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.