Cleaning House

We helped a friend move yesterday. I am grateful we don’t have to pack our things any time soon. We have way too much stuff.

Last year, I read Everything That Remains by the Minimalists, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus. For a few days, I was inspired. I was going to clean out my closet and do the 30×30 Remix. I was going to reduce the amount of media I own: DVDs, CDs, etc., and go digital. I was going to reduce clutter, donate items I don’t need to charity, and live a more meaningful life.

Instead, I SPENT money. I got Amazon Prime. While I could maybe get rid of some of my CDs with this option, not all of the songs scrub from CD to Prime. “Origin of Love,” and “Happy Ending,” by Mika, for example. I bought them for $1.29 a piece, instead. (Yes, even Lemur agrees they are worth it.)

I went through my bookshelves this winter. I have a Kindle, so I only buy books at conventions. I was able to move all of my books to one room, where Lemur built me a custom bookshelf. While that is an improvement, the wall o’ books is probably still so heavy that it will eventually fall into the living room on the floor below. I figure I’ll be dead by then. This house needs a full walls-in renovation to get rid of plaster, or whatever poor excuse for drywall they used back in 1940. While we may be able to afford that one day, right now, I’m just content to have a roof over my head.

After swearing I would never buy another pair of dress pants because I would just quit once they wore out, I got a new job instead. So, yeah, I went clothes shopping this spring, and again when I learned I would be travelling for work.

When I travel, I try to be as minimal as possible. My only suitcase is a carry-on that fits under my seat. I am not the asshole holding up traffic to get it out of the overhead bin. I have a pair of slip-on Sketchers that look classy enough to be work flats, but also double as my work-out shoes. I pack a pair of heels because I am a short girl, and my journal because I’m a writer, but the rest of the room goes to clothes I can mix and match for a week. I buy one bottle of water and make it last all week. If my room has a fridge, I’ll save leftovers and eat them for lunch the next day.

Upon returning home, I understood the point of the minimalist blog. I have too much clutter. If Clean Sweep were still a thing, I would beg them to come to our house.