Not quite a horder - decluttering

Mrs. M--good for you for deciding to add to the wardrobe as needed. AND good for scooping up the capris on sale! I'm all for sale shopping when the deal is really good, just not for the entire wardrobe.

Wren--getting back to a coordinated wardrobe is quite a project!

Yes, getting a wardrobe together when you work involves a lot more than when you don't. It is easier when you don't work. Since I stopped working two years ago, my style has evolved into a more casual one. I still coordinate clothes somewhat and it makes it easy for traveling. Reds, blues, whites and blacks seem to be my current go-to colors with a couple purses. I mostly wear sneakers due to arthritic feet and joint pain from arimidex.

The other thing when working is sometimes the peer pressure. I worked at an elementary school as an aide. Some teachers dressed to the nines, with lots of added jewelry, purses, jackets, and shoes. It was something of a status symbol. I could see it was excess and occasionally in my head would calculated the money they spent on wardrobe items. Did they ever consider what they were actually spending? And the teachers with children in school spent additional on the kids' clothing, later selling pricey clothes for dirt cheap at garage sales.

Our society is out of whack in that way, where so much, too much consumerism goes on. I read the one book years ago, cant remember the name, but it talked about looking at purchases by how many hours you were working to afford them. If you make $20 and hour, and you buy a $40 pair of shoes, you work more than two hours for them since taxes are taken out of the pay, and so on for all kinds of purchases. It really makes you think a bit more about how you spend your money. The book might be called Your Money or Your Life.

And when I worked, I fell into the peer pressure, buying more clothes than I needed. Or when I had crappy days at work, retail therapy helped lift the bad mood. The work world does bring its challenges! Good luck to you, Wren!

O, happy day! The house is thoroughly cleaned, including ovens, fridge, and basement, and the For Sale sign is in the yard. Now that we have three bedrooms and the playroom empty we should be able to keep things cleaned up. We're basically living out of our severely pared down bedroom, living room, and kitchen.

That was a real job! Congratulations on your accomplishment!

Well, I am having a hard time with my latest attempted purge of my closet. I have gotten rid of so much, but like 'loaves and fishes', it just seems to replicate itself! I am looking at my 'career clothes' from a job I left about 3 years ago. Nothing overly corporate, J.Crew, Ann Taylor etc. Really cute stuff, (classic/timeless) in really good condition (and all the accessories: shoes, scarves, purses. ugh! I have tried consignment shops, online and brick and mortar, but can't get much payout (if any) at all : ( My 'life style' has changed so many times in my life, I keep thinking that maybe opting will change and I will be glad I've got them... Meanwhile I am living in a rural area, L.L. Bean is the code word : ) I work as an artist and writer (starving!)...mostly at home...so clothes aren't usually a factor in my daily routine! I really hate to just give them all away...money is so tight ...

Wren44- that's exactly what I'm doing! Putting those clothe in a large tote. I had to purchase so many tops since my lumpectomy. The surgery side boob is huge! Has been for 7 months now. Plus I've add LE to the mix and I do not like to top of my compression sleeve to show. I had so many cute sleeveless and cap type sleeve tops that I can't wear right now. It was fun shopping for new tops but now my closet is bursting at the seams! (It's a big closet walk in to...I LOVE TO SHOP!) I'm giving myself until next year. If I can't wear them next year they will be donated to a women's program or the rescue mission

Vargadoll, Have you seen the decorated sleeves? I saw a flyer at my mastectomy shop. They come in all kinds of designs and were invented by women who wear them.

Yes! I have one with a pattern. It's nude with black print. I get so many compliments on my tattoo! Then they realize it's a sleeve and ask where I got it they want one...my response is trust me you don't want one of these! I would love to get another one with some color to it.

Native Maine, definitely the smart move was to take advantage of some of the last of the beautiful summer weather you will have till next year. You are advised to not feel one iota of guilt about that!

Keep your thoughts on all you have accomplished, which is quite a lot. Quite a lot.

I can remember years ago making lists every day of what I needed to do and falling asleep berating myself for what didnt get done, Then I finally turned that around by only allowing myself to think of what DID get done, even if it was only one thing on the list. (Then I stopped making so many lists!)

Here is a story with a piece of wisdom that has really stayed with me: Many years ago, I read something in a Farmer's Almanac. The author was describing someone (it may have been the author) digging deep holes and planting posts for a fence that was to stretch quite a ways. Many, many holes requiring a lot of physical labor. The process could be daunting to face the entirety of the whole process. So, the adage was to keep his back to all the holes that still needed dug. He approached the job by looking in the direction of the holes that were done with the posts already in place. It is called "back to work." Seeing that which is complete.

That is what I say to you. Keep your back towards that which still needs decluttered. Look at what you have already done. You ARE making progress. I think you deserved the break you took yesterday.

NativeMaine- I keep notes on things I do along the way with decluttering, from trips to cosignment, donations, dumpters stuffing, giving away thing to people I know can use them when I cannot, etc. Create a simple log in a notebook and you will be amazed how much you have done. The memory is a tricky thing, I am usually doing way more than I ever think I am and when I go back to look, I have done a lot more than I realized! I am the perfectionist too.

Speaking of perfectionism, I had a friend in town who came to the house and have learned to not have everything perfect. However, I got some comments on things about some papers I had in my home office and how to get those scanned to get rid of them. Ha ha, here to see my house, not to judge things. Big eye roll! But the perfectionist in me now knows to let those things roll......

Taking my first round of falling clothing to consignment this weekend. As I replace things in my smaller size, I spent more on a few nice things and go for quality vs. quantity to avoid the over stuffed closet syndrome.

Thanks, NativeMainer! Your last sentence gave me a great idea for today's project. I think I will tackle the overstuffed closet I haven't opened in two years. What could possibly be in there that I can't get rid of? Should be easy, right?

Hi friends- back in the closets again and had some fall items I had put to the side from the change out last spring. Starting to take some things to consignment again, at least to the one store I now have (the other closed). They took a good 30 items this weekend including some too big clothing now that I have lost weight, some shoes that don't work for my feet anymore, a few scarves, and wraps. Got more to go, and fun to take too big things in and come away with a few smaller things on credit.

Also doing another pass through donations. Purge baby purge!

Good afternoon friends- I bought a book recently called 365 Days of Living Generously. There are daily readings around various principles, including philanthropy. Today's lesson was around giving time or money, which is easier for us? And where we resist to giving things away (time or money, which to me also includes stuff). The reading challenged me to do something to give away something today.

Therefore, I got busy about filling up more bags of things from the closet and some of the garage storage, including some decorations I don't need or want anymore. The back of my Subaru is filled up with donations to take to my favorite thrift shop this week.

I will give you the same challenge, what can you give away this week that would help someone?

I am loving these ideas.  I have been slowly - very slowly trying to organize my home and life.