Tuesday, October 6, 2009

A Productive Weekend

For the past few years Ted and Alex would go away over Labor Day weekend. (Yes I know that was a month ago, but so what?)

This year they didn't because Alex was in college and even had classes on Labor Day.

Anyway, for the past few years I took advantage of that weekend to clean out my closet. I would have a bag for things that were going to go to Good Will and another bag for things that were in too bad of shape to go anywhere but the trash.

This year was no exception.

OH MY....

I wish I would have thought to take before and after pictures of my closet. It was SO bad. I had just enough space to step into the closet and stand in front of the rods. I had put boxes with "things" in them on the floor.

I think you have to be in the right frame of mind to clean anything out. Otherwise you really don't accomplish all that much. Fortunately, I was in the right frame of mind that weekend.

At one point I just sat on the floor and threw stuff out of my closet. I figured I'd go through it later. The only problem was that when later came, I wasn't able to get out of the closet without climbing a mountain of stuff.

I got rid of stuff I'd been holding onto for years. I got rid of things that I wore two sizes ago (yeah, like I'll ever fit into THAT again). I got rid of clothes that I didn't like anymore.

I found boxes with Christmas gifts from two years ago. I gave the couple baby things I found to a teacher at school who is expecting a baby this winter. I got those things when our niece was pregnant with our great nephew Michael...who is two and a half years old now.

I came across bags with stuffed animals. (There's a story for a future post there.) I put them all together in one box. I found a shirt on the floor that I had totally forgotten I had. I don't think I've even had it on since we moved into this house in March of 2006.

When it was all said and done, I had FOUR big trash bags for the trash.

And....

there were bags for Good Will.

How many, you may be asking?

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14

15!

Yes, 15 bags, stuffed to the gills, that went to Good Will. Joe took them one day while I was at school, and it took him two trips.

It was such a refreshing feeling to look in my closet and know how much I got rid of...I know for a fact that I got rid of 35 dresses alone. I didn't bother to count the skirts, jeans, dress pants, shirts, blouses, t-shirts, sweatpants, sweaters, shorts, capris, etc.

Now my goal for this month is to tackle my shoes! I have at least 40 pairs of shoes, but only wear about 5 pair. The rest are heading OUT!

4 comments:

HereWeGoAJen said...

Ooh, I need to do that. I did a big purge last year, but it is time to go again.

PERBS said...

WOW! That's a big accomplishment but I wonder if you could have given the stuff to a clothes closet where things are given away to the poor instead of having to purchase them. "Clothes banks" are a neat idea when so many people are out of work now. . .

Great job getting through it all tho. Now you have room to buy some new things!

Monica said...

I am obsessed with "clean" closets. I am constantly cleaning them out. My kids have banned me from entering theirs for fear I will get rid of their stuff. Friends constantly tease me on how organized my closet is and especially in contrast to my husband's mess (and seriously it is) of a closet.

I have the salvation army doing a pick up every 3-4 months it seems.

You go girl, from one OCD gal I am proud of ya!

Stacia said...

Oooh, I LOVE to organize and get rid of unwanted items.
You must feel amazing!
Think of how happy those people receiving your items will be AND how much room you now have for new items. ;-)