tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23038342037979885282024-03-19T05:45:40.682-07:00Attempting SimplicityKathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18199931219768023093noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303834203797988528.post-92061753217984742752016-12-30T00:03:00.003-08:002018-01-22T10:37:08.822-08:00Mental Hurdles: "Irreplaceability"When deciding the fate of your unwanted/unused items, irreplaceability is a valid concern. What if you regret having sold, donated, or trashed the item at a future point in time and can't replace it?<br />
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Let's dive in!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Mass-Produced Items</span></b><br />
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<i>This</i> is the stuff to get rid of if you're having any doubts about its usefulness.<br />
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If the item was sold in great quantities at some point in recent history, you won't have to search long for a replacement—you'll likely find the same item on eBay or other resale sites with minimal to moderate effort. (If the hunt will be long-term due to the item's relative rareness, set up a search and "follow" it on eBay; you can opt to receive emails when a new listing that meets your search criteria has been added.) If "perhaps needing it again one day" is a concern, be sure to note the item's brand/size/name/pattern/etc before passing it on. Realistically, though, the chances of you actually wanting one of these items back are slim.<br />
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If your mass-produced item was a gift from a friend or family member, the points mentioned in the next section will apply to you as well.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Hand-Made Items</span></b><br />
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Hand-made items are truly one of a kind and are, therefore, irreplaceable. Items we've made ourselves might be easier to part with, but those from family and friends—well, at the risk of sounding ungrateful, hand-made gifts can unfortunately become burdensome if they're not useful to the recipient.<br />
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1. Offer to give the item back to its creator. Don't frame it as a blatant "<i>please take this burdensome thing off my hands</i>" request; instead, give a valid (but more socially acceptable) reason for giving it back. For example, maybe you're worried your cat will tear that hand-embroidered pillow to shreds (as it has gleefully shredded your decor in the past), or maybe you're unable to use the item due to a lifestyle change and want it to go to someone who can enjoy it to its full potential.<br />
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If your approach comes from a place of respect, both you and the gift-giver will feel much less awkward about the situation.<br />
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2. Give it to someone who will genuinely enjoy it and treat it well.<br />
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3. List it on Etsy or eBay. (This assumes that you won't face major lash-back from the giver for having done so!) Explain its story and/or background in your listing to help the buyer further appreciate the thought and care that went into creating the item.<br />
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4. Store it in a dedicated "guilt items" bin. This is a last-resort measure for those items that you've been bullied into keeping. There may come a time where you can safely part with these pesky little shits, but keeping them may be easier than dealing with the gift-giver's wrath over you having given their items away. Pack the item up carefully so that it doesn't get crushed or damaged while in storage. You won't be rid of these items anytime soon, but <i>at least you won't have to look at them</i>!<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">"Junky" Items</span></b><br />
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Junky items are usually mass-produced, yet unique in that they can't be easily replaced. They're the ticket stubs, the souvenirs of your travels, the scraps of paper you've stashed in boxes; little bits and pieces that are "pretty" and/or serve as reminders of things you've experienced. It's the stuff you're <i>expected</i> to not want and to throw away, but guess what?<br />
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This one's a keeper.<br />
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I love junky items—they're one of my favorite things to hoard. I save anything and everything that's aesthetically pleasing to me. Holographic makeup packaging? Check. Clothing hang-tags? Check. Used Christmas cups from Starbucks? Check. Empty boxes and tins that could potentially hold <i>other</i> things?! <i>CHECK!</i><br />
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Because this is my favorite kind of junk, I've found some interesting ways to deal with it that don't require a lot of sacrifice.<br />
