Riding the momentum

Big day for culling today!
I donated two bags of clothing to Goodwill Industries. Then I gave my area rug to a woman in need over in Essex--she was very appreciative!

My coffee maker was recalled by WalMart due to a fire hazard, so I wasted no time today--I brought it back. They gave me WalMart gift card...so I spent it on consumables--things I needed: laundry detergent, toothpaste, food....and a $5 pair of sunglasses since I can't seem to find mine.

I donated a railroad tie (big ol' piece of wood sitting in my backyard) to a guy looking for some... and I'm waiting to hear from the gal who might buy my backpack! All in all.... a good day to get rid of things! Two of my neighbors are doing a yard sale at the moment--wish I had known--I'd have put some stuff out. There's a big yard sale on the street in June, so no worries there.

Looks like I'm on a roll, so I hope to keep the momentum going as long as possible. The cats aren't happy about the storage unit disappearing--now they have no way to climb on top of the bookshelves but I'm sure they'll adjust.

In an hour, I'm going to go look at some studio and one bedroom apartments--my goal is to eventually be able to move into one. Have a long way to go!

Big progress

After several slow weeks...and an odd sort of plateau, I'm back on track. I had two items picked up by bulk trash this week: an old, huge gross litter box tray and I finally got rid of one of my IKEA pieces. I had a storage unit that has traveled to four different homes, and was on the verge of falling apart. For years (at least 10!) I couldn't bring myself to get rid of it.

Finally--I decided that it was taking up entirely too much space in my small office. I emptied out the contents (still working on getting rid of the stuff that was inside--did a first good effort to cull out what was in it) and the unit is now GONE. It fell apart on me as I was moving it outside--it was time to go.

I just posted some folks on Craigslist who were looking for rugs--I've got two or three that need to go. I'm debating about donating some furniture to a family burned out by a fire. I see a lot of those listings but it's hard to know which ones are legitimate. (some, sadly... aren't. even sadder: some are)

I also started to go through stacks of old papers, and took the plunge: am doing my very first paperless bill pay. big leap of faith for me. we'll see how it goes. My shred pile is two feet high right now!

I also returned a big bunch of my disaster team uniforms. I've switched teams, and even though they said I could keep the uniforms, they didn't fit me right, and I didn't need all these uniforms with my old team name on them, so I donated them to other team members. Another big step.

I think it helped watching that show "Hoarders"...made me realize how far I've come, and how I don't want to go back to that life.

Over the bump...

And so the trophies are now history! It was difficult to do, but I'm glad they're gone now. I drove out to the country and talked to my trophies on the beautiful, scenic trip to their new abode. I told them how they once gave me joy...but now they just reminded me of what I lost. The whole point of a trophy is to remind you of what you've WON, not what you've lost....and it made it a little easier to part with them.

To ride that wave, I've started to work again in my home office. I've got a large old IKEA unit full of drawers--it's lasted me almost 10 years....way past it's normal life cycle. Two moves ago, the damn thing fell apart at the seams, but I refused to let go of it. I pieced it back together and got three more years out of it.

Now it takes up entirely too much space, and it houses a whole bunch of items that just "hide" inside it. Today, I emptied out all of the drawers. Some went into the donate pile, some into the trash, and a few items to keep. Then I contacted bulk trash pickup and they'll be coming for it shortly. Not only will this create more space in the office, but it's one more thing that I don't really need.

Cleaning it out was tough--lots of things from college...and a heap of items from childhood. Did I really need to keep my report cards from elementary school? A ribbon I had won for a book report? A certificate for perfect attendance? obvious answers. they're all curbside at the moment. no turning back.

Speedbump

It's been almost two months since my last post....and I found myself losing some momentum. I'm down to the things that have some emotional attachment...or monetary value...or both. And getting rid of those things is doubly hard.

Getting back on the horse today--I'm still trying to find a buyer for my grandfather's beer memorabilia.... and saw a post today on CraigsList of someone looking for old, unwanted trophies. I have 6. Loved my trophies--all from the Hampden Halloween Contest--I took first place 5 years in a row. Now when I look at them, I think of my first wife, who was (is) involved with the contest. And since thinking about her does not fill me or my life with positive energy--they must go!

Chalk another up: didn't think I'd ever be able to let go of trophies--I wanted a trophy so badly as a kid, that when I won them as adults, I was absolutely thrilled. Now: they just take up space, and in this case, emotional room where there isn't any.

Hope I hear back from the poster soon so I can get back to the culling.