Wow. I was so ready to do this week of possessions. Possessions week was actually the first and only week I had planned on doing when I first saw that Katrina was looking for bloggers to join up. I knew my house needed a good shaking and cleaning out but ya’ll! It’s hard!
The first day I gathered items from my laundry room, kitchen, dining room, living room and part of my office. A few observations:
I didn’t have nearly as many things in my kitchen to get rid of as I thought. I really thought I’d have boxes of things to sell but I didn’t. Perhaps I just need to organize my cabinets and clean my counters to make it feel cleansed in there.
We had a ton of CDs and DVDs that we NEVER use. Just as an example, I had Avatar, Pirates of the Caribbean and New Moon that I watched ONCE after I bought and then they’ve just sat there doing absolutely no good in my cabinet. Why???
Purging hurt the most in my office. I have a special love of books. I seriously just love standing in a book store and looking out at all the books. I know the heart and soul that goes into writing and then all the hands that touched it to get it to print. I just love books. But I have had books sitting around since I read them the first (and only) time and now some of them aren’t worth even $1. And the worst part is I still didn’t want to get rid of them when I knew I couldn’t get any money out of them. I figured it was better to let them sit there than to get rid of them for next to nothing. Why??? Why would I hoard them when it’s very obvious I’m not reading them, no one else is and it’s simply taking up room in my office creating more clutter. I mean, really. I’m doing some deep digging on why I do any of it…spend $10 on something I’ll only read once, let books sit around when I know I won’t read them again, and then hoard the book when I know I’m not using it and can’t get money out of it. Why???
The other oddity I’ve come across is my need to keep empty boxes of electronics. I hate to admit this but I still had ALL THREE of my iPhone boxes, even from my 3G that I bought YEARS ago. My initial intent on keeping boxes was to have the original box when I resell it. But guess what? I’ve never shipped an used iPhone in the original box so why in the world have I not just dumped the case each time I get a new one? I still had my Kindle box, my web cam box and my digital camera box. Why???
I’m not sure I have answers yet on all these why’s but I definitely see some attachments and habits that are not healthy. I’m scared to touch my closet and see what I’m hanging onto and why. As to what I’m doing with all these things…well first, if you are in the market for some DVDs or books, let me know and I might do a blog sale. If not, my friend Dani and I are planning a huge double yard sale for charity in 2 weeks! I can’t wait.
To check out more posts on possessions…
I’m the same way about books. I can get lost for hours in a bookstore and love the min-library of books Jeff & I have combined. But do I need them? Absolutely not. I’ll likely never read them again. Although there are a few classics I re-read (see Little Women, The Great Gatsby that I’m re-reading right now, etc). But the vast majority could go. And yet I would really struggle to clear the shelves. Couldn’t tell you why though. Clearly I need to investigate my “why” too…
Ally Garner recently posted…Mangia Monday :: Bourbon Peach Ice Cream
There are definitely some books that I will keep, particularly self-help books for marriage and parenting that I want nearby. But fiction? I just am not one to reread them and I think I’m just learning it’s not worth keeping them around.
Amy recently posted…The Summer of 7: Possessions
I keep empty electronic boxes too!
Do you keep them to keep the manuals/CDs together or for resell purposes? Wondering if there’s a better way to store them other than a big bulky box.
Amy recently posted…The Summer of 7: Possessions
No, I have a box labeled “manuals” so that they are all together and easy to get to for a question/repair. I’m not sure why I keep the boxes…but they have come in handy when I’ve had to return something (my portable DVD players for the van).
I do this every time we move. It always feels so good to let go of all the extra stuff!
We haven’t moved in 8 years now! I usually do some spring cleaning but never able to let go of some of this stuff.
Amy recently posted…The Summer of 7: Possessions
books- we love books! I started putting books we will never read again on paperbackswap.com – I mail them to others who are going to read them and if there is a book I want I look there to get them for free.
I did that for awhile but got disappointed when my like new books kept getting traded for very worn books.