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1. <b>Display the junk prominently.</b> For example, those Starbucks cups I mentioned are currently out on display as part of my Christmas decor. If you're holding on to random stuff that most people would think is kind of nuts, <i>own</i> it. Be creative with it to the point where you make them second-guess what the definition of "junk" really is!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKUp9oDkbKy5ue9veiGcX_HLXVvyvvhx5pkd84cYe6VPndtAzKeonR2LJv42j_Fz6l8wVlz20hCFwGkqXNZnwgBy1TDdxWws6dcNre0pOkqJ1kN3jwWp1S9xMbFRSmGOlY7sZO2W7W-S0/s1600/IMG_0338.GIF" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKUp9oDkbKy5ue9veiGcX_HLXVvyvvhx5pkd84cYe6VPndtAzKeonR2LJv42j_Fz6l8wVlz20hCFwGkqXNZnwgBy1TDdxWws6dcNre0pOkqJ1kN3jwWp1S9xMbFRSmGOlY7sZO2W7W-S0/s1600/IMG_0338.GIF" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Small framed collage / custom "magazines"</td></tr>
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2. <b>Display the junk as part of a larger collection.</b> Some ideas:<br />
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<li>I love <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0075LDFLS">these</a> zip-lock folders because you can fill them to the brim with junk, but in an artfully-arranged way. I'm a tactile kind of person, so picking one of these folders up and looking at it gives me a sense of joy that all those little scraps might not be able to give me individually (as I feel far less guilty about them when they're contained in a common location). </li>
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<li>Items that are important to you but not much for looking at can go in the center of the folder. They'll be hidden behind prettier pages, but they're there in case you ever want to look through them in the future.</li>
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<li>In middle school, I had the idea to get two huge glass frames from Hobby Lobby and fill them with my grandmother's favorite photos, cards, and paper scraps. (The love of random junk RUNS IN THE FAMILY!) The result is a beautiful collage that's still hanging in her art studio to this day. Consider doing the same for your favorite cards, magazine clippings, hangtags, and anything else that's flat and something you'd like to look at often. (Smaller frames work too!)</li>
<li>Create your own custom "magazine" using your favorite torn-out magazine pages, a clear binder, and page protectors.</li>
<li>Fill and display a clear vase with a collection of small miscellaneous items (small plastic animals, toy cars, army men, etc).</li>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Example of aforementioned zip-lock folder</td></tr>
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3. <b>Give the junk a practical application.</b><br />
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<li>Use "pretty" paper/plastic coffee cups you've saved to hold pens/paintbrushes/etc.</li>
<li>Use a "pretty"container you received one thing in to store another—for example, using the tin box a gift card came in to hold something practical (ex: spare keys) or even a limited, specific collection of items (ex: unusual coins you don't want getting mixed up with your normal change).</li>
<li>Wrap the outside of a cleaned-out cashew tin with decorative duct tape and use it to hold small packets of product (salt, ketchup, hand wipes, etc) or other collections (misc. toys, rose petals, etc). In lieu of duct tape, consider using a clear sealant like mod podge to adhere a collage of interesting paper scraps around the outside of the tin instead.</li>
<li>While not junk <i>per se</i>, use stuffed animals to "fill" a bean bag. (This is particularly great for anyone who has a lot of stuffed animals they can't bear to part with but don't want to display!)</li>
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In considering why I have trouble parting with items from each of those three categories, I've realized that I keep <b><span style="color: #38761d;">mass-produced items</span></b> because I worry I'll <b><span style="color: #38761d;">regret</span></b> having gotten rid of them, <b><span style="color: #134f5c;">unwanted hand-made items </span></b>(and unwanted gifts in general) out of <b><span style="color: #134f5c;">guilt</span></b>, and <b><span style="color: #351c75;">junky items</span></b> for their <b><span style="color: #351c75;">beauty</span></b> and/or <b><span style="color: #351c75;">potential</span></b>. Naturally, the "mass-produced item" category makes up the majority of my problem areas, and why wouldn't it? I'm paralyzed by the fear of making a mistake, so those items stay. The "junky items" category is where I'm most organized, and I suspect it's because I had a better attitude about those kinds of items from the start—it's <i>exciting</i> to organize and display these kinds of items, so I think I've been holding on to most of them for the right reasons.<br />
