STUFF.

You know how when someone writes in all caps, you feel like they�re yelling at you?

Well, I wrote this post title in all caps so I can look back on it and yell�at myself.  ;)

First things first � I must start by telling you something very, very important�

I LIKE STUFF.

(No, I�m not yelling at you, I just like stuff.)

I like stuff around the house, I like buying stuff. Stuff makes me happy.

Not clutter, just stuff. Pretty stuff. Stuff I like. I would like to think I�m normal. (I know, I know -- that is up for discussion.)  :)

This week has changed something in me though � nothing crazy, like I�m going to live with only 100 items (I�ve read many articles about folks doing that lately � and I don�t think they�re crazy, I just know it would be crazy for ME.)

As most of you know, we lost my sweet father-in-law last week, and we started the process of going through his home to decide what to keep, toss, donate, sell, etc. The process has been a bit overwhelming � not because his house is overly cluttered, but because it�s just 50 years of STUFF. Fifty years!

It really made me stop and think � why I keep the things I do, why I�ve kept certain items for 25 years, why I buy the things I do. I didn�t really have a good answer to any of it. :)

But I was on a mission � I went after the basement with new eyes. I started the process back in January and made HUGE strides, but I still hadn�t completed it. And now I am on a get-rid-of-stuff binge like you�ve never seen. ;)

In just a couple of days, I had another car load ready for Goodwill:

I looked at our things with a whole new light � and realized some of my issues when it comes to stuff.

First � THE TOYS. Oh dear Lord in heaven, help me, the TOYS. Do I need to say more?

I never know when to get rid of them�there are toys we�ve had for years that I see the Bub play with every now and again, and I hesitate to donate them. For so long now, I�ve figured if he plays with it, we should keep it around.

A few weeks ago I did a little experiment. I packed away a ton of the little toys, (the ones that drive you a teeny bit cuckoo) and some big ones as well. And guess what � he didn�t even notice they were gone. For weeks.

Imagine that. ;)

Now there�s certain toys where this totally wouldn�t fly. But 95 percent of them are out of sight out of mind. So two lawn trash bags later, I attacked them with a new mindset:

I realized something else � my son�s toys sometimes mean more to me than to him. I feel an attachment to them as well. I have NO idea why � maybe because I buy most of them? Because I remember who gave him this or that for his birthday? Because I am the one who found it for a steal at Goodwill? Who knows. I know I need to let go of them like I do anything else in the house.

Speaking of Goodwill, I realized another culprit when it comes to the stuff in our home � and it�s a biggie.

Obviously, I like to shop �thrifty� � but thrifty can get you in trouble. Anyone who knows Goodwill shopping knows if you see something you like, you�d better grab it right this second. Many times I�ve walked past something I wanted, shopped through the rest of the store and gone back to get it and it�s gone. (Curses!!)

So I grab things, buy them and always figure, if I can�t use it, I�ll return it. But the seven day return policy KILLS me � I hardly ever get things back on time. And in my head, I tell myself it�s OK because �It was only $2.99.� Or $1.99. Or $4.99. But all of those .99�s add up. :)

And then I want to hold on to each thing I didn�t return (and oh yeah, didn�t NEED it) because I paid for it! What in the world? My thought process is whack!

I love to shop consignment shops as well � and most of these shops have NO return policy. You just can�t do it. I have to be pretty positive I�m going to use something before I buy it, but there�s still items that don�t work and then I�m stuck with them.

So I keep them. Cause I paid for them, right?:

You see my evil cycle yet? :)

I think the biggest issue I have is also due to the thrifty in me � the whole oh NO but what if I may need it one day syndrome. Stuff I bought years ago, and used for years�it served it�s purpose in our home. I keep it because what if one day I need JUST THAT ITEM. What if got rid of it? What would happen?!

The Earth may just fall off it�s axis.

Dear. Lord.

I found plenty of things that I�ve kept for months or years without using or even thought about using, and they were off to Goodwill with the rest of the lot:

And guess what � over the past few months after at least 10 car loads to Goodwill and local shelters, there�s been ONE time when I needed something I had donated. And it cost all of $5 to replace.

I have a new mantra when it comes to our stuff when I�m determining what to donate, keep and what to BUY. It must serve a purpose, be something I enjoy and currently use or will (definitely, no doubt) use in the future, and if it�s a sentimental item, it must be truly important enough to me to use up valuable storage space.

And isn�t it funny how you don�t realize something is sentimental to you until you go through the storage bins every few years? Then, it�s all awwww, I loved this insert-thing-from-middle-school-here so much! Most of the time, I don�t remember that thing I loved so much until I see it. :)

As I continue to go through the basement and the rest of the house (I�m still going!), I have been asking myself if we really need it. Then I ask myself again, NO, do we really need it?

Then I ask again -- �For reals, Sarah. DO YOU REALLY NEED THIS?�

(See? Yelling at myself. In caps. In my head.)

It�s been an emotional couple of weeks for us, and I find that going through the clutter always, always soothes my soul. I literally feel like our house is lighter when I walk in the door. I feel lighter. I know it may sound crazy, but I really believe purging stuff creates space to breathe in your house and in your head.  :)

So are you attached to stuff like me? Do you hold on to things for the reasons I mentioned? Or are you a constant purger? Do you follow the one item in, one item out rule? If so, you are my hero. I�m learning. :)