If you’ve been following me on social media this past week then you’ve seen that I've been on this cleanout/ organized kick. To be honest it doesn’t have anything to do with clothes. God has me on this journey of cleaning out and restoring for the past year and I’m finally ready to share!
Last fall we moved into my husband's family home which caused us to downsize a lot of our personal things. Not only were we downsizing our things, we had to get out a lot of his parents' things, and we’re talking about almost 30 years of stuff. It was like an episode of Hoarders of having two different family things in one house! Three if you include my sister in law things from when she last moved out.
My husband Mack has no problem with getting rid of stuff. He’s not a materialistic person at all. I saw him throw a whole bag of his clothes in the trash when we were moving. It might have been an accident though! LOL
His mom and I struggled on the other hand. For me I think that I become attached to the memory of things. Not that pictures aren’t enough but I I have to keep the actual item too!
What I realized is that “stuff” had really played a part in my anxiety. Being anxious not knowing where certain things were, or freaking out for looking at continuation piles of stuff. At this time I'm clearing out what I don't need and making space for what's necessary.
I've made about 10 trips to Goodwill to donate so far, and the year is not over yet! Did you know that since Goodwill is a non-profit that you can write off your donations? Ask for a receipt when you drop off your things. Be sure to keep those receipts so you can have them for your CPA for when you file your taxes.
This situation makes me think of that picture where Jesus was trying to get the bear from the little girl but the little girl didn’t want to give it up not knowing that Jesus had an even bigger one behind his back. I don’t want to miss any of my blessings! I’m going through everything and throwing out things that no longer serve me.
There is an energy shift when you're going through a cleanse and you’re more focused on the word of God than your own ego and personal desires. Through this process I've gain God's presence and it's brought so much calm, comfort, and confidence.
Tips
Try to declutter or organize your stuff once every season. Try putting things in three piles: YES, NO, and MAYBE.
Don't try to do it all by yourself! Make it into a small gathering and treat your crew to some snacks and drinks for helping you! Remember time goes by fast when you're having fun!
Sell your good stuff! If it's still in good shape, but you just don't want it anymore, try selling it online like Facebook Market Place, or to your local consignment shops.
I’m still doing the work but when I’m ready I feel like God is going to be at an OVERFLOW when it comes to blessing me and my family. I can definitely see this as being a series for the blog. My goal is to be able to share more organizing tips, ways to avoid clutter, and how I've actually made money from selling items I no longer use.
It’s nice to be able to correlate this spiritual journey through fashion. I hope that this message reaches someone who needs a cleanse but doesn't know where to start. Start with stuff! I’m not telling you to become a minimalist by any means but to just be more intentional! ☺️