Drink Up Baby Doll

Let's get some perspective.  Last year at this time, I was 23, going on 24.  Juli & Erik were moving out of the house, and Matt & I were living alone for the first time.  We had only been married for less than a year.  I was 20+ pounds heavier.  My hair was dark.  I was still working 36-hour weeks, and I was making about 85% of what I make now.  Now I'm 24, going on 25.  We've been living alone for a year and loving every minute of it.  We have almost been married 2 years.  I am 20+ pounds lighter AND 100% healthier because of the diet that Matt & I have been on for the past 7 months!!  My hair is getting back to its original color.  And not only am I working full-time with better pay, but my job has now changed for the better.  I am managing someone else for the first time, and I am much more confident in my position.  Sometimes it's nice to look back on the past year and see how far you've come... how much you've grown.  I am pretty happy with how I have changed during the past year.

THEN

NOW

Matt & I have a great weekend planned to celebrate my birthday, and we're both super excited about it!!  It will be our own mini vacation without really leaving home!

"The things you own end up owning you." -Tyler Durden, Fight Club 

As I said before, my best girlfriend and her husband are moving to NYC in two weeks.  Because of the move, they have to get rid of most of their stuff, only taking what will fit in a few suitcases.  I was inspired by her willingness to let go of the material possessions that she owns.  Over the past few years, I have been trying to get rid of a lot of the stuff I have laying around that never gets used.  The problem is that I usually find some reason to keep most of it.  I have held onto things because I thought that I might want to use them someday or I might want to re-purpose them for other things.  I have also tried selling the things that I thought still had great value, but I wind up wasting time and money posting items to eBay and only making $0.99 here and there.  Well.. it's time to let go!!  Matt & I will most likely be moving in the next couple of years as well, and I don't want to get bogged down with a ton of stuff that doesn't ever even get used!!

I read a couple of great articles (one & two) on the subject yesterday, and last night I began the process of getting rid of all that shit!!  I started with my closet because, well, it's probably the worst for me personally.  I have the hardest time getting rid of clothes.  My biggest problem is holding onto things for sentimental reasons, and yes, some of my clothes have sentimental value to me.  So sue me.  What really resonates with me is the idea that holding onto those things is keeping me in the past in a lot of ways.  I have mentioned before that I don't want to look back, I don't want to get stuck in the past.  I want to move forward, and keep moving.  Look to the future.  All this clutter that I'm holding onto is weighing me down.

So... in the next few weeks after things settle down, Matt & I are going to do a huge re-organizing and clean out of our house!!  We're hoping to finally get the garage fixed up the way that we want it and get rid of a ton of stuff that we don't need.  We want to have a garage sale as a last attempt to get something out of our stuff before we take it all and donate it.

All this can be a little hard for me at first, but once I start to get rid of stuff and clean out storage space, it feels great.  Just think of all the extra space we'll have!!  Not only am I going to do all this, but I am also going to try to change my mindset for the future.  I am going to buy less and limit it to mostly need-buys.  I am not going to make any purchases without being sure that I am really going to get use out of what I'm buying.  Of course, there will still be some wants... especially when it comes to my wardrobe, so my new rule is that for every new item of clothing that I get, I will get rid of one old item.  Time to start living like a minimalist!!

Edit: Just found this article too.  Great stuff!!

love.nu