July 06, 2006

WASTEFUL

I've been making my way through boxes all day. I just can't stand to have the house like this, so I'm working myself to the bone trying to get it all organized. Before we left Germany, I was too overwhelmed to go through our closets and get rid of stuff that doesn't fit or that we've had for ten years. I started doing that today, and the more boxes I open, the worse I feel. I have so much junk. We lived for two months out of a suitcase; I had something like seven shirts and five pair of pants, and that clothed me every single day. Now that I have boxes and boxes of clothes, I just feel wasteful and ridiculous. Why on earth do I have 14 pairs of flip flops? I've already re-boxed four boxes of stuff to send to Goodwill, and I'm trying to figure out what else I can get rid of. And I also realized that I've knitted myself to a very full closet; I have more sweaters and scarves/hats than I know what to do with. I need to do some give-away knitting for a while...

Posted by Sarah at July 6, 2006 05:45 PM | TrackBack
Comments

Sarah,
I think we're lucky that way as Army spouses, we get a chance to evaluate our "stuff" every time we move. I have a rule, that if I haven't used or worn something while I was at one duty station, it goes when I get to the next one. Obviously, heirlooms are exempt. Yarn will be too! I hate the box phase, I usually lock myself in my house until the whole thing is unpacked. Good thing for the Army thrift store!

Posted by: Farrah at July 6, 2006 06:54 PM

14 pairs of flip-flops is nothing...I think I have at least 30. But I feel the same way you do - how in the world did I accumulate this much crap???

Posted by: Erin at July 7, 2006 02:15 AM

Farrah -- I was thinking the same thing as I sifted through clothes: some of it I never even wore the last three years. Heck, I found shirts that belong to my husband that I've NEVER seen, and we've been together for six and a half years! At least moving forces us to go through everything...and I can't believe we'd be authorized another 4000 lbs!!!!

Posted by: Sarah at July 7, 2006 07:33 AM