Free Yourself of the Clutter
You probably have clothes that ‘when they come back in style’ (having a hard time seeing through the blur of tears caused by my laughter) you just know you’re going to fit into again one day. Never mind that the florescent pink and green t-shirt with the tiger-claw-like tear marks across the chest and those oh-so-tight acid wash jeans that you used to tuck into a pair of icky brown Peter-Pan-Getaways (don’t forget the tarnished metal buckles across the front of those slippery soled beauties) and never mind that those, along with almost every other item of clothing in those boxes are so out of style even the much loved Retro shows on MTV or MuchMusic would laugh you right off the sound stage if you showed up wearing them for a live-to-air.
Nonetheless, who would want to part with those gigantic black and red shiny plastic satellite dish earrings and golf ball sized beaded necklace in a totally awesome bright orange checked pattern that perfectly matched your off-the-shoulder black t-shirt with the Asian lettering across the front, coupled with a billowing pair of black and white checked parachute pants…these will one day make their way back in style…won’t they?
Please don’t be too upset when I tell you…It’s never gonna happen!
The best thing you can do for yourself and for others (?) is to clear the whole sorry mess out. There are more places now than ever before that accept donations; The Salvation Army, Abused Women’s Shelters, Red Cross and many more who we all know have no trouble finding people who are in need of the things we hoard in our damp basements and dusty attics.
If you can’t bear the thought of just giving it all away (right, Mom?) there are now more consignment stores popping up in cities all over the country than there have ever been. Some take only men’s and women’s dress clothes, some accept only children’s apparel (knowing there’ll never be a shortage of those), but the best ones to look for are those that accept most anything – from children’s clothing, shoes and boots, toys and equipment such as baby monitors, strollers, cribs and playpens, to maternity clothes, videos/DVD’s, books and even potties that are no longer in training.
If you’ve had these things tucked away for more than a year and you haven’t missed them chances are you don’t need them anymore. So why not lighten the load a bit…believe me, there is nothing like the freedom of finally ridding yourself of the constant reminder that your waist used to be a slim 27 (were those size small t-shirts really yours?). Especially knowing someone else out there might get the same pleasure out of your much loved items as you did when you first brought them home.
