I thought maybe starting this thread might help others, so here it goes. I am going to start listing some things that I have gotten rid of recently.....that I have either tossed out without remorse or donated to charity or others. Anyone else? Throw your own "donations" on the pile of messages and we'll see how big the pile gets!

OK, so the other day I threw out -- yes, threw out -- this old chair frame. It had a metal plate. It was made by some company (now defunct) in Vermont. It was perfectly good, except that it didn't have a cushion. It was a really weird shape -- not just any cushion would do. It was probably a collectable. But, I had been hauling it around for 20+ years and I got it out of the trash in the first place when I saw a neighbor throw it out! Did I use it during that time? Yes. I even found cushions to sort of fit, but they never really fit and always popped out, and eventually my cats used it for a bed and ..... it always tipped forward when someone was trying to get out of it since it was so low to the ground. I had even found a picture of what the cushion was supposed to look like online, raising the possibility of me having one made or making it myself.

But, in the end, when I weighed what I would have to do to repair the chair to get it servicable again, I decided to just let it go.

I realized that I would never make the cushion myself -- even though I can. I realized that it would cost more to have a cushion made than I would probably be willing to spend. AND, it didn't really go with any of my other furniture -- furniture I am using that is, not furniture I have in my basement or in storage! But, it didn't go with that, either.

And, I had even tried to throw it out once before -- and I had to retrive it after it sat out all night in the rain. I guess I just wasnt' ready. But, I felt ready the other day!

Before I did let it go, I had to:

-- remind myself that it doesn't have feelings
-- remind myself that I had gotten a lot of good use out of it
-- give myself permission to throw it out

The trash men came to pick it up -- I didn't watch.

But, you know what? I don't feel bad at all.

So, today I dumped off three old car seats. One of my kids still uses a booster/car seat, but these were not serviceable or functional anymore....some were too small and others were just plain dirty and gross and the straps were all disconnected. I couldn't tell what parts went with what seat.

I have gotten rid of this type of stuff before by passing it along to people who can use them anonymously through others. But, I needed to get rid of them now -- I need the space, and not for more "stuff", I have a goal -- and in order for me to pass them through this person I would have to drive 50 miles and give them to her. Too much trouble.

And, donation places don't want them because they can't guarantee they haven't been in an accident, so they are useless.

To come to the point where I can actually throw these types of things out -- that I have been saving for years "just in case someone can use them" or "because they are perfectly good" or "because I paid good money for them" -- means I had to come to the realization that I am not responsible for the "world".

By that I mean:

-- I am not the trash person or the sanitation engineer. I used to feel guilty for putting things in the landfill. But, there are people whose job it is to manage the trash disposal. As long as I do what is reasonable most of the time to recycle and take care of the environment....other people throw out much bigger things without a care. So, why should I feel bad? When you get yourself in a situation where you have too many belongings and it is affecting your quailty of life, and you reach a point that you can let it go -- don't get all caught up in the environment thing -- just let it go.

-- It is not up to me to see that they get a good home. They are not people, they do not have feelings.

Today I donated:

My stereo w/ cabinet (really hard to do)
About 10 bags of clothing and other small items
Three boxes of books
Several paintings/frames/artwork
A small chair
Fabric and other craft stuff
Old sheets
A sleeping bag
Some kid stuff



And, they would not take the velvet Elvis! Ha! So, I guess we're stuck with him.

It feels great to get rid of it! Wahoo! More room! Less clutter!



I feel free....well, free-er!

Job is not done, yet!

But, it's getting there!!

I even found time to do a little of this: