My bestie came over this evening and helped me go through the closet to give away clothes I no longer wear. I think the oldest thing was about 20 years old, but if I held on to it another 15 years I'm positive it will come back into style! I'm absolutely sure of it -- but no, I gave it away. It was a pencil-style jersey (light) skirt that pulls up and hangs well just around the lower part of the knee. Very early 21st Century - - it had to go.
The closet was stuffed full of blouses, sweaters, long and short-sleeved tees, some winter, some fall, some summer or spring wear, but mainly I had a boatload of button-down blouses! I was a teacher for a while and the wardrobe screamed it. It's one of those easy things to do - wake up, pull on a pair of trousers, a lightweight blouse, throw a longer sweater over it, and call it done. Because I walked a great deal at the schools I wore sensible shoes! I must have given away somewhere between 40-50 blouses; various styles, hues, patterns, materials, and even some that were rather pricey. I won't wear them. I kept six or seven just in case I ever do need to look a little professional. I won't, but just in case I ever do.
The sweaters were easy to chunk. I had most of them, if not all of them for several years. I think I kept four. I filled six big trash bags full of blouses, sweaters, long and short-sleeved tee shirts, and two note-worthy pairs of cowboy boots. I never had a pair of fake cowboy boots - - both pairs were Justin and they were working boots; truly broken in. Someone will love them, I'm sure. Hopefully, someone and a few someones will enjoy the clothes, and they'll pay a little something for them so that the good folks at Goodwill benefit from having them in their store.
Tomorrow, I'll run the bags up to the local Goodwill drop off and I'll have room in my room to go through the under-the-bed stash! I have four or five storage bins of tee shirts under the bed, and I think maybe one of them is sweaters as well. I'm not sure, it's been a couple of years since I've seen what's under there, and if I've not worn something in two years I don't need it so badly -- I may end up keeping one or two really special tees, but c'mon.....two years? If I've not seen it in two years I won't miss it.
After the bed comes the dresser - - that will be a challenge because I do actually wear what is in the dresser! I do however know for a fact that I have too many pairs of yoga pants. I can part with most of them and either live with the ones I keep or get more down the road. I'm going to see how long I can go without overstuffing drawers and shelves. It feels REALLY good to streamline - - downsizing is always a rush. Some people can't do it - - I look forward to it. (Having Jeannie here helps because she reminds me that I don't need it. She's good like that.)
The hard part will be the things I need to give away rather than donate. I don't want to keep the things (non-clothes items) but I don't want to donate them either. I want to find folks I can give them to if they're useful. I put a lot of things in the common laundry room here at the complex and they disappear, but I have things I know I want to "bequeath" to friends and my kids. I don't mind sending off a box or two to special people who will like what I end up giving them -- I just need it out of my house!! (Don't tell Lorna I'm giving her the Dachshunds, but I'm giving her the Dachshunds. Not all of them, but she'll get a few.)
I can live with boxed-up things for two weeks while we wait for the green light to take them to the house!! I will be too excited about it - -I know me. I'll be doing the dance over and over again - - smiling. You'll see me smiling a lot if you come around in the next few weeks. I mean, it's true, I smile a lot anyway, but I'm a little giddy now. I even walked over to the house twice today to look into the windows and see myself living there - - neighbors laugh at me, but that's nothing new.
Soon, and very soon, we'll be buying the couch and chair, the bench for the dining room table, and curtain rods for the bedrooms. I can't believe the people who lived there didn't have curtains!! They thought the blinds were good enough. I like curtains too. I think they add a certain radiance to a room. I want really nice, artistic curtain rods, switch plate covers, and even the covers for the outlets that will or can be seen will be fancy - - not too fancy, but not plain white either. They'll be brass or pewter -- I haven't decided. I'm thinking....just thinking.
First, we purge! My room this weekend, and next weekend is the living room, dining, room, and hallway. The final weekend will be the kitchen and bathrooms since we need those things now -- then...yes...moving day!! I can't wait. I'm just too too too happy!!
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