It's Too Much!

It's too much! I said those words earlier this week. I was standing in the shower, water streaming down my face. I had reached out to grab the shampoo and jumped as several containers fell into the tub. Irritated I bent down to grab them. I was really aggravated. There were several bottles of shampoo, several body washes and a couple of body scrubs, all in the tub. "Too much" I snapped. I had the same reaction later that same day when I was looking for a particular shade of lipstick. I kid you not. I have over 30 tubes of lipstick. Too much. I took a look around my bathroom and shook my head. There were multiples of many items. A quick walk around my house and the same thing, Just too much! Well that is how this blog came about. I have been on a mission to clear the clutter for a couple of months, and this incident just reminded me that I needed to really get busy again. All week I have been taking the time to get rid of things I no longer use, need or want. How many of you have this same problem? We hold on to stuff. Even after it is no longer any use to us. We just seem to find it hard to let go. We have many reasons. Some things hold sentimental value. Some things we bought because we thought we were going to use it someday. Some things were on sale and it was too good of a bargain to not buy, even though we have never used it.

For some of us we have been taught not to be wasteful. We get all of the product out of the container. Often turning the tube upside down to get every little drop. I have used many products that I didn't really care for because I didn't want to be wasteful. We find reasons to hold on to this stuff, but it is serving us no purpose. It is taking up valuable space and it is stopping us from receiving things that we really could be using right now. So I have a list below of things that we need to let go of right now. We can donate to Goodwill or some other charitable organization, sell it, give it away or throw it away. The idea is for us to get rid of what no longer works for us.

Say goodbye to the following items.

Worn out shoes, clothes you have never worn, clothes that are too little, too big or out of style, or they are just no longer your style, old toys, socks with no mates, old makeup, old medication, old business cards, papers from workshops or classes, old phone chargers, old magazines, old socks and underwear, old bills and receipts,wire hangers, books we have no intention of ever reading again. This is a short list. I am sure you have things that you can get rid of that didn't make my list. As I am writing this, I am thinking of more stuff. Plastic bags, dried up glue sticks, markers, etc.

I know how hard it is to let go of things when you have an emotional attachment to it. There is that sentimental value. I know. I still have a gym shoe from when my grandson was 3 years old, a sandwich bag with locks of his hair from his first haircut and a Onsie from when he was about 6 months old. So here are a few tips if that is the case for you.

Decide what is worth keeping, what really pulls at your heart and get rid of the rest. Pass it on to someone who can use it now. Remake, repurpose or recycle it. I know some ladies who make beautiful quilts from articles of clothing. My mom has a big scrapbook and she has some of the beautiful birthday cards she has received over the years in it. But only keep the really sentimental things. For the other stuff...get rid of it! It is just taking up space, collecting dust and serving no purpose.