I am a sentimental stuff holder-onto-er. I attach value to inanimate objects, much more value than I should. And it’s kind of embarrassing to admit the twinge of fear I have in this process of going through and letting go.
This summer while the kids were with my parents, I cleaned out the playroom and got rid of two van-loads of things. The women at the donation place asked me if my kids knew I was getting rid of their stuff. Heavens no. When they got home, they didn’t miss one single thing. In fact, they thanked me for cleaning. (!!!)
On October 2, my sister, my mom and I are having a yard sale. Kimba and my sister have both posted about their stuff recently. In fact, my sister had so much interest in some of the things she’s selling that she decided to put a few things on e-bay. They aren’t just any few things. They are Vintage Nesting Place things. But all of her other things will be at the sale. Several SUV loads of things.
We do yard sales almost every year, and when they’re over, I always swear and promise and vow I will never do one again. But there is just enough time in between them that I forget the pain and only remember the good parts. Kind of like having a kid.
This year, I’m not just selling the junk. I mean, I’m selling the junk, but I’m also selling more than just the junk. I’ve been thinking a lot about stuff, about the things I have and the things I love. I have a lot more things than I love, but I also love a lot of the things I have. So this year, I’m selling the things I don’t want, but I’m also selling some of the things I love-ish. It was painful at first, to go through some of the twins baby clothes, to pull out that cute skirt I bought in Spain (but haven’t worn in four years), to realize I have 4 too many apothecary jars, to let go of the clock that I love but have no place to put. So I took my sister’s advice: just price it and put in the yard sale pile. Then see how you feel.
And you know what? I feel good. I thought I would go back out to the garage and pull out things to bring back in the house. But I haven’t and I don’t think I will. This lightness breeds a longing for less. I think I could get used to it.
If you are local-ish, the bi-annual neighborhood yard sale will be at my parent’s house in Lake Park.
Not that you need more stuff, but you know what they say about one man’s trash.
Oh, Emily! The girls’ baby clothes?! Would you consider sending them to me instead of selling them and I will make them a quilt from them? Pretty please! I did this with Anna’s baby clothes once we knew our last baby was a boy and that we wouldn’t be using them anymore.
Rebekah´s last [type] ..Im not waiting for perfect
Are you kidding me?! That is hysterical – you are not helping me let go!! Besides, I’m really not getting rid of all their baby clothes. Just some of them. You are so funny.
You want a should give you my address so’s you can send ‘em to me or what? It’ll kind of be like you’re getting rid of them…at least temporarily and then they won’t take up so much room! And, just think! When they move out they can take them with them and their baby girls can snuggle up underneath them!
Rebekah´s last [type] ..Im not waiting for perfect
I always find that getting rid of stuff to be very freeing!
Esther´s last [type] ..My Favorite Things…MOPS
oh emily, i’ve been trying to do the same, live with less , for the last few years. it takes time & energy for this former keeper of all things “just in case” and buyer of all things that “are cute & i can find a place for later” to minimize.
now we are trying to pack up my inlaws home. emotional & overwhelming. we feel guilty for not keeping it all….and then there’s the “but it was special to them…should we find a place for it” feeling. ugh
good luck on your sale
we’re too overwhelmed to do a sale. our good will is now completely.loaded.
xo
paige´s last [type] ..fall etsy faves
I’m right there with you, Emily! I’ve been thinking about this in my own life. Thanks for reinforcing it!
Christine Hoover´s last [type] ..Kids & Scripture Memory- Getting Started
I went through every room, every closet and every drawer, including the STORAGE ROOM IN THE BASEMENT (think boxes of every note ever passed to me since 5th grade and MORE), and took it all to Good Will. I didn’t even sell it. It was more liberating for me to just donate it. Kind of like ripping off a band aid. I kept thinking how some loyal Good Will Store shopper was going to walk in and think she won the lottery.
Except for the boxes of notes. I just threw those away.
I will never go back.
I believe strongly in the law of sowing and reaping. I believe if I sow all of my stuff into someone’s life, then should the day come that I will need something that I gave away, God will provide it. In the mean time, other people are enjoying the benefits of items they probably wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford.
My kids never missed any of their toys either. And they always thank me for “cleaning,” too. It helps when they have less stuff to put away.
Blessings,
Sandy
Sandy Cooper´s last [type] ..Lord- Deliver Me From My Lameness
This is so liberating hearing you talk, Sandy! And you just reminded me that I have a box of notes from middle and high school in my garage. I am horrified.
emily freeman´s last [type] ..everybody’s talking about stuff
I was horrified too. I started reading through them and had to just put them away. I was a BAD KID!!!!! ha ha.
Honestly, it was harder for me to throw those away than it was the lamps and the frames and the clothes. I have a memory bin for each of us, where I keep the really, really special stuff.
Sandy Cooper´s last [type] ..Lord- Deliver Me From My Lameness
I LOVE this, Sandy!!
Marla Taviano´s last [type] ..books and such
Ahh, Emily, it IS so freeing to remove some of the things from your life. I can tell fromyour blog that you do love beauty and beautiful things, but remember, a thing of beauty must have some space around it for it to shine!