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Having introspected over this issue at length, my takeaway is this: if it's replaceable, don't sweat it. If it isn't replaceable, try not to let fear dictate what you do—and don't—keep in your life.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>* If your budget is extremely tight, the benefit of keeping some unused items (particularly clothing and appliances) may outweigh the benefit of having the extra space, as you may have difficulty replacing these items in the future. If you haven't already done so, consider selling any truly useless-to-you goods you might have (ex. an ice cream maker you never use) and storing the useful excess in a "hard times" box or four for some peace of mind going forward.</i></span>Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18199931219768023093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303834203797988528.post-34285067532317146992013-04-24T14:34:00.000-07:002016-12-30T12:56:05.160-08:00I've Been Driving Around This Town<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu0Dlw0oRz93Ek7fie487XvAvi6DFYwUSgLsNiqugaKBJBti-c0YPuFNBuVtpEbikA9vTZYJQf4wZnY-ZF2xiw_2xF8RoAZasMB8oufDVSbFbPRoFhwVIyHZwbJ_ht2wlwJl6Yo1mp-8l1/s1600/Fotor0424150919.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu0Dlw0oRz93Ek7fie487XvAvi6DFYwUSgLsNiqugaKBJBti-c0YPuFNBuVtpEbikA9vTZYJQf4wZnY-ZF2xiw_2xF8RoAZasMB8oufDVSbFbPRoFhwVIyHZwbJ_ht2wlwJl6Yo1mp-8l1/s640/Fotor0424150919.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>This post first debuted on my now-defunct "de-cluttering" blog.</i><br />
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I drove all of my crap around town yesterday in an attempt to sell it (excluding the two Goodwill-bound trash bags). Five hours later, I ended up with...<br />
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<li>$73 dollars from Plato's Closet (down to $51 after the purchase of purse and long-coveted jacket);</li>
<li>$30 in store credit from Buffalo Exchange (down to $6 after purchase of REALLY LONG-TIME COVETED mustard cardigan);</li>
<li>A trunk full of clothes.</li>
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That's right. My trunk is still full of those G.D. clothes. (But hey: at least I have fifty bucks!)<br />
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I knew I was going to do some shopping while I was waiting for my clothes to be sorted through, so I made sure to go into it with a mental list of the stuff I actually want. (I was going to say "need," but no one really NEEDS a mustard-color cardigan.) I ended up buying three things, all of which were on my "I've wanted this for at least six months" list. Maybe there's hope for me after all.<br />
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Oh, and I have a new shopping rule. Ready?<br />
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<b>If the item doesn't make me look better than I did coming into the store, it ain't coming home (even if it's—<i>gasp—</i>on sale!).</b><br />
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I used to buy things that merely "worked" just because they were cheap. Never mind that the shirt was too short or not my best color or a shitty fit: if it was cheap and not hideous, I felt obligated to buy it. That's the mentality that led me to this closet purge. Almost everything I parted with was either from middle school/high school or from cheap sales.<br />
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Quality over quantity, girl. Quality over quantity.Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18199931219768023093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303834203797988528.post-17908018778764306932013-04-20T16:19:00.000-07:002017-01-02T23:27:13.139-08:00We Are More Than Our Things<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>This post first debuted on my now-defunct "de-cluttering" blog.</i></div>
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Here's the thing: <i>I have too much stuff</i>. Chances are that if you're reading this blog, you also own more <i>stuff</i> than you can comfortably handle. You have too much clothing. You have too many stuffed animals from your childhood. You have too many trinkets. You have too many papers left over from the classes you're long done with. No matter what you're in excess of, rest assured that it is possible to part with most of it without facing any long-term emotional repercussions. Here's why.<br />
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Your possessions do not feel.<br />
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Your possessions seek no loyalties.<br />
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In my closet are boxes upon boxes of sentimental childhood items ranging from pieces of "artwork" to Happy Meal toys to a collection of bouncy balls. The common thread? To give them away would feel like a betrayal of the object itself, the memories it embodies, and (if applicable) the person I received it from. I have many items that fit this bill. The first that comes to mind is a Cabbage Patch doll my maternal grandmother gave to me when I was five or six years old. While I no longer have any use for it (and admittedly didn't play with it much as a kid), I've never had the guts to donate it because if I did, I would feel like I've disrespected her memory—in a way, I fear it would be like throwing <i>her</i> away!<br />
