Decrapification: Perks

The decrapification is still going strong in the Huber household! The more I do it, the more I love it, and the more I want to do. Here are a few reasons I'm digging this so much:

Spending Less  
I declutter something every day. It's always on my mind. I'm constantly thinking about what space I can attack next or which areas I can scour through a second time. It's almost become a hobby. So, whenever I'm out shopping, I'm thinking through this new filter. Instead of thinking about what fun thing I could buy to make my life easier or cheer myself up, I now think harder about what I truly need versus what is just excess and will eventually become clutter. If it is on the list, if I have a place for it, if I know for sure I will use it, in the shopping cart it goes. If not, I hold off. (Ok..in an effort for full disclosure: I have an inborn weakness for lip gloss, so there may be a little excess there...) So not only am I saving money on what I'm not buying, but I've also sold a few things that I have gotten rid of, so I've scored us a couple dollars along the way too. A win/win!

Involving Kids
We've all done it. We've all popped our kids balloons while they were sleeping or thrown away something of theirs while they weren't looking in hopes that they'd forget about it. The likelihood is that I will always do this in some way. But, instead of throwing away the mounds of artwork my daughter brings home from preschool on my own, I've started including her in the process. She gets to pick one or two pictures to keep and display, and the rest get recycled. And when the dentist visits her school and gives everyone a new toothbrush? We follow our new "one in, one out" rule and throw away a toothbrush before breaking out the new one. My hope is for my kids to learn stuff-management along with me, both for my sake and for theirs. Ideally, as they grow they will gain some perspective about how to navigate a society dominated by consumerism.

Things Have Places 
Piles, and stacks, and bins, oh my! I have so much junk floating around that doesn't have a PLACE to live in my house. These things either need to be purged or they need to find a home. Some of the major offenders in my house are photos, papers, and kids art supplies. They just float from surface to surface without a place to land - and drive me crazy along the way. That basket full of old magazines that were thrown away? That basket is now the place where crayons, glitter glue, construction paper and the like get to live. Voila! They are easily accessible when we want them, and easily tossed back in when we're done. Simple and neat. Woah!

Using What I Already Have 
I am rediscovering things I had long forgotten. I've learned that I buy WAY too much smelly stuff. Namely, scented lotions. Yes, I have dry skin, and yes, I love the pampered feeling of moisturized, good smelling skin. But once I gathered it all in to one place from being scattered around, I saw exactly how much excess I had. Enough is enough! I tossed some that I were old or non-favorites and started (gasp!) USING others that I'd forgotten about. Now the trick is to not buy anymore until I've used up a bunch of what I already have. It may sound strange, but there is something liberating about letting myself actually RUN OUT of something before I buy more of it. I've done too much buying "just in case".

How about you? Anyone else going through 40 bags in 40 days with me? Here's to cleaning out, throwing away, and moving STUFF out to fit in more LIFE! Happy purging!