Clutter and Consumerism

Long ago I reformed any shopaholic ways I may have had.  I’m a see-if-I-can-avoid-shopping-aholic. Years ago I had no qualms about buying a decor item or article of clothing that “spoke” to me. Now I challenge myself to walk away. If it’s still on my mind a few days later, and it’s still there, sometimes I’ll make it mine.

I buy about one-third, perhaps less, of the stuff I used to a decade ago. I simply don’t need it. For another, I’m smarter now about how I spend my money. And one of my favourite things to do, once my other favourite things to do are done, is to de-clutter. That means cleaning out closets and drawers and cupboards and making everything as efficient as it can possibly be.  I did it again on the weekend before last. In our house it’s a must. The closets were built for people who wore uniforms to work and were nudists on the weekend. They’re tiny.  And you can only see about half of your stuff at a time. I miss my walk-in closets of yesteryear and I fantasize about knocking out the wasted wall between our two bedroom closets and making it one, big useful space.

This time I took my “current season” closet and gave it a thorough once-over. I was ruthless. Anything I hadn’t worn in over a year was given either to an organization that donates outfits to women rejoining the workforce after time away or to Goodwill. In the back of this rather small closet (which is why I have more than one) I actually found a dress with tags still on it that I haven’t ever worn. I purchased it two years ago! Someone’s going to enjoy it because I sure haven’t. A pantsuit and several nice tops went, too, along with jeans, sweaters and some old belts. This is the closet after the purge and the two piles of stuff I gathered to donate.

If I could get away with wearing the same thing every day, I would! And I would never look at another clothing rack except when my black leggings wore out.

If I had a much bigger house there might be a risk that I’d buy more furniture. But it’s more likely that I’d scour junk shops and find some old relics I could turn into something unique. That seems to be how I also get my kicks.