The author's dining room, filled with holiday gifts.
By Amy L. Hatch
We had six Christmases this year.
You heard me — six. That’s six times the number of gifts that normal people get. While I’m grateful for the love showered on us this time each year, I also find myself standing in front of a mountain of new toys, doing the ridiculous math: one 2,100-square-foot house + one metric ton of stuff = total chaos.
Our basement is already bursting with stuff, like baby swings and plastic bathtubs and, for some reason I cannot fathom, a giant tote of Happy Meal toys that I clearly packed up way back when we moved to Chambana four years ago.
What was I thinking? Who knows. People, I was about to leave civilization. Maybe I thought there would be no McDonald’s here.
I kid, I kid.
What isn’t a joke is the clutter in our lives. I used to think having a lot of stuff would make me safe; now I feel like I’m not safe from all this stuff.
One of the resolutions I intend to keep this year is to make due with less in 2010. Who needs all this stuff? Not me.
And I bet you don’t either.
Each week for the next 52 weeks, I plan to get rid of a set number of items from my house and I’m going to tell you what they were, where they came from, what I did with them and why I got rid of them.
I’m also going to issue a challenge to all of our chambanamoms.com readers: Won’t you join me in my quest to be free from the tyranny of stuff? I challenge each and every one of you to toss five items from your house next week that you no longer need or want. Give it away, throw it away, repurpose it … I don’t care what you do with it.
Just get it gone. And then come back here and tell me what you got rid of and how it made you feel. I don’t know about you, but I feel better already.
Up Next: Five Items I Didn’t Need
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I’m in, Amy! It’s always easier to do when you know you’re not alone.
I’m in too. I need freedom from my “stuff”. It keeps taking over our house!
in
Can I count each magazine separately?
LOL! Yes, Kathe, yes you can.
good idea, I’m in!
Hi, I’m new to Urbana and heard about your website. I think that is SUCH a great idea! I really feel the same way.
what a great plan and motto. we have been doing the same thing around our house this year (something about the post christmas toy explosion does it to you!) we have gone through our kitchen, my clothes, and some of the toys in the last two months.
(just came across your blog this week – it has been so fun getting the local scoop – thanks!)