Every six months or so, Dave and I go through our things and give away what we no longer need or want. We used to hold a Crapaganza, wherein we'd put our unwanted things on the deck and our friends would come over and take what they wanted. Not sure we'll do that this time around -- our peeps probably have enough stuff. We're thinking this year's haul will go to Boysville.
At any rate, I like to do this purge at the end of the warm seasons and again when the cold seasons wind down. That makes it easier to evaluate seasonal things. For example, at the end of summer, I go through my warm weather clothes. If there's anything I didn't wear in the past six months, I donate it. Same goes with outdoor stuff -- camping equipment, lawn games, water toys, etc. At the end of winter, I donate any cold weather clothes we didn't wear, as well as any Christmas decorations we didn't use.
There are always exceptions...
Special occasion clothes aren't necessarily seasonal, so they tend to remain for years, getting donated only when they no longer fit our taste. Some years, we've traveled over the winter, so our Christmas stuff never got put up. And we purge our backpacking equipment after long trips, when it's still fresh in our minds which bits were useful and which weren't (a lot of times this purge takes place mid-trip).
We've managed to whittle our stuff down every year, so our house is fairly tidy now. Plus, we're both getting fitter, so ditching our chubby clothes is easy (and rewarding). The challenge this year will be the garage, where we have several storage tubs to go through. I predict a pillage of epic proportions.
And big smiles and cold beers when we finish.
Do you periodically purge your things? What are your rules for what stays and what goes? How often do you do this?
[image via Montgomery County, PA]
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Saturday, September 5, 2009
The Semi-Annual Purge Cometh
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3 ate pie:
We go through purges every once in a while as well, though I like your seasonal system for doing it. We usually set things aside over the course of the whole year. The only problem is that they tend to just sit in little piles in random places around the house until there are enough to load up an entire car full and haul them away. I may attempt to get more organized about purging and sell my husband on the idea though. Going through the bins and stuff in boxes is definitely a good idea which we usually don't get to in our more haphazard system.
I definitely do. Since I've lost weight it's much easier. I feel I want everything around me to be "lighter". Plus I live in approximately 500 odd square feet so the less I have the better.
Don't get me wrong - I still have a ridiculous amount of stuff in such a small place - but I'm getting better at getting rid of things to be sure.
Jenn - Maybe you could put the little piles into a single bin? (Unless they're destined for different places, of course.) I'm trying to get our little piles into the garage, so at least they aren't in the house. Looking forward to carting them off!
Krissy - Your space definitely presents a challenge + incentive all in one. We had a space that size a few years ago, and it kept us from wanting to buy things.
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