Kudos to you! I plan to take a couple of boxes to goodwill today myself!
Have a great weekend!
Bernice
Ramblings of a Woman´s last [type] ..Moving towards simplicity
Is the black & white fabric a duvet cover from Target? If so, I’ve been looking for one for years! I bought the curtains to match at Target on clearance and I have never been able to find the matching duvet cover. Please let me know the details and I would love to pay you for it and pay to ship it!
Hi Cindi! It actually isn’t a duvet, it’s the curtains
Sorry!! I got mine at Target, too.
emily freeman´s last [type] ..everybody’s talking about stuff
Bummer! Thanks for the reply though and good luck!
I have no problem letting go of stuff. I’ve been waiting all summer for it to cool down so I can clean out our spare garage (we moved in May and it was 110), I didn’t do a great job at sifting through the extra stuff once I realized what would fit in our downsized digs and what would not. Turns out even though I made lots of trips to the Goodwill, I still have too much stuff. I have decided to hold a garage sale for the first time ever. Not really my thing…I don’t like asking people to pay for stuff AND I’m sure most will leave having paid nothing because I’m a pushover like that.
I’m going to Blissdom in January, hope to see you there. I’m rooming with Edie from Life In Grace, so it should be a good time!
Jessica´s last [type] ..In Our Darkest Hour
I am too sentimental. But what good is it doing me just sitting around in storage? You all have given me the fever to clean out, throw out and give away. I just don’t know where to start!
Southern Gal´s last [type] ..I Need Your Opinion- Please!
I , too, am sentimental. But what good is it doing me just sitting around in storage or cluttering up my life? You all have given me the fever to clean out, throw out and give away. I just don’t know where to start! I’m still hoping to be able to make your garage sale. After all, if I clean out all my junk I’ll have room for your junk. I mean stuff.
Southern Gal´s last [type] ..I Need Your Opinion- Please!
Ooooh, I’ve been thinking about this — this stuff — a lot lately. It all started when I read the book The Hole in Our Gospel, by Richard Stearns. Have you read it? Totally changed my life. As a result I have recently launched the Shop Not Project — no shopping for one year. It’s only been 3 weeks so far…very painful, I won’t lie. I love to shop. I love to shop like Coco Chanel loved to shop. But I have a problem. A problem with stuff. So I’m taking the bull by the horns. When my husband read the post, he was like, “What????? Honey, what about all things in moderation?” But that’s not the way I fly. I’m more red light, green light — all or nothing. I think he’s worried about having to prop up my mental health for a year, which is sure to decline in during Shop-Not!
Anyway, long way of saying I support you — I am with you in stuff-less spirit! ; )
Michelle DeRusha @ Graceful´s last [type] ..Flowers on the Sill
The Hole In Our Gospel changed my life too.
Sandy Cooper´s last [type] ..Lord- Deliver Me From My Lameness
BTW, I gave my wedding dress to the Goodwill about 5 years after I got married. I thought my mom would croak when she heard. But I am not one to hold on…and I figured it was so beautiful, shouldn’t someone else have the pleasure of wearing it, too?
Michelle DeRusha @ Graceful´s last [type] ..Flowers on the Sill
John Ruskin, a reformer from the 1800′s, wrote, “Every increased possession loads us with new weariness.” I often feel the weight, and the weariness, of “stuff.” Especially returning from two years with literally NOTHING!
Mercy´s last [type] ..Making Sense
It really is a cleansing process, I am in the middle of it too!
There are so few things over the years that I have said…oh I wish I still had………
I have a New Giveaway from the French Basketeer I think you will love!
Karena
Art by Karena
Karena´s last [type] ..The French Basketeer Giveaway !
That is my ultimate goal. To rid my space of clutter & keep the meaningful things. I am of the age that my brother will probably rekill me if I die and leave things as they are now. I truly want to declutter my life and make it simple.
Love & Hugs,
Pam
I get so attached to stuff . . . I know where and why I have a rock. I have flotsam and jetsam from most of my life (and I’ve lived on two continents) that looks like junk but has pieces of my life attached to it. Lately I’ve been trying to get rid of stuff. It’s freeing, but hard to do. I’m learning.
Sheryl´s last [type] ..Unexpected
I keep considering getting rid of most of my son’s toys. I think he would be happy with his tonka trucks, airplanes, and his one little 10-piece train. Forget everything else. Ah but then there is the guilt. On the other hand, I have gotten rid of so much stuff already. I just need to stop going to goodwill now.
I was so terribly happy to be able to use the excuse of moving across the country to completely purge my family’s belongings. Every spring I clean out our “stuff”, but this year I took us down to the bare bones. It’s funny how I felt more free to do that when I had an “excuse”. It didn’t matter if something was a gift or if I used to use it a lot but haven’t used it in ages or…you get the point. And it’s also funny that now that I’ve gone through the process of what I call “extreme streamlining”, I am much less tempted to buy more “stuff”. Of course, paying a mortgage on our old house and rent on our new one also nips that desire in the bud quite nicely…lol.
