Today it is Gone!

I am on a purge kick again.  I realize I am yo-yo purging, I purge, then things accumulate and I need to purge again!  Like dieting I can see clearly now that I need to make lifestyle changes, that will make my house lean.

A classic rule is 1 in, 1 out.
I have started trying to do this.  But often there is a Holiday or Birthday, and these are times when we let this rule go.  Or if we are out shopping and find a great deal on a bunch of stuff.  Much easier when we are just buying what we need.  OK, I got a new scrub brush for the kitchen sink, i throw out the old one--I wonder if the plastic brushes can be recycled.  I don't buy them often, but i did just replace one and chose one that has the replaceable head so that at least I am not having to replace the hole thing every time.

BUY QUALITY-something that can handle being used repeatedly.  Even if it is an item that will be used short-term or outgrown, so that it can be either gifted or sold to someone else rather than being tossed in the waste stream.

Arriving home from a trip it was easy to spot things that we were no longer going to use!

I wrote the above words a few years ago, never finishing and publishing them.  Reading them now, I still agree.  I do think that  I have made progress.  For the most part I have only bought what we need when we need it.

 No more buying sale items for later.  Just yesterday I gave away 2 new with tags pairs of girls shoes.  To be fair I thought they were girls size 4, they were women's size 4, which means they were actually a kids 2 or 3, so by the time I had the kids try them on they had already outgrown them.  I put a sticky not in them with the kids size on them and gave to my niece to grow into.  I still have some things that we outgrew and put in the attic, but even that stash is dwindling. I am mostly just giving everything away.  The house is too full.  And these things should be getting some use by someone and the space and peace of mind of letting them go is so nice!