Humbled!

OK - after making fun of Ron and his genetic inclination to hoard stuff, God humbled me in a big way this weekend. While I don't hold onto everything I have accumulated over my lifetime (like Ron saved textbooks from elementary school, rocks, etc), I discovered that I definitely have my own "hoarding" tendencies.

I mentioned in my previous post that I would attempt to clean out my attic this past weekend and I had every intention of doing just that. But I decided that I really should start with my drawers, closets and bookshelves. Upon opening my drawers, I was SHOCKED at how much stuff I had accumulated just in the last few years. I feel that it is only fair to show the scary "before" photos since I made such a big deal about others being pack rats. Here are "before" pictures of two drawers in an armoire in my bedroom:





It took me most of the day on Saturday just to clean out these two drawers. They are very large drawers but still...?! I had to sort it into keep, give away, or trash. After I finished the two big drawers I moved on to my bathroom cabinet. I couldn't believe how many hair accessories, old eye-shadows and dried up bottles of nail polish were hiding in there! Then I moved on to my jewelry. I tried to be very honest with myself. Which pieces would I realistically wear? Which ones was I holding onto simply because they were gifts or because I felt guilty giving them away? By the end of the day I had four large garbage bags filled with GARBAGE and several piles and bags of give-aways. Here are the "after" photos of the two armoire drawers:





After church on Sunday I decided to tackle the book shelves. I have hundreds of books. I had four overflowing bookshelves. I couldn't even fit all the books on the shelves so I had started piling them on the floor beside the shelves. I had piles all over the place! In another month or two I could probably use them to build another small house! Again, I had to think realistically. Would I really read all of these books one day? How many of them had I already read? Did I really think I would read them again when I had so many unread books? Could someone else benefit from them?

By the end of the day on Sunday, I had sorted through the four bookshelves and the many piles of extra books. I ended up giving away or donating over half of them. And, I will be donating two of the bookshelves so that I am not tempted to hoard books again!

Now that I have simplified (my friend Karen Ehman, the "Keep it Simple" lady, would be so proud of me), I will be more aware of every item I bring into my house. How much "stuff" do we really need? Could someone else use an item that I would only throw in a drawer? Which items do I hold onto for sentimental reasons and which out of guilt? Starting today - I am turning over a new, "keep it simple," leaf.

If you aren't busy cleaning out the clutter in your home and could use a laugh, you simply MUST watch Karen Ehman's hat skit. You won't be sorry! Just click here: Hat Skit on YouTube