Great Deals Lose Value When they Sit. And Sit. And Sit.

Clutter didn’t used to bother me, as I had room to store things. When I bought this house I was single and actually looked for ways to fill it up. As my family has expanded from one to two and now three there’s less and less room, less places for storage. And it was pretty full to begin with.

And so the clutter has started to bother me.

A lot.

So I had garage sales, and I sold things on Craigslist. I’ve culled the clutter, but there was still so much. Then last year I had an epiphany. Just because I like it doesn’t mean I need to keep it. That was a mind blower for me. So as that sunk in I had more garage sales, and sold more things on Craigslist.

But there’s still so much. Soooo much. Part of the reason for that is that I’ve always bought things when I found great deals, whether I could use them at the time or not. If it was something I thought I’d use I’d buy it. And I’ve kept doing that even as I was getting rid of other stuff. Husband complains that he organizes the garage and cleans stuff out and then I buy more things to put in it.

That, my friends, is why I still have so much clutter.

Part of the reason for that is the difficulty I have in letting go of things I’ve gotten deals on. I want to get what I paid or more, and if I don’t I let it sit. And sit. And sit.

I’m tired of all the sitting. And I realized something important: it has no value when it’s just sitting there, taking up space. I’d be better off paying more for something when I need it than getting a deal on it and carrying it from place to place, perhaps even forgetting that I have it.

So I’m going to do something that so goes against my grain. I’m going to give away things that have value. Even new things. I’m going to loaad up the car and make a nice donation to Women in Distress. I just know I’ll feel so much freer.

I’m not going to change completely. I’ll still buy gifts ahead of time, and things I know I’ll need within the next two months. And later, when I finally have a house, I’ll buy gift wrap after Christmas to save for the next year and Easter eggs for next year’s hunt. But not until then. I just don’t have the room, and I just don’t want the clutter.

I need a fresh start.

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