Please Don't Call A&E!

So first things first. I'm a borderline hoarder. It hasn't reached the point where there are dead animals rotting away under piles of junk in my closets or my neighbors are calling in complaints to the health department. Granted, I don't have any pets and my only real neighbors are sheep, but you get the idea. I accumulate things. That's how I like to put it. Of all the stuff in my house, I actually buy very little of it....I find that a lot comes to me as gifts, hand-me-downs, or terminal borrowing. How else was I able to fully furnish a three-bedroom farmhouse with only what I had in my two-bedroom DC suburban apartment?

Regardless, I have boxes of things I haven't touched or looked through in years. I swear there are some boxes that moved with me from Kentucky to Indiana to New York and finally to Maryland that haven't even been opened in almost four years. So it is probably safe to say that if I haven't seen or used those things in that time, I probably don't need them. Easier said than done. Because as soon as I crack open one box, I find a million reasons why I need to keep everything inside, even if I never use it.

In my defense, I come by it honestly. But don't tell my mom I said that. I also justify my behavior by the fact that I spend very little time at home, and therefore have very little time to spend unpacking and organizing. That's right, I said unpacking. I am aware that I've been living in this house for a little over two months now. I should be more embarrassed than I am to admit that I am still living out of suitcases and used the dishwasher for the first time last night. It's not like I try to hide the fact that I'm a hot mess either.

But this is going to change. One of my high school friends recently posted a link to a blog where the author spent last year's Lenten season doing what she called "40 Bags in 40 Days" (with the understanding that Lent is actually a little more than 40 days long...whatevs). Essentially, she rid her home of 40 bags of stuff, whether it was trash, recycling, regifting, or items to donate to local charity thrift stores. I was intrigued by the idea and thought to myself, "surely I too can do this!"

So here I am, it's day 4 of Lent and I have sent away one box of recyclables, have another that is almost full, and sorted through three boxes of stuff between yesterday and today. Kashmir was a huge help in getting the kitchen mostly organized yesterday and I am looking forward to this challenge. It does help that the parents are coming to visit in about a month, so I need to make some serious headway by then!

Days till Easter: 42

Number of Bags/Boxes Gone: 1