GIVE 500 update

I have not forgotten about this project and I am seriously LOVING this project. While at moments it is hard to think about going through another box or another closet of crap I am loving the space that it is opening up. I wonder WHY on God's green earth did I have all this stuff sitting around in boxes and in my closet aimlessly. I don't need this much stuff. I don't need a different outfit for every day. I don't need to hold on to everything I have ever been given.

This project has been liberating. This may seem strange but seriously somehow it has given me the permission I needed to be able to give stuff, that is perfectly usable, away. Now I am not counting socks with holes in them or stuff that is broken and needs to be recycled or thrown away, I am counting stuff that I seriously just don't need. This has been a wonderful project. This project has set me free.

I am not certain what my count is at and I am fairly certain I have long surpassed the 500 mark, I have hauled a couple loads of books to the library, a couple loads to the good will, and a couple loads to the church rummage sale pile. Somehow I had bought into the world, I had bought into the idea that I need to have more, I need to have a different outfit for weeks upon weeks and I couldn't repeat them in a couple weeks. (No one notices what I wear unless it is horrible - I have a bunch of clothes still don't worry but now the difference is I actually wear them all - and they get rotated between each other and have many combinations.) I don't have totes of crap just sitting upstairs in my attic "in case I need this stuff" - seriously I haven't missed it - I do still have boxes of holiday decorations but those are different, it is the crap I had been hauling around for years, for no reason.

I got rid of stacks of books and movies (I love both of these things) and I have kept some of my favorites and the ones that I like to re-read and re-watch but the ones I have no intent of watching again any time soon are gone, I just don't need them, if I want to watch or read them I can check them out of the library or get it off netflix. There is freedom in no longer being bound to stuff and needing more stuff. I have realized that I am not justified by what I own or don't own. I am not justified by what stuff I have or don't have. (deep down I have always known this but.... my actions had me held to another standard)

By no means am I promoting getting rid of everything you own and living in a tent - more I promote evaluating what you have, using up the excess stuff that you have been storing (I apparently was a hoarder of reams of paper and shampoo) I have more than I need still and have less to dust and less stuff sitting around and I couldn't be happier.

• Anyone else have this type of experience when getting rid of stuff? 
• Anyone else have tips on how to keep my stuff to a minimum so I don't just revert back to acquiring tons of stuff?
• Do you like to have stuff around?
• I must confess there is a piece of me that still says... what if I need ___________ - How do you sort out what to keep and what to get rid of without going crazy on either end of the spectrum?

5 Months

No, I am not moving (THANK GOD), however my fiance, Marc, will be moving into my house after we get married in June. For some reason this has been on my mind lately and I am beginning to realize that I should probably think seriously about where his stuff will be going and make sure I make room to make the house his as well. There is a piece of me that wishes we were selling my place and moving into somewhere together (or I was moving from another house into my house - I do enjoy my place and don't want anything bigger) sot hat together we could figure out where stuff goes and what not. I however am jazzed beyond belief that I don't have to move.

The house is plenty big for the two of us, 3 bedrooms and 1 bath, let's hope we can figure out how to live together and how to share space. If we can't we are in a world of hurt. However, at the time that we get married and Marc moves in Dakota and I will have been living there for two full years. Yes, I will have lived at the same address for two full years, I haven't done that since I was in high school 10.5 years ago. I am realizing probably the obvious:

• Marc will need to put his clothes somewhere 
• I will need to take my camping gear (tent, sleeping bag, water purifier, and all my other glorious camping gear) and skiing gear (skis, snowboard, boots, etc) out of my closet and make space for him. Seems lame but for some reason I am slow on the uptake and just realized these things
• Marc has some kitchen stuff
• while we registered for lots of kitchen stuff because we both have hand me down stuff and rummage sale stuff we need to purge some of both of our stuff and somewhere I need to makes space for his stuff logically - I do have several empty cupboards that we can put stuff in - but we need to think through the logic
• the bathroom only has two towel hooks
• yes, I use two towels - actually I rotate two towels throughout any given week between washing them - and Marc is probably definitely going to need somewhere to hang a towel or two after showering (I promote showering often - this comes from working with nonshowering junior high kids)
• Some of my junk needs to either go to the attic space (strange space upstairs in my house) or I just need to get rid of it and stop holding onto stuff
• I sort of miss the days when all of my stuff fit in my vehicle - however I don't yet feel like a hoarder by owning a bed,a couch, and a kitchen table - I just feel less like a minimalist 
• the garage needs some loving
• I have a two stall garage but one stall is currently occupied by two kayaks (one is his), three bikes (two are his), yard games, lawn furniture (for the winter), a grill, a dog crate (Dakota's travel crate), and a bunch of other miscellaneous items - we need to figure out how to best fit two cars in the garage 

I am certain all of this is obvious to you all reading it, however for some reason when this hit me like a ton of bricks this getting married stuff became more real. We won't have two places to live - Marc and I will live in the same place. I won't have my own place, I must learn to share again (it has been a while since I have had a roommate) and I am certain that I will do things that annoy the heck out of Marc and will need to come to some compromises. Transitions are strange, while I look forward to transitioning into married life there are also certain things that I think get overlooked in the business of it all and for those of us who didn't live together before marriage moving in is a crazy process. T-minus 5 months until we get married.

How do you feel about moving?

Any tips on how to get rid of stuff and downsize what you own?

Anything you hold on to that you keep thinking you should get rid of?

What is your favorite personal item you own?