is the first step in the right direction
I have too much stuff, I’ve already admitted that I like having my stuff, and I know that my husband would be much happier living in a place where we only had the stuff we need. So I’m doing what I can to deal with my attachments to these things, and really work on getting rid of stuff.
The 30 day challenge I set out on, really isn’t working. Once we got the cabinets up, it became obvious that it was not really reasonable to only put stuff in it that was being used. The items, removed from the preexisting shelves, had to have a place. So now, my house is rather chaotic, but I’m getting rid of stuff. I’ve hired a professional organizer to come and help me get rid of stuff. We are paying someone to be brutal. Doesn’t matter how cute it is, if it isn’t something we really need it goes. Most of the things I let go of will go to charity, some will get sold*.
So…I’m not doing that 30 day challenge, but I am letting go (no – I’m not posting the video of that song here – you’re welcome**) of things I never thought I would be able to. Has it been hard? So far, not too bad, painful – yes, but not really hard. I’m trying, very hard, to not feel guilty about getting rid of things my friends have given me, but I’ve sent 
them all an email explaining what I’m doing, and why I’m doing it. I honestly believe that my stress levels will decrease as the clutter becomes less, and cleaning becomes easier. I will have less distractions around me, which, if it goes as I hope, will allow me to finally focus on the things I need to focus on***.
To give you an update on what I’m doing for Lent…I’m happy to say that this is actually going very well! I did mess up once, but in my defense it was an item I’ve been trying to find for 3 years, and the lowest I’ve seen it was $75.00 – found it for $6.00. Yeah, I was buying that! I felt a twinge of guilt, for a moment, but figured God would understand why I purchased it. I will say, this has been such an eye-opener for me. I just didn’t think about the how much I was spending when I would buy stuff for the house, when I was buying everything on line. We are doing fine, we are not going without, and even though there have been times that I really wished I could order something, I made it through. In all honesty, the hardest thing has been not being able to pre-order my Starbucks. I know, pitiful, LOL! The ability to order my coffee, walk in, grab it and leave, has not been around for very long, but I’ve already become dependent on it.
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