Less is More (no, really it is!)

I've been thinking a lot about the concept of stuff lately. It probably helps that I'm in a major de-junk, purge, and organize mood. I've been in it before but this time I'm in attack mode. 

I am pretty much ruthless in my method. I say pretty much because at my heart, I'm a packrat. I hold onto little random stuff because of the sentimental value to me. Growing up, I always had a full closet because I could never bear to get rid of my clothes, they all had so many memories attached to them. 

But I can't afford to be that sentimental anymore. 

We've moved a lot since getting married 3 1/2 years ago. We've lived in a lot of different places.  And we've accumulated stuff. Stuff we keep moving around with us.

We're most likely going to be moving again in the future, our little hobbit hole basement suite is only so big. I don't want to move stuff around just because it has memories attached to it. So I've been going through everything, taking bins of stuff to the thrift store and posting ads on kijiji.

It has been so freeing. Our souls aren't so weighed down by stuff. We're free to just be and enjoy what we do have.

We have more space.

I got rid of a change table and an exersaucer. I was only using the change table as storage and Khaira was quite done with the exersaucer. There's so much more space in the girls' room for them to dump their teddies and tea set all over the floor  play. 

The house can be really fast to tidy up.

The girls have three baskets in their room of assorted toys, teddies and books. They also have a little shelf in the living room. It can look like a total disaster but I can clean it up in five minutes making me feel like Mary Poppins. I just need some sort of trick for the laundry now.

I've gotten rid of all kinds of things that I was saving for a rainy day or oodles of spare time.

-A wicker picnic basket with a broken handle, it would probably be an easy fix but I haven't fixed it and it's been two years. I'm not going to be fixing it. 

 -Random knick-knacks that I will never display again and have just collected dust in my hopechest. My style and taste has changed a lot since I was 16 and there's no need to store stuff for no reason.

-A cupcake storage and transport container. I have never used it. And despite my fascination with cupcakes, I'm not keeping it for that 'just in case moment'. When I make cupcakes, I'll be creative and use something I already have to store them.  

I saved the memories and got rid of the stuff. 

 I know what I have and why I have it.

I haven't been completely cold-hearted and cut throat. I saved my tea cups and silver tea service. I have two little girls and I forsee lots of tea parties with real china in our future. I also saved four tupperware parfait glasses. I have never used them. I have four cut glass parfait glasses that are a lot prettier. But the tupperware ones are quirky and retro and I have so many memories of my Nana serving up her famous chocolate pudding in parfait cups identical to mine. I'm keeping them to create new memories for little people in my house.

Are you a pack rat as well? What's your secret to keeping stuff organized?

P.S. These pictures were taken on Mother's Day, I got the girls matching outfits last fall and love that they can wear them now. And I seriously wish they came in my size!