steph's stuff . . . or "bring your own box, part deux"

If a home is where your heart is, then a house is where your stuff is. And all my stuff is neatly organized within 1630 square feet of house. (With the exception of socks. I just don't see the point in neatly organizing socks. I roll pairs together and throw them in a drawer - minus the 8 pairs in the floor on my side of the bed, but that's a different blog altogether.)

When I first started thinking about getting rid of "a thing a day" this year, I was a wee bit concerned I might not be able to come up with 365 items, especially since I cleaned out all my closets AND emptied the attic last spring, and, lest you forget, I am NOT a "stuff" person.

But for somebody who is not a stuff person, I have a lot of stuff.

A LOT of stuff. My eight rooms are full of stuff. My closets are full of stuff. My drawers are full of stuff. My kitchen cabinets are full of stuff. My bookshelves are full of stuff. My utility room is REALLY full of stuff. I have storage boxes and Rubbermaid containers and canvas cubes to hold all my stuff. (In fact, I'm a little obsessed with storage boxes and Rubbermaid containers and canvas cubes, but that's a different blog altogether.)

Today I acquired 7 medium cardboard boxes to begin the 365 item collection, and I am downright excited about filling them with stuff, donating the stuff to Goodwill, and letting it all become somebody else's stuff. I don't want stuff. I don't want to clean the stuff. I don't want to store the stuff. And I sure don't want a bigger house to encompass the stuff. (I secretly dream of someday living in a 16' camper with very little stuff, but that's a different blog altogether.)

The stuff has got to go.

I don't need it.


". . . the only thing I need is *this*. I don't need this or this. Just this ashtray . . . and this paddle game. The ashtray and the paddle game and that's all I need . . . and this remote control. - The ashtray, the paddle game, and the remote control, and that's all I need . . . and these matches. The ashtray, and these matches, and the remote control, and the paddle ball . . . and this lamp. That's all I need. And that's ALL I need too. I don't need one other thing, not one . . . oh, I need this . . . and that's all I need." - Steve Martin as "The Jerk"