When I came back from India, I found myself looking at my belongings and thinking “I don’t need that!” or “Why did I buy that?!” I believe that traveling across the world really made me see that we live with so much that is unnecessary. None of it really brings us true joy, and I have met my fair share of people that are happier with the little that they own. So when I came home I was in the process of unpacking and threw away/donated a few bags full of clothes and other knick knacks that I never used or wore.
I got to thinking and decided to myself I was going to go through my closet at the end of each month and rid myself of things that I have no use for. Things other people could use more than I could. My mom has always taught me that before I buy any new clothes I should donate to goodwill (you can read more about this in this post) so that kind of made things easier since it was already a semi-habit. This started in May and even though I have only done it three times so far, it has really made a difference. It has changed the way I see things when I make a purchase and really changes the way I spend my time because I spend less time going to thrift stores or the mall unless there is something I am on the hunt for. It has even altered the materials I use for DIY projects because I want to use more scraps and materials I already have.
So as August is winding up, I want to challenge you to clean out your closet or chose a room in your home once a month and find a bag (big or small) of things you can donate to someone or a thrift store. To remind yourself, put it on your calendar! It doesn’t have to be an all day event, you can just turn on some tunes and go through your closet for an hour and see if there is something you feel like donating. It’s a nice way of simplifying your life and reevaluating the importance of things, and how they really aren’t important.
Maybe one day you’ll eventually look through and not find anything that is overcrowding or unnecessary!