Wasted

As many of you know, I have been moving from Terre Haute to Greenwood. I took a few weeks off, and spent part of that time just going through stuff.

I have a lot of stuff.

It's not just a lot of one thing, like a lot of books, or clothes, or shoes. I have a lot of those things and more.

I have a few theories of how I have accumulated this stuff. One, I have lived in the same place for nearly 10 years. So I've had lots of time to add to my various collections and not really notice it. Secondly, I have lost a lot of weight, and have had to buy smaller clothes, and never really got rid of the bigger things simultaneously. Finally, I buy stuff when I'm stressed, unhappy, happy, etc. It used to be I would eat, but since my pouch (bariatric term for your post-op stomach) just doesn't hold what it used to, I turned from that to just getting stuff.

I would like to clarify that I'm not a hoarder. All of my stuff has a place, and I know where (mostly) everything is. I just had no idea how much I had accumulated, and how much of it is wasted.

That's right. Wasted. Waste of space, money, and so on. I have things that I swore would be a great purchase, and ended up being in the back of a closet or cupboard, never to be used. It boggles me how many boxes of clothes, shoes, food, and toiletries that I never even touched, and resulted in going bad, out of style, and out to the trash. Some of my friends have benefitted from the closet purge, and that's a great feeling that those clothes will be used again. But I was ashamed at the amount of things that went into the trash!

This has led me to have a new rule: I have to use what I have. No more of going to the store and buying an item to come home and realize it was hiding in the back of the fridge. I am keeping Richard and myself to go to the store once a week, and to only buy the amount of food that we will need for the week, and that's it. No more, no less. I have also really tried to pare down my clothes, as my closet space has diminished greatly. If it's my size and I hadn't worn it, it was out. Same with my makeup and toiletries. I had 5 BAGS full of makeup. I love cosmetics, but you can only wear so much makeup on your face at a time and not look like a clown. I still have enough makeup to where I won't need to buy eyeshadow or lipstick for a year.

Pretty much it's a need vs. want situation. If I want it because I'm in a blah mood, then I'm going to get myself back into this vicious cycle, and that's not an option for me.

To help with that, I have decided that whenever I successfully don't purchase something that's a want, that money will go into a jar. Once I get so much, I will either save it for the wedding, or do a splurge (like a massage, pedicure, etc.) I don't believe in depriving yourself, so if you do something nice for yourself when you reach your goal, it's worth it.

I believe that this Purge has been helpful. For one, it has helped me see how much progress I have made with my weight loss. I hesitate to use the term "success" since you have to have kept the weight off for five years to be considered a successful case in the bariatric world. It has helped me see how my mood affects me, both monitarily and space wise. It has also made me feel like I am de-cluttering a lot of things symbolically, as well. It's putting me in a better place mentally, which has been noticed by friends and co-workers, who have made comments that I just look and act like I'm happier. I'm sure being done with school has something to do with it, but every time I go to the apartment I look at the progress that has been made, and how this new stage of life is scary but exciting at the same time. I thought I would be a wreck moving out of the apartment, but it's been pretty smooth so far. I hope it stays that way.

Anyone else realize how much "waste" is in their life? How are you handling it? Sticking to your goals? How? I would love to hear your strategies/tips!