were a part of you, you checked hemlines, the way buttons were sewn on, you rubbed the cloth between your finger and thumb to see how well it was made."
So now that our little family will be living in less space with a smaller budget, we are planning to curb that impulse to buy by thinking about that item in the long term. Is it something I will want to own a few years from now? Will it even last that long? Would I rather have that money to spend on something else?
And hopefully that think-through process will have me putting whatever it is back on the shelf and my credit card back in my wallet.
I can't beleive how fast you're moving, I get so manic with change but you seem to be embracing the quick timeline. I used to buy 'stuff' all the time on impulse, but since deciding to stay home and slashing our income in half, I've gotten very thoughtful, which I think is good. Except for groceries! I need to be stopped from my grocery splurges :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun playground. Too bad, Alice can only play there a couple of more months. Yes, I buy too many things too, then feel bad, cause I really didn't need it.
ReplyDeleteI try to never throw away, I give it to the D.I. or take to the salvation army. One of my friends takes her "good old clothing" to a consignment-resell store. She does get a few dollars back.
Happy packing! xo Mom