I hate clutter. Piles of things (other than books) make me cringe. In anticipation of knowing I am making a big move in approximately a year, I decided this summer would be a perfect time to declutter some of my life and house. I know this process will be repeated next summer as I pack up, but it still makes me feel really good. Decluttering makes the world seem better and life seem less complex. When I declutter, I am ruthless. If I haven't touched something recently, it goes.
Books.
I started the decluttering with books. I have books galore. Three bookshelves full and containers under my daybed full of books I can't part with. I went through all of my old textbooks and reference books as well. Ultimately, I have made three trips to Half-Price books totaling over $100 dollars (and I have at least two more trips to make). I also sold textbook and reference books to Amazon and made over $400. :) Not a bad way to make some money.
Closets.
My closets were getting full of unnecessary junk. I started with my bedroom closet and ended up with three trash bags full of clothes that were ill-fitting, old, or just not my style to go to the thrift store. I also got rid of several old pairs of shoes that needed replacing. My closet is much roomier, and I've found different articles of clothing I had forgotten about. This has also spiced up my wardrobe and made me feel happy! :)
I then tackled my guest closet which still contains my old teaching materials. I have given away a great deal of old supplies to new teachers who can use them more than I can. My guest closet now has room for my craft supplies and containers with other mementos I don't use year round.
Finally, I went through every drawer I could find in the house and cleaned them out for trash and organized them for easy access. Overall, I feel much neater and refreshed. :)
