hey everybody! i hope you had a great weekend.
we are in another cold snap {the wind chill is -41* right now, base temp is -15*} and today is for running errands and putting the finishing touches on the february boxes!
i am SO excited to share the boxes this month ; they *really* came together!
i know i have mentioned this before, but i am a total 'purger.' every couple of months, i go through most things we own & get rid of anything {and everything} we aren't using in that moment. dishes, clothes, household items, ect ect. blake and i live in a two bedroom apartment on purpose. we have gone back and forth for years about buying a house. it would be rad because we could have a yard for daphne, space to rescue // foster more dogs & could build a little free library. on the other hand, when you have a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom house, you have to fill it. you need stuff.
i dont like stuff.
i dont like boxes and bins of things in storage, in closets or under beds. i like to know what i have. i like to USE what i have. 'things' are no good to me packed up in boxes somewhere.
{note : i am NOT talking about the book you wrote in third grade, the picture of you and your grandpa at christmas or that awesome picture you drew in art class when you were ten}
when i purge, i make a few piles ; things to donate {clothes, fabric, art supplies, ect}, things i want to try to sell {vintage items, the bike trailer we bought daphne that she refuses to go near}, or things that can be donated to a specific organization {magazines to the YMCA, kids books to a school, winter wear to a homeless outreach center}
well, today was the day to donate 13 bags full of stuff {winter boots, clothes, canvas for painting, ect ect} to my favorite secondhand store in town. i snapped a quick photo, but it was pretty cold to not have gloves on! {duh, -43*}
my family always jokes that i 'give everything i own away' and they aren't too far off the mark.
i feel incredibly blessed in my life ; daphne, blake, family, friends, a warm bed, a job i love, money in my bank account, ect. i dont NEED all of that stuff.
if blakes winter boots from two years ago {he has a new pair} can go for $3 to a guy who walks his daughter to the bus stop each day, that is awesome. if my canvas boards and art supplies can go for $10 to a public school teacher who has to dip into her own pockets to provide for her students ; than i am happy to get rid of it.
my mom recently reminded me 'people will often forget what they bought, but they will never, ever forget how something or someone made them feel.'
take a moment to look through your closets ; are there things you have {and dont use} that could be used to enrich someone elses life? if the answer is yes, pack it up & give it a new home!
see you tomorrow!
When I visit the States in March I'm going to be doing this. Living abroad with minimal stuff has made me realize how little the stuff I have at home means. I'll save some things {I have some nice, fancy kitchen cook wear that will last my entire life, for example} but most of it? It's replaceable if I decide I need it again when I move home.
ReplyDeletethats how i felt, too! if there is really something that i decided i needed back in my life, i could always go back and purchase it. but the reality is, most of the things we get rid of, we dont ever think about again.
Deletei love the idea of having what you need. especially in a time // place // society when there are others who really do need the items we hold in abundance..
i wish you were closer lauren, i would love to connect in march!