Simplifying. Decluttering. Minimalistic. All are words describing what I have been doing lately. I have so much stuff that I have moved around in boxes that I never even opened. What I mean is that at some point I boxed items up and just never opened them again, instead each time I moved, they went with me. Years of doing this has resulted in what Niecy Nash would call “foolishness”.
My foolishness consists of things ranging from my kids old stuff to things I got from my grandmother and boxes of old bills and pay stubs. It is amazing to me the things I have boxed up. I have become a pack rat. I box junk up and never open it again. Seriously.
The remarkable thing about this clearing out is that I am willing to chuck a ton of it now. I do not need to keep this stuff. Yesterday I was going through boxes of fabric. Some was from my grandmother, some I had bought and some was from friends who knew I liked to quilt. Of course, that was when I had a sewing machine. My old machine went kaput years ago. In the meantime, all this fabric has been boxed up. I found myself remembering how I came to have it and what was worth keeping. Yes I am keeping some of it. I plan on getting a sewing machine in the near future. Quilting is a hobby I had forgotten about but now looks inviting again, as long as I get a new machine. I did box up three boxes to give to goodwill and two boxes for a cousin. One box is all I kept. It’s freeing this simplifying.
I have also been clearing out my clothes. If I haven’t wore it for some time, it’s gone. I have clothes in various sizes so I am not keeping the smaller items at all. If I continue losing weight I will buy myself new if need be. All of these clothes are being donated as well. I was thinking I could donate them to the women’s shelter. The battered women’s shelter I meant. Years ago they helped me and I have some nice dressy professional clothes I am pitching so why not help these women who need a new start?
I am going through the dishes too. I am tired of having so many dishes. I want to get one set of dishes and glasses and pitch the rest. I can donate them too. I have already cleared out quite a few of them and my cupboards are getting more spacious. This is another win win situation.
I have a ton of comforter sets that I want to donate somewhere but bedding is not being accepted around here right now. Bed bugs have infested so many places that centers aren’t accepting bedding. I might have to give them away another way.
A couple of days ago we cleaned the camper out. It had been our storage room. I had forgotten all the stuff in there existed. It just amazes me how much stuff was in there! I took about 12 boxes down to three keepers and the rest donated.
How am I getting this stuff done? I am on that wonder drug of lupus patients, prednisone. It is absolutely crazy how it gives me pseudo energy. I figure that while I have it I need to get down to basics and nothing more. It will make things so much easier for that tick tock that will be occurring in the near future.
Simplifying is freeing to my mind, body and soul. By getting rid of the excess, it makes me feel lighter somehow. It gives me that feeling of less worry. It is helping me cope during the stress of my daily life. It is focusing my energy on my future, and my life. Funny how pitching stuff out to donate can do that to a person. I hope you all have a great day filled with hope and love!!
My Old Kentucky Homestead 
I am starting to empty unpacked boxes from over a year. Today I purchased price dots so I can prepare for a garage sale in the spring. Gotta make some money.
I am giving most of mine away. I have carried boxes in so many moves we have done and never unpacked them until now. It’s freeing to simplify and I look at it as if I died, what would be kept of my stuff. Makes it easier. Have fun!!