How I did it: Since I moved around a lot in my teenage years, I finally decided that I was going to just go through EVERYTHING on my last move.

It took many years (about 5) of me going through one or two of my extra boxes everytime I moved... but I finally decided that I had had enough of bringing around the same boxes that were full of stuff that I hadn't even touched in 5 years.

I finally I did this when I was tired that I wasn't fully settled in. I ended up making my room and home feel cozier, and my belongings felt more like ME -- how I am now, not how I was 5 years ago. I threw out and let go of A LOT of old things that I was hanging on to for "sentimental reasons". A lot of it was silly stuff, and stuff that I brought around from my childhood or early teenage years that I never got the chance to fully go through & chuck out. Honestly, it actually lifted weight off my shoulders because I no longer (literally) carried around my baggage from my previous homes/lives. It felt like a fresh start.

Lessons & tips: I guess if it's out of sight, it's out of mind... so don't let yourself forget about it. When it is actually on your mind, bring about your boxes to a place where you won't forget about them.
Then when you finally get fed up that they're there, force yourself to GO THROUGH THEM FINALLY!

Just make sure that you have a good afternoon/evening or two free to do it... put on some of your favorite music to listen to and just go at it!

You have to make sure you're tough with yourself when you go through boxes that have sentimental things in them... realize that even if it is something "nice to keep", or that it does bring back memories, are you going to use it or look at it at all ever again, or are you going to just put it back in your closet for the next number of years until you move again... Is it something thats REALLY worth keeping? If it feels like it'd "be a waste" to throw it out, by all means... donate it!

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Sep 28, 2008, 02:43AM PDT | 0 comments | 1 cheer