The Great Stuff Purge, Part 2

Trent and I spent a big chunk of this morning paring down our wardrobes and other belongings. We did so for several reasons:

1. Clark can hold only so much stuff. Closet space is particularly limited. Trent and I will have a total of one decent-sized wardrobe in which we can hang stuff up. Otherwise, we'll be relying on plastic bins stored in relatively small cabinets.

2. We won't have a washer and dryer... Which means we'll be going to laundromats... And the fewer loads of laundry we have to do, the better. 

3. We're hoping we won't need a lot of cold-weather gear. The plan is to move with the seasons so that we're never freezing and never broiling. If this works out, the big puffy coats and thick sweaters won't be necessary.

So I'm all for getting rid of stuff, but this exercise was not easy. Apparently I have an inner hoarder. Conversations I had with myself during the purge-fest:

Me: This underwear is going into the trash.

Myself: No!

Me: ...Why? It has holes in it. 

Myself: But I've had that pair since 2004! It has sentimental value!

*

Me: What the heck is this? Where did you even find it?

Myself: ...Bronzer. It was in the dresser.

Me: BRONZER. Are you kidding me? Are you a Kardashian? I'm pretty sure a grand total of NOBODY trusts you to use this stuff correctly.

Myself: But I might need it. What if I have to look nice?

Me: Then this is not the way to go. 

*

Me: This sock is on its way out.

Myself: NO.

Me: It's not even your sock! It's like a size extra large! It's missing its mate!

Myself: But what if there's an emergency?!? You never know. Remember the Apollo mission?

Me: You have issues.

And then there was the pile of orphan socks I ended up with:

Where did their friends go? No idea. They're just gone.

I have had a lot of clothes. I didn't like at least half of them, and many of them I never wore more than once or twice. Why do we hang onto things we don't want or need? Why do we buy them in the first place? Why do we feel like we have to wear something different every day of the month? 

Here's the haul we took over to the reuse facility:

To top it all off, we carted a bunch of books to the library. The house is looking a little bare in places - and that's totally fine by me.

Our plan from here on out is to only carry what we need, will use, and already have. Only when we actually need a new item will we purchase one. Will we be winning any fashion awards? No, but we were never going to, anyway. Obviously.