Minimalism Curiosity

So it happens nearly every year - sometimes it happens in the Fall, sometimes in the Spring, and sometimes it seems like a January thing. I get this urge to THROW AWAY EVERYTHING!! I do not consider myself a hoarder - though when I watch a Hoarding show I think to myself, am I? I don't have piles of things you need to navigate through to get to any room in the house. We do have blank space on the floor but if you open any cabinet, drawer, closet door, you will see things artfully crammed into the space - tetrised (is that even a word) and stacked very carefully- only one way to stack works, everything else comes crashing out of the space if not stacked just so. I am married, so of course there are things I can get rid of - but there are things I think I should get rid up, but I cannot because I am not the only owner. My husband is definitely someone who needs to agree to get rid of certain things. We have a basement - so we can box things up and have them out of sight and out of mind. 

I have read the books The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo, The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson and of course I have watched Queer Eye - all have me thinking about what is really necessary for me to have and what could I let go of? I also think a lot about if I could let go, what would I be making room for? 

And then it hits - the overwhelm of trying to be environmentally responsible while also getting rid of things. And so it begins - the idea of not only sorting through all of my stuff, but then carefully finding new homes for the stuff that I no longer want or need. Most of what I am getting rid of is to nice to be just in a dumpster - and trust me, the thought has crossed my mind to rent the 1-800-Junk bin and just never think about it again, but then there is this little voice that thinks about the land fill and garbage on the planet.

I have joined my local Buy Nothing group and Freecycle - but the management part of trying to find someone who wants what you have - and then, can coordinate the pickup or the drop off of those items. Things go out of the house with the slowness of molasses. It makes me want to just get rid of it, no worries, but I cannot seem to get myself into the space of landfill. Especially when I know some of my items could be useful to someone else.

Yard Sales - love them! But my husband does not. So year after year I think about keeping things around just in case I wear him down...UGH!

The video that has sucked me in this year is Minimalism (on Netflix) - I watched it a couple of weeks ago with my husband (poor planning to watch right before bed on a Sunday night). Now, I am feeling even more moved to go through things and have less to deal with. Next thing you know I am watching YouTubers The Minimal Mom, Diane in Denmark, and Clutter Bug - and I am one of those people who don't get watching YouTube...but here I am thinking - I can do that! While also thinking I want to fast track to the end. Anyone else?

Anyone else on this track in January? Let me know how you are handling it.