Recently I moved back home after spending a few years living at college, and it's become time to get rid of old things I no longer need and move on to getting things I will use in the years to come. It's been a rough process full of letting go of things I'm not quite ready to give up but know I will never use again. Having these items reduced to dust collectors on my shelves doesn't seem so bad except that I don't have any space to grow within my place anymore. My childhood memories are important, but they are beginning to suffocate me while I try to grow and become an adult.
The more memories that are attached to something the harder it is to get rid of. Some things I have put away in a safe place to save for my own kids one day, and others I keep on display because they remind me of the part of me inside that's still a kid.
When I began this process, I came across a challenge on Pinterest called the "Get Rid of 100 Things" Spring Cleaning challenge. This idea gave me just the motivation I needed to get rid of the things I don't need, and it came along with a few hints from the person before me who completed the challenge and posted their photo list of discarded items. I think I will spare myself the photos and simply post a list once I have completed this, but for now it is still in the works.
For now, a list of helpful tips when undertaking this challenge:
- Take photos of things that have memories attached to them that stop you from getting rid of an item (I started taking pictures of my old school papers and art projects I didn't want to throw out.)
- Pass things on to friends or family when you grow out of them, so they will still get use and be taken care of (This gets you the added bonus of still getting to see the item every so often along with it creating more memories for your family)
- Start a box where you can keep memories from your childhood, and sift through it often for items you no longer want to keep
- Create a temporary place for things you say "Eh, I might use this again someday" and sort through it last
Hope this was of some help and I'll let you all know when I have successfully completed the challenge and what I got rid of!
