The Purge

Good-bye 1999 Christmas Sweater - I take away such fond memories of you

    

 It's that time of year.   Out with the old, and out with the very old.  I have been going through my closets, kid closets, toys, blankets, bags - and if I don't donate them soon, they'll end up back where they started.  I get a bit frenetic when it comes to throwing out -- but if I think about it just two seconds too long then a memory of the item will hit me and it'll go back to the "let's just wait one more year" pile. 

Who cares if my first boyfriend gave me that XXL flannel shirt that for some reason was very popular in 1994 that was even more awful because we girls tucked them in to very high buttoned jeans -- why, why, why?? 

Who cares if that work bag has Kenny's 1st real law office job in Houston monogrammed on it?  Ahh. 

Who cares if that 100 dollar toy Santa brought two years ago is in perfect shape?  And as a sidebar - I tried selling this toy on Craigslist and received one email in return.  It said, "OMG - that's so cute!"
Does this person want this so cute item?  Is she just being friendly?  Not sure. 

Who cares if I only have 1 Christmas sweater (see pic) that I bought, not kidding, in 1999 from a store that is no longer open and that I wear once a year?
 
 What these items all have in common is NO ONE uses them, so I can either be sentimental or smart and take the time to pillage through the piles.  This year, I took the time and let me share with you what I got from being smart.  As I was going through work bags, gym bags and old back packs, I came across one that Kenny actually used a year ago when he went to Haiti with Habitat for Humanity.  As I was shaking out pens and pencils, I also came across 4 or 5 checks that he was apparently going to put in the bank but never did.  What's better than finding a 20 dollar bill in your pocket in an unwashed pair of jeans -- finding a big birthday check dated October 2011 -- to ME! Money I didn't even know I had, or forgot I ever had it.  Such a surprise --- and all for being smart, not sentimental. 

So purge, purge away and enjoy that empty shelf, or those empty hangers, or that extra room.  And if you're really good, you can dust and windex while you're at it. 

 Have I gone too far? Stick with purging, Spring cleaning doesn't rear its ugly head for a few more months.