Minimizing

Minimize

One of the things I have decided recently is that I want to be a minimalist.  While I love shopping and I love cluttery things, I really want to minimize the things I have.  With the recent move and the fact that we really can't move everything (even if we wanted to), it has given me a new perspective of everything we have lying around.  Already I have two boxes of books packed, with at least one more to go.  It makes me feel awful because not only do I know how much energy and time has gone into We as human being spend so much time collecting and quickly realize that this stuff doesn't make us happy. Best thing to happen is for people to spend time paring down. I don't know I guess I just realized I can't have everything.

New Year's Resolutions - June

With all of the upheaval I have taken a good hard look at my New Year's Resolutions and made a goal to work on each of them.  I know that its silly to do, but if I could take on one challenge why not try a few more.  One of these goals is of course to lose 20 pounds by the end of the year.  Since none of my previous resolutions stuck you could guess this one hasn't either.

My motivation is of course good health but also because my mother who has all of my life been on the heavy side has lost weight and now if feel like the tall fat freak next to her.  Much of my previous attempts have either faltered because of lack of motivation or because the nagging of my mother or grandmother has made me less motivated.  Who wants to work out if they are going to continue to get nagged regardless?

So this past weekend when I saw the two of them I made the suggestion (open mouth, insert foot) that since all of the family would be on the east coast for the first time in six months we get a family picture taken.  The last family picture was taken in 2009 and we were not all in the picture (not a good Photoshop job at all).  So, since we would be getting a new picture taken I would like to look a little less heavy then I am.

So the challenge of course is in the next month to loose five pounds.  Such a small amount should not make a difference and even if no one else could tell, I will be able to.  If that could be accomplished the next step would be five pounds before I move and of course keeping up that throughout the next few months.  If all works out that would be 30 pounds before New Year's.

Let's see if I can do that.

Stuff....

No one realizes how much stuff they have until they take a harsh look around their home and realize there is more stuff then people.  My apartment is roughly 731 square feet and it feels like every inch of it is full of stuff.  Now looking at that number it makes me feel sick not only because of how much I have been paying for my tiny apartment but also because of how much I have stuffed in it.  How hard I have had to work to buy the stuff and how many shopping trips I took.  Down sizing this apartment is truly a project to figure out what is really important and what is not.  What experiences are important and not what stuff is important.

One thing I think about when it comes to stuff is a set of wine glasses I bought so long ago.  I never really liked them but I figured since I was now a grown up I should have real wine glasses.  I never had a ton of opportunities to use them but I wanted them.  Now four years later I am almost as happy drinking wine out of a plastic cup.  To quote Toby and my mother, "Red solo cup".

I have a plan for this downsizing and moving project, and thankfully my boy is so helpful in every way he can, decluttering and organizing in his own way.  I know that the next month and a half will be a succession of eliminating and downsizing, which makes this process never ending in some ways.

The hardest part is figuring out where to start, I mean I know one starts at the beginning, but where is that.  For me it has always been clothes.  What clothes do I no longer need and what do I need.  About two months ago I reviewed my clothes and took three loads to a local clothing box.  This made me feel so relieved to know that I had space in my closet.  But even now I know there is so much more that I can get rid of, or I look at something I saved and say why did I ever consider keeping this item.

My resolution is to review my closet once a week from now until we move.  The hope is that I could find one or two items that I no longer want or need and in that way I can find a nice balance with my wardrobe.  This includes shoes, sweaters, and coats.  An ambitious goal but in some ways I believe that I can come to some sort of resolution over my wardrobe.

To go along with this resolution I am going to make a strict budget of how much I can spend on clothes in the future months.  Not only shopping but going out, gas, and of course hair appointments.  Truthfully I have a huge on-hold on-line shopping list at a few stores and I would love to blow a paycheck on this, however that does not sound like the most positive idea.  Oh well, so many changes and resolutions that I am sure I can work on.