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My grandmother on my dad's side doesn't have this problem. She often receives gifts that she has no use for, and she feels no guilt in giving them to new homes. Thinking about it, she's quick to make room in her home and mind for what truly matters: the <i>person</i>, not the <i>thing</i>.<br />
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Have you ever watched Hoarders? Do yourself a favor and watch a season or two. The people featured on Hoarders have chosen their stuff over their relationships. You'll notice that many hoarders are too caught up with preserving the past to enjoy the present. For example, they often spend more time "organizing" countless mementos and memories from their children's younger years than they do with the children themselves!<br />
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These items served us once, and they will go on to serve others. There are kids who would love the hell out of that Cabbage Patch Doll. It shouldn't be crammed in a storage bin—in fact, I'm betting my grandmother hadn't even expected me to attach that kind of guilt to her gift in the first place.<br />
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Let's spell it out, shall we?<br />
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<i>My late grandmother was more than a cabbage patch doll.</i><br />
<i>My mom is more than a collection of childhood trinkets.</i><br />
<i>My dad is more than a bag of basketball gear.</i><br />
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<b>We are more than our things.</b><br />
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Don't get me wrong: keepsakes can be important. I love keepsakes. However, having too many keepsakes can border on being disrespectful to the individual whose memory they hold. Your loved one is not a <i>thing</i> or a collection of <i>things</i>. Their soul does not exist in each and every thing they owned or put into your possession. Where they do exist, however, is in your life and in your memory. Enjoy the company of the individual while they're alive and keep only the most important sentimental items when they pass. They are not their stuff and NEITHER ARE YOU!<br />
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You don't need the object itself to remember a loved one. If you're afraid of losing the memory of these possessions, find a creative and meaningful new way to "capture" the essence of that memory. Take artfully arranged pictures of the items before sending them to new homes. Journal about the item. Turn it into art. Do whatever it is you need to do to ensure that you can remember the item and the memories associated with it without actually having to own it.</div>
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And above all, let's <i>commit to living in the present</i>.</div>
<br />Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18199931219768023093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303834203797988528.post-23014085524680968402013-04-19T00:18:00.000-07:002016-12-30T12:59:58.641-08:00The Art of Overpacking<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="color: #666666; font-family: Puritan; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">This post first debuted on my now-defunct "de-cluttering" blog.</i></div>
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I'm currently at the airport and waiting for my flight to San Jose to board. The fiancé and I have been living it up in Hawaii for the past two weeks. Eating out! Beach-bumming! Hiking! Sleeping! Sunburning!<br />
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So, uh, how many clothing items did I bring along for this cool, breezy adventure? Too many.<br />
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I don't normally love math, but I fancy the hell out of statistics. After having to buy an additional suitcase to accommodate my purchases, I decided to calculate some stats on my Hawaii wardrobe.<br />
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I originally packed 59 articles of clothing (of which I wore 14 pieces).</div>
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I purchased 19 articles of clothing during the trip (of which I wore 11 pieces).</div>
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Out of 78 (WTF) total pieces of clothing (both packed and acquired), I wore 25 pieces.</div>
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<li style="text-align: left;">I wore <b>32%</b> of the clothing I <b>originally packed</b> for the trip. (14 out of 59)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I wore <b>58%</b> of the clothing I <b>purchased</b> on the trip. (11 out of 19)</li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><b>44% of what I wore on the trip was acquired during the trip itself. </b>(11 out of 25)</li>
</ul>
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There's no doubt about it: I overpacked. Even worse? That 75-piece pile is only a fraction of my wardrobe.<br />
