The power of the Goodwill box

Yesterday I did it. I finally went through and sorted all of my clothes… and this time I was brutal. All of those clothes that I should have gotten rid of previously but didn’t (“What if 1980s fashions come back into style and I need this shirt?”) got put in a box. They’re going away. Emotions be darned.

I always keep an open ‘for Goodwill’ box in our closet. I’ve heard that this is the way to keep clutter from accumulating. Always have a box open so that when you come across something that you don’t want or need anymore, there’s a place to put it – a box to put it in. Then, when the box is full, start a new one and take the full one to Goodwill.

I have to admit that it really does work pretty well. But, it doesn’t work on those things that are kept around because of an emotional attachment. (I’m not talking about true emotional meaning… I’ll always keep things like my wedding dress and graduation robes. I’m talking about that “Oh I really liked the way those pants fit… back in 1995 and even though they don’t fit that way anymore and even though they’re not in style, I still may have a need for them someday” emotion). To get rid of those pants (and several items like them) takes strength. I was strong yesterday.

No, the box is not yet at Goodwill, but it will be soon. And until then I’m not going to allow myself to go back through it again. My decisions don’t need to be second guessed by me when I’m in a weaker moment than I was when I first made the decision.

But now, I have a little secret to share too. After I left the closet and my rearranged dresser drawers (they actually close without me having to jam the clothes down in them now), I actually felt just a little bit freer. Isn’t that crazy? I’ve heard it said that getting rid of clutter can be freeing, but I have to say, I never really thought that was possible. I guess I was wrong.

It’s a pretty good feeling. I mean, I’m not going to go build a house on Walden Pond anytime soon or anything, but the realization was a welcome one. I guess I’ll have to start on cleaning out the garage again! =)