Last month I wrote a post re: packing (if my archives were working you could find it easier - working on that!), and for fear of jinxing myself I haven’t said much more about it. But in less than 2 weeks we close on our house — fingers crossed, knock on wood, crossing myself while throwing salt over my shoulder. The reality of becoming a first time homeowner is starting to sink in. It still feels a bit surreal since we aren’t actually in the house yet but the excitement is building.

One of the best things about moving (so far) is that it has forced us to take inventory of everything we have. And we have a lot of stuff. Stuff we forgot we had, stuff we got for our wedding but cannot display because we have no room for it, stuff we don’t even like and cannot remember how we aquired it. So we have been spending a lot of time cleaning and taking bags of stuff (clothes, linens, etc) to the Salvation Army down the block. Thank goodness for Salvation Army. They let you get rid of stuff you don’t need without feeling guilty for throwing it in the trash. Most of the stuff that we think of as “junk”, really can be used by someone else. Anything that is in working order goes to Salvation Army. I get rid of clutter and someone gets a cheap pair of flannel pj’s or an old pair of boots. It’s perfect!

We have actually gotten rid of so much stuff I feel like we need to go shopping again! I think between my husband and I we got rid of more than half of our clothes. Realizing that many of the items were either terribly old, from a time when we have gained weight and would (hopefully) never fit in again or had some sort of defect. It is funny how you hold on to things you have no intention of using. Or is that just me?! I am getting better at it though - the letting go of material things. I used to think that if I got rid of something I might not be able to replace it - whether it be a sweater or a piece of furniture. Now I realize that perhaps not everything needs to be replaced and if you aren’t using something it can’t be that valuable to you anyway.

So I continue to sort and organize and look for more things to donate. All the while thinking of the best ways to pack and store all of the things we are bringing with us, which is a lot!

Knock on some wood for me, in less than two weeks I plan to be a homeowner!

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