A Charitable Contribution

Hi I'm Rachel and I'm addicted to shopping. This is where we all sit in a circle and you simultaneously recite back "Hi Rachel". I went into this whole attempt to start clearing my stuff out with a very casual attitude. But I tell y'all what, you really don't realize just how much absolutely necessary stuff crap you have until you try to pack it all up to move over 500 miles away. And I know at least 90% of you are probably struggling with the same thing. I blame Carrie Bradshaw.

Here's the steps I followed to get rid of four huge garbage bags of clothing, shoes, and purses (and still going):

1. Find a Charity. I used to always think that donating my clothing meant Goodwill was my only option. Not that there's anything wrong with Goodwill, but there are tons of other charities out there that use donated clothing/appliances/home goods to raise money for great causes. For this donation I chose the National Kidney Foundation. Basically, you clean out your stuff, leave it on your porch for them to pick up, and all the proceeds for it go towards the NKF for kidney services. Being born with two healthy kidneys, I couldn't imagine having to go through anything like that. Finding a charity that means enough to you that you'll give up that size-too-small pair of jeans you know you'll never fit in again, but never saw reason enough to part with.

2. Try on everything. I often found myself picking up a shirt and thinking "Oh yeah six months ago when I wore this, it looked fine". Well, let me tell you, six months ago and now are two very different things (thank you Jimmy Johns for delivering to every corner of this country). Try the item on, see how it fits, how many different ways you can wear it, and think to yourself: in my next journey where would I wear this, how versatile is it, etc. I got rid of so many items by thinking through what kinds of items I would actually wear going to work, walking around the city, and going out. This was also a great time for me to pretend I was Carrie Bradshaw in the SATC movie, sans totally ridiculous 80's outfits.

3. Create three piles. This is the most simple step. Literally, three piles: Love, Donate, Sell. It really is that simple. If you love the item after trying it on, then keep it. If you don't love it, either choose to donate or sell it. My criteria for choosing to donate vs. sell is pretty much just based on condition of the item/when it was purchased. If I purchased it in the last year, and it's in good condition I'll try to sell it. If not, it's going in the donate pile.

4. Actually get rid of your stuff. Part of the reason I was so awful with donations before was having to load up my car and actually bring stuff everywhere, but the ease of the NKF donation is what made it so easy. They literally come straight to your door and pick it up for you. Hopefully your 'sell' pile is smaller than your 'donate' (but trust me I understand, I love getting as much money back as possible too so I get it if this is still consuming your whole trunk of your car). But this is the biggest thing y'all: If you go to sell it and they do not take it IMMEDIATELY bring it to a donation site on your way home. Don't let these items wander back into your closet.

Slowly but surely I'm narrowing down what I actually need. Loading up my dad's SUV in a few months should still be a total disaster but hey, at least I can say I tried.