{Why I am purging my house this Spring}
DISCLOSURE: THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS, WHICH MEANS I MAY RECEIVE A COMMISSION IF YOU CLICK A LINK AND PURCHASE SOMETHING. PLEASE CHECK OUT MY DISCLOSURE POLICY FOR MORE DETAILS
Hello Spring! 🌷 It’s finally here!!
Every year I am reminded of how wonderful spring feels after a cold winter and it’s lack of daylight during those cold months. I’m reminded of my childhood and how we used to venture out and look for pussy willows around Easter time.
I remember the smell of early mornings as the dew would start to evaporate and the sun would start to rise. Our walks in the park as we’d try and find these pussy willows with my mom. I miss that smell.
Still to this day I enjoy the early morning smell of spring as the smell of winter melts away. The smell of damp earth and the sound of birds and I’m always reminded of our walks in the park.
Spring represents a new beginning. A fresh start.
A way to bring back the old and renew what once was lost.
So this spring, I am purging my house of all things that no longer serve a purpose. I am literally taking spring cleaning to a whole new level.
Why am I doing it?
To summarize I have gotten overwhelmed with my house. And not just the house itself, all the shit in the house!
It’s always amazing to me to see how much stuff you can accumulate when you have kids. It’s also amazing to see what you can accumulate because you think things can fill a void and make you happy.
Having been an immigrant child who always watched her parents struggle I have been infiltrated with a need to have things as a way to show my advancement in life. This I find is a very common theme in our society.
Like so many consumers in this day in age, we are always bombarded with the need to buy!
Buy the new TV, buy the new phone, buy the new this and that. Always buying to showcase what we have.
Most of us buy things to fill a hole in our lives.
Aimlessly walking around the mall and just buying shit because I was bored. Or maybe because I thought I needed it because some other mom had it and it looked cool.
This was a daily occurence when my kids were little and I was a stay at home mom.
Over the years I have come to realize that it was never things that made me happy but the people and the experiences that I’ve had with those closest to me.
So as I walk around my house today I feel exhausted and confined.
Everything that sits in my house brings me more frustration than joy.
There are memories associated with certain items like all my baking supplies but I know I will never use those things again.
(You can read all about that in my earlier post about my fat journey. )
Some items I have kept for sentimental reasons but over the years I have confined it into a small shoe box that sits hidden in my closet.
What do I hope to accomplish?
I have recently read “A year of less” by Cait Flanders and even though I had already implemented a lot of her ideas there were some new insights that confirmed my desire to get rid of my stuff.
Keep in mind being single versus having a family has its’ own set of rules when it comes to decluttering and purging your belongings but the end game is the same.
Declutter and make room for more important things like family time, travel and enjoying life not bound by debt.
After reading this book along with other changes I have made in my life in recent years I have truly realized what is most valuable to me.
The lines between what I thought I wanted and what I really wanted were blurred. Having kids takes a huge toll on women not just physically but mentally and it sure did a number on me.
All in all I was a very confused young mother who placed too much emphasis on how everyone around me was living their life and I lost focus on my own path.
Fast forward to today and I have regained a huge sense of where I want to go and what I need to do to get there. Hence, spring purging commences!
Start with your own closet
Should you feel inclined to start some purging of your own I recommend you start with your own closet. Starting here gives you a real sense of how much shit you actually own and never use!
How many items you have in your closet with a price tag still on it?
How many items do you hang on to until you lose a few more pounds?
What if you gain weight again, maybe you should hold on to those jeans just in case?
Shoes? Mine would be sandals as I dream of living close to a beach but for now I think I can part with a few pairs.
Purses? If you’re just like me a wallet will do just fine!
My basic rule of thumb when it comes to my closet: if I haven’t worn it in 6 months, I’m giving it away. This includes purses, bras, socks etc. You get the picture.
Move onto your bathroom
Ladies we are all guilty of having a soap or lotion addiction!
Some of us even have a makeup addiction (not me however because I still don’t know how to apply eyeshadow). Pretty sure I’ve had the same makeup living in my bathroom for the last 10 years (which I have recently purged).
If you’re a Costco lover then you know all too well the need for bulk purchases.
If it’s on sale I will buy things like toilet paper because it is a necessity not a pleasure item. Same goes for paper towels or anything that we as a family consume daily.
Get the kids involved (if you got em)!
Where to start when it comes to the kids?
To make things extra enticing for my kids I gave them the choice to keep one box of toys they could not live without. The rest had to go.
The motivation is a trip for the family.
In conjunction with spring cleaning everything that we don’t need will be put into a garage sale this May.
The kids will sell their own things and whatever money they make they get to use for our family trip this fall.
Believe it or not my kids are over the moon about making money because they always complain they’re still too young to get “real jobs”.
In this case, they get to work and make money which they can spend while we are away.
Everybody wins in this situation, including my wallet.
Make room for what’s important for you
Experiences and time with those who bring me joy are important.
I lost track of such a simple concept long ago when I was trying to keep up with the Jones’ but have started to realize the importance of it now.
Start of spring means the start of living a more minimal life.
Getting rid of things never felt so uplifting and the thought of not having so much shit to deal with makes me look forward to more experiences with those around me.
meraki [may-rah-kee] (adjective) word used to describe doing something with soul, creativity, or love — when you put “something of yourself” into what you’re doing, whatever it may be
