Simply Simplifying

I am kind of a strange person.  Those of you who know me know this to be true!  I love shopping although I don't always buy something.  Most of my shopping these days is grocery shopping.  But, I even enjoy grocery shopping.  Katie and I try to make a game out of how much we can save by using coupons and shopping the sales.  Sometimes it feels like a game of strategy.  


One of my "strangest" qualities is that I really like to throw things away.  I go through periods of time where I purge everything.  I am definitely not a pack rat. I used to be, but as time goes on I am finding that there is a lot of pleasure in simplifying.  Usually around the season change (although we don't get much of that!) I get the itch to grab some trash bags and start sifting through our things.  I use the three box/bag method.  One bag is for garbage.  This is the stuff that nobody would want.  Things that are broken and torn in a way that cannot be fixed would go in this category.  The next bag is for give-a-ways.  This is the stuff that we would give to someone else.  This would consist of clothes that don't fit anymore or maybe kitchen appliances that are never used and are just taking up space.  If you look through all your cabinets and closets you will be surprised at how much stuff is just sitting around.  The last bag is for stuff you are undecided about.  If you have an item of clothing that you are not sure you want to part with, put it in this bag.  If after a month or two you find that you haven't missed the stuff in bag number three, give it away.  Somebody else can probably use it.  Don't give away stuff that should go in your garbage bag.  


You won't believe the freedom you will feel when you untangle yourself from your stuff!  Sometimes we don't realize how much we are loving the things of this world until it's time to let some of it go.  Give it a try.  Simplify a few things and see how you feel.  Try just one room to start with.  Maybe without all our material possessions suffocating us, we can breathe again.