Today it is cold, grey and pouring with rain. I seem to have found myself a streaming cold from somewhere so I'm feeling very 'meh' again. Definitely Bah Humbug!
I get a spring cleaning urge most januarys but this year it seems to be upon me very early. Today I feel trapped and hemmed in by mountains of stuff, and yet I am an instinctive hoarder by nature. I like to have my things around me, I like surface clutter and pictures on the walls.
Yet I find myself questioning more and more at the moment, why are you keeping this? you don't wear it/like it/read it etc.
Recently I had a 'big' birthday which sparked a wardrobe clearout, fear of being mutton or vintage bintage as my friend Murray would say was part of the motive. I was truely shocked at how many clothes I have, it was, in all honesty, obscene.
I sold nearly 200 items on Ebay/Etsy and took 15 FULL black sacks to charity and do you know what the worst, most shameful bit was? You would never have know that much had gone. It just meant things were hanging in the wardrobe and I could shut the doors. Of course I didn't stop shopping and now you can't close draws or doors again.
I love clothes and I love fashion, I always have and I always will. I get excited with every new season but the mindless spending has to stop. I have spent the last few of weeks really looking at things after the initial thrilled intake of breath. Do I REALLY need it, will I REALLY get wear out of it, can I afford it? It seems to be working......
I think another motivator is last January we had the sad task of clearing Himself's Grandma's house. It was a daunting task to say the least. She was, like me and Himself, a hoarder. We faced a house full of 50 plus years of collecting and it took a full week of solid hard graft to sort through. So when the christmas decorations come down the first area to be blitzed will be the bulging bookcases. There is much work to be done.......
Never fear I have no doubt whatsoever I will still be posting excitedly on here about finds and purchases in 2011. Hopefully it will be quality not quantity you will be seeing next year!
I do love a good clear out. I try not to be a hoarder, but it can be difficult.
ReplyDelete15 black sacks? Ay caramba! I think you could fit all the clothes I own in four! Good luck with the clear out.
ReplyDeleteI am with you on this 100%! I am feeling the need to de-bauble and then declutter. Well done for actually selling stuff on though - when I get into declutter mode - I think "I could sell that" and then I promptly get sick looking at the "ebay bags" and send them down the charity shops.
ReplyDeleteOhh, I know, I know! There's nothing more depressing than toiling through a pile of ironing and then being unable to put things away as my drawers are already bursting (oh er Mrs!). Good luck with your clear-out.
ReplyDeletewow that is a lot of clothes. Welldone for clearing out! I'm a bit of a hoarder and find it so hard to part with things, but I have an ebay bag and a carboot sale box box on the go and my sort out is going to start big time tomorrow x
ReplyDelete