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Home > Wow...How did I get all this stuff?

Wow...How did I get all this stuff?

February 17th, 2011 at 03:17 am

Not too distant a time ago...pre-marriage, pre-house, kiddos, and pets, I didn't have much stuff. I had very little in college due to moving apartments etc. After school, my boyfriend/now husband and I lived in a very small apartment with no eating area,a dinky bathroom, and a living area that only held a futon,small ikea computer table, area rug, and t.v. When we moved into our house, we were still using the futon, until the dog ate a hole through it due to the first baby/frustration and most of the space in the house was empty. A few years later...Tonight,I picked up dirty dishes,folded clean clothes, then picked up dirty clothes, put coats away in an overstuft closet, cleaned up the living room toy explosion, found a yucky sippy cup, have piles of framed pictures, books, and a never ending amount of clothes to wash...I stand back and think out of complete frustration (that I even have to do all this) "HOW DID I ACCUMULATE ALL THIS STUFF?" Half the toys the kiddos don't even play with, in fact, they seem to only like things that aren't toys...like the potty seat, mommies stuff, pens, and computer. We now also have a junk room and our office also has more stuff. Our car is packed with various items too. This weekend my goal is to get rid of lots of stuff and donate it. It's become a pain in the butt to just have it in the house even. However, the thing that's so ironic is that we are still broke like in college/right after...actually worse with the debt, we just have lots of things now and extra mouths to feed. stuff, who needs it!lol.

4 Responses to “Wow...How did I get all this stuff?”

  1. ThriftoRama Says:
    1297916873

    I think we are living parallel lives. For most of my 20s, I lived with only what would fit in the hatchback of my car. When I met hubby, he had a futon, a mattress on the floor, a dresser, and a pillow to sit on. Now, we are drowning in stuff.

    In our case, it was the death of two family members. We inherited two houses of stuff. Now, it's all got to go, except for things that are truly meaningful, loved, or useful.

  2. CampFrugal Says:
    1297948976

    Go through all your stuff and have a yard sale and put the money towards your debt. Scaling down is so rewarding, in so many ways. You will feel more in control and your kids will love helping you. There is actually a lot of great advice on the web about scaling back, having garage sales. Here is a link for having a garage sale.

    http://www.creators.com/advice/everyday-cheapskate/how-to-have-a-killer-garage-sale-11-02-15.html

    Also, Mary Hunt has a great story on how she was deep in debt and how she got out it. You can find her books at the library.

  3. Joan.of.the.Arch Says:
    1297963588

    Yes, either sell the stuff and apply the earnings immediately to debt, or carefully bag, box, and label the stuff so that later when you feel like you want to buy the kids something new to entertain them, you can just pull out a forgotten toy. Your framed pictures and books can be sold as well....Then always be ready to remind yourself that all the STUFF we buy has potential to make us feel annoyed, crowded, and dissatisfied.

  4. jewels3 Says:
    1297995370

    We are moving to Florida this summer and we are getting rid of most of our things. We have made endless trips to Goodwill or put on Freecycle. I've sold a couple of things on Craigslist/ebay, and that money goes into our piggy bank. It is really freeing. I have to be really sentimental over something to keep it. I found taking pictures of things works--you still can see it, but don't have it taking up space.

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