Decluttering and Letting Go

Once I started making my own money, back in 9th grade, I went from buying one obsession to another. First it was clothes, shoes, handbags, makeup, nail polish, jewelry making, scrapbooking and repeat. I’m always wanting more and more and it never seemed to be enough.
 
I hate to admit that I am materialistic because the word MATERIALISTIC has such a negative connotation. To be materialistic means one only cares about material things and the possession of goods. That surely doesn’t describe me! Or does it?

During my freshmen year in college, I’d brought a ton of my favorite designer handbags with me. I recalled showing them off to my girlfriends and they were amused (probably because I'm a crazy handbag girl). I must have brought at least 10+ handbags with me to college that first year and never once did I ever carry a single handbag that year or for the rest of my college years (besides crossbodies and wristlets). That was the end of my handbag obsession.  
 
Shortly after that, makeup became my new obsession! Youtube gurus and their makeup collections are to blame for this obsession. I bought so much makeup and my collection is so huge that in this lifetime, I probably will never use them all up. I NEEDED every eye shadow color and every new palette. I also needed a variety of blushes (including different brands of blushes), cream blushes, and powder blushes. So on and so forth, you get the pattern. Today, I use a tiny fraction of the makeup products I own.
 
My obsession continued in this pattern from one product to the next until I went to study abroad in Thailand. While there I still purchased a few things here and there but knowing that I was limited to a check luggage and one carry on, I tried to restrain myself. Even so, when I returned home from Thailand, I still had to throw away about half of my stuff because it was still too much.

My luggage after returning from Thailand.

Upon returning home, I’d realized that I didn’t need very much stuff to be happy. So for the next 2 years I limited my purchases. Although I was good at limiting my purchases, I’d realized I had a bigger problem. All the while, I was constantly trying to fulfill one obsession after another; I’ve hoarded a lot of stuff! My next problem to tackle was letting go of some of these stuff.
 
In the past, I’ve cleaned out my closet and donated clothes but there were still so much stuff that I simply couldn’t let go of. For example, prom dresses, homecoming dresses, heels, and clothes that still had price tags on them, just to name a few.

I didn’t know how to tackle this problem since I just couldn’t let go and can justify keeping everything until I came across this book called,  The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo. You can listen to the audiobook for free here (hurry before it gets deleted on youtube).

This book has helped me so much in being able to let go of old things that I simply do not need anymore. Marie Kondo explains in her book, this method called “Spark Joy.” Basically, you hold an item and see if it sparks joy, if it doesn’t get rid of it. The first method didn’t work for me, but Marie Kondo further explains in her book how to detach yourself from the item by thanking it for all it has done for you. This sounds odd and as odd as it is, it actually worked for me! This method has helped me to let go of so many things that I simply don’t use anymore.
 
I'm not sure why or how this method works, but it has! The proof is in the pudding. I ended up with 10 full garbage bags of things I’m going to be donating! They range from new clothing, handbags, new heels, new shoes, never used nail polishes, new makeup, and jewelries. I’m super proud of myself for being able to let go of these items that simply doesn’t bring me joy anymore. It’s actually a big relief being able to let go of them. It feels refreshing in a sense. I know this is a bit of an extreme thought for now, but I think when I return back from the Peace Corps I’m going to try to be a minimalist.  Well…I’ll return to that thought in 2 years, for now I’ll have to live out of 2 suitcases again and that’s a good start.

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