Yay! New idea found!
Ok, on The Real Housewives of New Jersey Season 3 episode on Monday they introduced the new characters which are Teresa's sister in law and cousin. This made for an amazing first episode as it was hilarious and a little depressing to see how they do not get along. It was Teresa's brother's child, Joseph's, christening and those Italians really like to drink because before you know it there was a brawl between Teresa and her brother Joe and Teresa's husband Joe! ( I know, seriously can they not think of any other names!) Although it made for great TV and I had to rewatch the fight about three times to catch it all, it was so sad.
And there you have it, the highlight of my life. Next week, and update on VH1's "Mob Wives".
Ok, so no I won't write about reality TV, but I just wanted to let you know how amazing it is! haha.
So, what I can update you on is how to keep from becoming a pack rat, or even worse, a hoarder!!
I am the queen of throwing, giving, donating and selling things. Alright so mostly my cloths, but it is because I don't keep too much other stuff around. I will give you my tips on how to get rid of things you are not using.
1. First decide why you have it in the first place.
What is the purpose for the item, gift, for yourself or decoration. If it's a gift...give it to them!! You may think that of course I will, but I do have a housewarming gift myself I have been waiting 2 months to mail. I'll do it tomorrow.
Is it for yourself? Then either use it or lose it. It's that easy. Decide if this is something you are going to use/wear/etc, if you haven't in over 6 months and it isn't a seasonal item, then get rid of it. If you haven't used it or worn it in that long you never will. Seriously you won't.
Decorations are different than any other item. I always find myself buying new decorative things at Big Lots and all the cheap stores to redesign my rooms. I always make sure that I rotate my decorations with them. Its really easy and not a big space taker for me. Not to mention you can change up your house decor easily. Ok I guess I make this easy because my furniture is very basic and I make sure to buy just fillers that go with my frames and furniture. But in doing this I was able to get a new bedspread set and matched it to my guest room so I can use the same sheets throughout our room and the guest room.
2. How to get yourself to get rid of things.
Most people I know do not have the nerve to throw things. It is really simple. When I was younger I was super concerned with keeping everything. I wanted to keep all the little trinkets that my friends gave me, all my $1 purchases when I was younger and basically anything that was given to me. This went on until I started getting my own place and realized how terrible it was to move and pack that crap! Easily enough I was able to make the decision to throw it away.
First I informed people to not get me crap on their vacations. I don't want it. The trade off for you thinking of me when your in Mexico laying on the beach will never be enough for me to truly enjoy that Carlos and Charlie t-shirt. Tell them to save their money and spend it on themselves.
Second, I take that advice for myself. I will enjoy my trips enough with out spending half my travel money on that crap, so I don't buy trinkets on vacations. Ok, that's a lie. I have bought cloths, but the last time I did that and had to buy another bag to get it all home, I learned my lesson.
Third, goes back to the sentimental stuff. Why does it have a meaning or feeling to you? Is the shirt from a concert you met your future husband at? If not get rid of it. Seriously, you have memories you can look back on you don't need an items to trigger them, they just take up space. That's harsh, but unless you use it or put it toward something useful, like making a t-shirt blanket (they are cool) or something else equally creative, you don't need that item to make your memories last. I know that it is hard. I was hard for me at first, but when I realized everything just sat in tubs or boxes buried in the closet, it was easy to give them away. Also I usually give things to a good will so someone else can use it. It's better than throwing away and makes me feel like I did something good. That and giving a bum a dollar.
If this is a hard step, just whittle you way down on these items. Start by getting rid of some of it and save some. Put it in a place that you forget about it and when you come across it a year later you will realize that you don't need it and you can get rid of the rest. I had to do this with Ben and his t-shirt collection, it was hard, and a lot of yelling (me) and tears (Ben) but we were able to knock it out by at least half. (this is probably the reason our closet shelf was falling off the wall come to think of it)
If you have any questions just let me know. And if you need my help personally...I only charge a flight for a visit;)
These two totes hold my seasonal decorations and my junk I can't get rid of, which includes my wedding shoes for some reason. (and yes I keep my purses in my pantry)
Our storage location in our garage. Some holiday decorations, camping stuff and mostly empty boxes. Again weird, but I want them.
And I will also do some research for helpful hints by professionals too. I am extreme I realize, but remember...."If you don't use it, you lose it"
ps. I know I don't have kids or a lot of hobbies which things are needed for. But I still think my rules apply.
