Recently I've been overwhelmed by an urge to get rid of a lot of my belongings. It started a month ago, when I found myself with a free evening. I started sorting through some clothes, ruthlessly rooting out the clothes that I realised I wasn't going to wear again. I offered them to some friends, and whatever was left went to the charity shop. Then old hats/scarves/gloves that I'd had sitting in a drawer for ages and had no need for. At this point, I was feeling pretty pleased with myself for having got rid of a few boxes/bags worth of stuff.
But instead of stopping there, I continued. 75% of my DVDs went, sold for a quid each to some friends. Then I went through my book collection again, removing a further half to get rid of and sell. Suddenly, where I'd previously seen just stuff, I started seeing things I didn't need any longer. A couple of lomo cameras I didn't use any longer, some kitchen stuff I never used, textbooks I didn't use, board games, cookbooks - nothing was safe from the decluttering mania.
Initially it made my room look a lot messier (piles of stuff, everywhere) but it's now settling down as people come and collect what they've claimed. I've managed to sell quite a lot of stuff (turns out selling a dvd for a quid doesn't sound like much, but when you're selling 40 of them, it adds up quite quickly), and made over £150 so far. The rest I've just given away or taken to a charity shop - so far nothing has gone in the bin.
I think I've just suddenly realised that it's all replaceable. If I want to watch a dvd I've got rid of, I'll borrow it from the video shop or a friend. If I want to re-read a book, I can get it from a library. But generally if I've not used something in the last year, I most likely won't want to use it any time soon. I've also realised that my interests and tastes change. It's part of who I am. I get enthusiastic about hobbies - some stick around for good, others pass on by (like my lomography obsession) and I move on to new things. There's no point in living surrounded by the stuff from my past.
I've still got a long way to go (I still have a fair amount of stuff...), but I'm getting there. And instead of feeling a sense of loss about letting things go, I'm getting a real kick out of it...
Really old post, I know. But this is totally what I'm feeling right now in my own life. I'm in highschool, living with my parents, but it still applies. Who wants to be surrounded by their past? I'm moving forward in life, I don't need all of my old interests weighing me down.
ReplyDeleteDitto, just googled "addicted to decluttering" and found this. So obsessed right now.
ReplyDeleteI moved to uni with 2 car loads ,which when i think back now is a lot. moving from a room in halls of residence to a house,over a period of 3 years i had accumulated loads. Moving back home i had gained a further 4 full car loads full of material junk. After the pure embarrassment of having friends and then family cart all my crap around from place to place, i have changed in leaps and bounds. Lesson learnt and de-cluttering happening weekly,Im proud to say that when i leave home in the coming future il be leaving with just over a car load.
ReplyDeleteIm trying to encourage my parents to de-clutter, but having grown up totally different to myself they are stuck in a "must keep everything" sort of mindset.The hose isn't cluttered as such but Id love to get a skip and reduce the contents by half easily.
Im done seriously with new goods.I realise most thing devalue with time and when sell something you only get it for a fraction of the original price. It makes sense to by it second hand if you can, or not at all tbh. Iv developing a mindset of "born free","living free to the greatest extent possible" =D For example my 2 favourite pieces of furniture, a glass doored cabinet thrown out on street and my 12 door cupboard unit which i found in a skip.They are great pieces of furniture that iv now painted white and look fresh and current.They are my favourite mainly because they where free.simple