Megan L´s last [type] ..Wishful Wednesday- Video Scrapbooking
I’m getting rid of stuff too…so I can come to the yard sale and buy stuff from you guys!
Bonita´s last [type] ..The Wonder of It All
cleaning out kid closets is on my list of things to do very soon. like as soon as i get well. there are some very special kid clothes i just haven’t been able to let go of. and, some toys sadly, that i can’t let go of either. i’ve been very happy that i’ve held on to some things. i never thought i’d end up having 3 girls. if i’d gotten rid of all the girl things after my 2 big girls i wouldn’t have been able to pass them to their sister.
(i’m not as sentimental about boy clothes. ug, they’re ugly.)
melissa~afamiliarpath´s last [type] ..That chin trick
I’ve been getting rid of stuff for quite a few months now (WHY ISN’T IT ENDING YET?!). I love, love, love that I’ve been able to donate lots of money to people in need and free up our house/lives/time in a physical, tangible way. I am done, done, DONE with STUFF.
Marla Taviano´s last [type] ..books and such
Emily, I understand the feeling…I used to be like that too. With all of the challenge and times I have lost all or most of our belongings it has become a little easier not to keep a bunch of stuff that we don’t need. I get overwhelmed going through all the boxes…but once I get going I get on a roll. God is still working on me on this one. In the last year, I was able to get some beautiful new things to replace my old broken down things and it felt fresh and new and special. Now we work on taking care of thing that we use…and I have a rule…I must use them at least once a year…unless its a memory book item or an item to pass down to grandchildren…if I don’t use it then we give it to goodwill or have a yard sale. I am so proud of you and the work you are doing to lighten your load!!! Its hard at first but later you will feel so much less burdened by things. God bless you! And I will be praying for your yard sale!!! Good weather would be nice, Lord!
Mary Joy @Seeds of Encouragement Sewn with Grace´s last [type] ..Fridays On-line Encouragement Blog Tour including some of your favs and mine!
“This lightness breeds a longing for less.” … love these words and that last image. you are speaking to me today.
adornedlife´s last [type] ..spinning
I have been trying so hard to let go of stuff and junk and that ‘way to attached to stuff’-ness. I don’t like being attached to stuff more than I should and still trying to figure out why I am that way, it is not like I grew up in the depression or anything. I keep trying to add to that yard sale pile with every box I unpack. We moved in 9 months ago and I am still trying to unpack. It is sad, I know.
Sharon´s last [type] ..A Change in the Weather
I read this and was thinking it would be so fun to drive up and just hang out…but I think I could do that on a less busy weekend, eh?
I have been getting rid of more and more and more the past year (we moved a yr ago and that helped A LOT) and I have to say — I’m not replacing things. I’m not getting more stuff. I think having no money helps, but really it’s been intentional. I like the light of less…
To Think Is To Create´s last [type] ..Chuckles The Courageous
Tis the season. I’m having a yard sale next weekend and I’m ruthlessly purging our stuff. Like you I’m choosing to get rid of stuff I actually like because we simply have too much. And by the way, there’s a teensy chance I may get to your sale. It just so happens I already have plans to be in Charlotte visiting Lily that weekend. : )
The Scooper´s last [type] ..Read Her Story
I plan to be there! And I have the same stuff-holder-onto issues (just ask my husband). Blessings!!!
Terri´s last [type] ..Middle School Drama
Ok, so would you consider letting me preview your stuff and buy some things here before you do the yard sale? B/c I see some things in that picture that I want. I’ll throw in a Emily free play-date with the boys one afternoon at my place.
Longing for less… I love that! Yes! That is exactly how I am feeling right now as well.
GREAT post!
Have a pretty day!
Kristin
Bringing Pretty Back´s last [type] ..Its not pretty to pout because you cant go to Goodwill
haha about the notes in the garage!
Mrs.B´s last [type] ..Happy Anniversary!
I can so relate to the goodness of LESS. When we moved overseas recently, we had to weed out most everything. It was a painful process on so many levels. We had to cram our lives into one small storage shed and 8 suitcases.
But, one thing I learned in the process, was that we really don’t need nearly as much as we think we do. And, oftentimes, stuff just produces more stress to maintain it all anyway.
Thanks for posting. Once again, beautifully pictured and spoken.
Love from here,
Laura
Laura@Life Overseas´s last [type] ..Rescue
It’s been interesting to read all these posts about stuff – especially since we’re on the hunt for a house. It really puts things in perspective, and more than once we’ve slowed down to talk about what really matters – the size of the house or the home we intend to make in it. Thanks for making us think again!
Imperfect´s last [type] ..Not Exactly Resting
“Simplicity, Simplicity, Simplicity!”
Why do you women care so much about stuff? Why is it so hard to let go of these worldly possessions? Because you attach false sentimental meaning to them? Why do you do that? Your lives seems full of love and family, why does it pain you to get rid of useless shit?
Just wondering.
Also, why is it you have an entire blogosphere dedicated to your stuff? A place for your soul to breathe? I am choked by the mere materialistic gluttonous attitude of it.