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There are people out there who have made a point of owning fewer than a hundred possessions. While I'm not keen on living that minimalist a life, I will freely admit that ending up with 78 clothing items on a two-week vacation is nuts. Stuff needs to go, and my future packing and shopping habits need to change.<br />
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If there's anything I learned by doing the math, it was that LESS IS MORE. (So true!) I didn't need all of those clothes to come with me. I should have tried things on first. I should have been realistic about the weather and my love for wearing the same things over and over again. <i>I should have anticipated the fact that I </i>love<i> to shop at Plato's Closet.</i><br />
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This, among many other reasons, is why I'm undertaking the Great Closet Purge of 2013. (My goal? To scrap 3/4 of my existing wardrobe!) Read more about my 3Q challenge <a href="http://www.attempting-simplicity.com/p/3q-challenge.html">here</a>.<br />
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What tips do you have for avoiding the over-pack? Let me know in the comment section below!<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">KAT: If you're reading this, it means you're about to pack for another trip. I have a few humble suggestions.</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Bringing two pairs of jeans in two different styles worked perfectly. Do that again.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Bringing three different styles of shoes worked perfectly. Do that again.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Bringing 3949320493804 dresses to "wear as cover-ups to the beach" = completely unnecessary.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: xx-small;">You didn't need four fancy dresses. Bring one next time.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: xx-small;">You wore only one top that had sleeves.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: xx-small;">You didn't wear any of the tops that cover your chest.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: xx-small;">You wore 0/4 of your now-wrinkled cardigans/blazers.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: xx-small;">You packed too many bathing suits.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: xx-small;">You wore zero of your 5+ pairs of shorts because they didn't work with your Spanx.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Check the damn weather forecast before you pack, woman!</span></li>
</ul>
Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18199931219768023093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303834203797988528.post-71255133985281684752012-07-07T17:10:00.000-07:002016-12-30T12:57:07.462-08:00My Addiction<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>This post first debuted on one of my now-defunct "fashion" blogs.</i></div>
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I am on the verge of having a very real shopping addiction. I've been aware of this for a while now, but it really hit me when the thrill of purchasing some new clothing ended as soon as I plopped the merchandise on the counter. Shouldn't I buy something and remain excited about it? Shouldn't I be able to shop without feeling really, really guilty about it? My shopping habits have become shameful, and are causing me more guilt and regret than they should be.<br />
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I shop for the thrill of it. I feel a huge rush when I find a bargain or something new. This is facilitated by the fact I shop cheaply, which means that I can afford to buy a lot of clothes without any financial ramifications. You can find me at thrift/used clothing shops all around town anywhere from once a week to five times a week. When I shop, I buy a ton of stuff, and I justify it by telling myself that I'll sell it to Plato's Closet/Buffalo Exchange/eBay/consignment shop and make a little extra money.<br />
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In reality, I have an overstuffed closet, so much so that my clothing has spread to my futon, bathroom counters, bins under the futon, a stand-alone clothing rack, a giant blue bin, and five shelves in the guest bedroom. I also have a considerable amount of clothing stored at my boyfriend's apartment and at my grandmother's house. When I take this clothing to the resale places mentioned previously, I -- without fail -- accept store credit and end up purchasing more clothing than I sold to the store in the first place. Worse, I spend more than the trade credit was worth.<br />
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I feel trapped by clothing, yet I can't stop buying it.<br />
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My goal is to purge everything I don't need (even if it means ignoring my MUSTMAKEMONEY urges and donating it all) and to develop a functional closet where <b>less = more</b>. I will be blogging about my experiences and what I learn along the way.<br />
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I hope to see you all following along and sharing your own experiences!Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18199931219768023093noreply@blogger.com0