02.28.2012 I have a "STUFF" Problem

Busy busy today trying to get pictures uploaded and a whole gaggle of stuff listed on eBay. This stems from my need to actually clean out our storage unit downtown that we continue to pay monthly for that is currently home to more "stuff" than I can believe.

I guess when you don't ever visit your "stuff" if is out of sight - out of mind!

Anyway, I did some good ol' fashioned math (i know not my strong suit but...) at the beginning of this year and with a few small calculations have found that I have paid upwards of *gasp* $10,000. to store this stuff.

Let me just say for the record (and to myself) that there is not a single thing, and doubtfully not even an accumulated net worth of stuff in there at the TEN THOUSAND DOLLAR value mark.

It's sickening really.

So in January, when taking my Christmas "stuff" to that dear ol' storage...I paused to take in the enormity of the space. The items carefully boxed and stored there on large industrial/wherehouse racks that are 8 feet deep and over 12 feet tall. All shelves FILLED neatly with boxes and boxes of stuff. Most stuff being in there for the entire 8 years we have had this storage (and embarassingly at least 2 other storage units simultaneously). I truly had little idea what was in alot of the boxes. I grabbed no less than 12 plastic see-thru bins living on only ONE of the many shelves and loaded them into my Suburban.

Want to guess what was in those bins?

BABY CLOTHES.

Most of them adorable baby girl clothes. More than two bins alone were full had BRAND NEW baby clothes, with tags, NEVER EVEN WORN. There were so many outfits all in the same size group it was mystifying. Not to mention near impossible that ONE baby girl could actually wear all those clothes - as fast as babies grow. Shoes, blankets, bibs, you name it.

My daughter just turned TEN. TEN YEARS OLD.

I have a goal. It is a lofty goal....but one i will pursue with determination.

I have given myself until the end of Summer (August 30-ish) to have this storage completely empty. Those 12 bins are a start.

I have already sorted and gave away two Large Moving boxes FULL of stuff to Charity. I then proceeded to enter and price a whole 'nother gaggle of items for the upcoming Consignment sale that i participate in twice a year. (That is where we recycle all of our clothes/toys/shoes, etc. we have outgrown/don't wear or don't like by selling them and buy someone elses outgrown clothes...thereby saving this mommy oodles of money and eliminating the excess stuff problem)Then lastly, I have about 4-5 bins worth of BRAND SPANKING NEW clothes and shoes and stuff that are Ebay worthy. Gymboree, Carters, Big Name brand stuff I can sell. (Thus hopefully helping with our current financial crisis on some level)That way I feel like the storing thing is somehow getting paid back.

Sadly, my garage is FULL of more stuff and I can't just move it from there to here. It is a sad state of affairs that my house is nearly 4000 sq. feet and I have no place to put all that stuff.

I have a STUFF PROBLEM.

Just because mine is put away in furniture, on shelves, in closets or stacked neatly makes me no different than those people on shows like "Hoarders" who have mountains of "STUFF". The key is to just let go.

I don't want to raise little hoarders. My hubby and I both have the same problem in differing degrees. Mine stems from Sentimental issues...his from a "value" standpoint. He can't possibly throw it away because he paid $ "xyz" amount for it.

So we KEEP it. This is CRAZY behavior. And the bottom line is it is COSTLY behavior as well.

So I am admitting I have a stuff problem. That is the first step right? Admission I have a problem. So I am taking steps to rectify that problem. As fast as my little hands can type and box and get rid of. If I didn't need the money I think I would just rent a HUGE truck and load it and drop it all off at the Thrift Store.

That would definately be liberating.

So if you wonder what I am up to....it's "stuff" these days.