Declutter Bug

I think one of my gifts is organization.

It took me a long time to realize this but now I can claim it as my own.

I like for things to have a place ... and stay in it. Of course that hardly ever happens. The staying in it part anyway.

I'm a little fearful that Grace may not have inherited that trait. Her room is a pit most of the time. I don't remember my room ever looking like that. Of course, I'm pretty sure that was mostly because my Mom cleaned it for me (or for her) most of the time.

Still. I like things clean and simple and orderly now. Maybe even more now that it's harder to keep them that way. The past few years I have gotten really good at getting rid of stuff. The hard part is not buying more stuff to replace it. THINGS seem like such a good idea at the time.

I have to admit that I am the one who does most of the buying of things and clothes in our home. Bryon hardly ever buys anything and if he does it's something huge like a tractor, or a mower or a four wheeler. I buy piddly little things that add up over time and then end up in a garage sale or in this case... a Slab Sale.

Grace doesn't get much during the year, maybe a few new movies and seasonal clothing and shoes because she outgrows everything so quickly. But as for toys etc, we buy her hardly anything really. But, with her birthday in October (and the big 20 kid plus family birthday parties we have had) and then Christmas just two months later... the stuff really piles up.

For the past few weeks we've been going through things, drawers, closets, garage, barn and gathering up STUFF to get rid of at my now 3rd Annual Niangua City Slab Sale. This year it's going to take the pickup AND the trailer to get all the stuff up there.

I would hate to know how much much money we have spent on all this stuff we are going to get rid of (see picture above).

It's easy to accumulate stuff. Ten dollars here, twenty there. Stuff, STuff, STUFF!

I had two shirts that even had tags on them still, that I cannot and have no hope to wear. They are going. Somewhere. Away.

I did keep the pants I have outgrown and hope against hope to one day wear again. The last time I lost weight I optimistically gave away my fat pants. Now I'm wearing NEW fat pants that I just had to buy again. And so it goes.

The trouble with shoes

The trouble with stuff

The trouble with closets

This is the second time we've severely cleaned out the Oprah closet. I call it my Oprah closet because it's so big. My stuff is on the left. Bryon's is on the right. What you can't see from this pic is that his clothes only go halfway across including his camo clothes and various and other sundry hunting things take of the other half of his side. He doesn't buy many clothes. 

You can maybe see in the top pic I have two three foot piles of clothes to get ride of. Most of them won't sell at a Slab Sale. They will most likely end up being donated to the Community Thrift Store in town. Most of the stuff we are selling is actually Grace's. I asked her to clean out her play room and room. I gave her a tub and a box and told her to get rid of the trash in the box and anything she didn't want to keep or play with anymore in the tub. 

She filled them up time and time again. I had to resist talking her into KEEPING things. I only vetoed a couple of things. I told her I would give her $25 from the profits of the sale and she could buy a new movie or something if she wanted. She asked about a new toy. I told her we were already getting rid of a whole bunch of  "toys" she never even played with. She said, "Yes but it's hard not to buy more things you want".

Aye, there's the rub.