Get rid of it!

I have a confession to make. Those of you who know me at all will find this as no surprise.

I love saving stuff.

I have stuff of all kinds that I've saved for YEARS - fabric, ribbon, school notes, clothes, children's games, concert tickets, magazines - this list could go on forever. You get the idea, I'm a packrat. I mean, you just never know when you're going to need that article in SKI Magazine from 3 years ago, or your junior prom gown, am I right? And to be fair, I have actually worn that dress for multiple occasions all through college. However, that's only one of the several formal gowns I have socked away, that I wore and loved for one night, and haven't touched since. And the odds of needing my busted-up old cell phone any time in the future? Pretty slim.

Enter Martha Stewart.

As a media buyer, I get information all the time from publications wanting a piece of our ad budgets. Were you aware that Martha has a whole family of magazine titles under her belt? The list includeds of course the classic Martha Stewart Living, but also body+soul, Weddings Magazine, Everyday Food, and the newest addition, Blueprint. Somehow, I found myself on the Blueprint website. And somehow, I found the magical list, 100 Reasons To Get Rid of It.

Okay Martha, you crafty genius, I'll bite. Can you REALLY provide me with one hundred reasons to get rid of my prized collections and stock piles? Well I'm here to tell you YES. Yes she can.

This list is pretty fantastic. It's broken up into segments of 5-8 reasons/links with categories such as "Because You Have Too Much Stuff" (ouch...so true), "Because Someone Else Needs It" (that old cell phone? I donated it to Women Helping Battered Women here in VT. The dresses? Operation Fairy Dust. Also check out One Warm Coat and Dress for Success for those outgrown clothes), "Because It Will Make Your Life Better" (Around 23% of people pay late fees on bills they cannot find), "Because It's Old/Expired" (I had more bath products than any one person could ever use up, many of which were past their prime), and finally, "Just Because: What's the worst that can happen if you throw it out?"

These days, I love getting rid of stuff. Every time I visit my folks' house, I comb through and pick out more clothes, childhood games, etc to give away. Last week I posted our entire porcelain doll collection on eBay. These are things that are just cluttering up my space! I need to let go, I need to GET RID OF IT!!

Take a look at this list, when you have a second. I bet there are a few things in your closet that you could stand to get rid of, too.