Lately, I’ve had this overwhelming urge to get rid of a lot of stuff. I’ve been especially focused on my closet and my room, but it’s an across-the-board kind of thing. The thought of owning less stuff in general is extremely appealing to me right now.

Growing up, I was kind of a hoarder. I would keep every inanimate object I owned simply because it would remind me of something I didn’t want to forget. Fortunately, having moved a lot over the last ten years, I’ve come a long way from my hoarding days. I’m much more organized now, and even though I shop a lot, I’m usually pretty good at re-selling, donating or throwing away items I don’t use anymore.

Most of my friends now probably have no idea what a mess I was back in the day. I’m going on 10 clutter-free years, but before that…complete train wreck. For those who need to see it to believe it, I present Lisa’s Dresser: Then & Now.

I think this most recent and somewhat extreme purging phase is the culmination of a few things — my accepting a new position at work, my upcoming birthday, and the fact that my lease on this condo is up in just six months. I’ve been so busy that I’m just not home enough to need as much stuff as I own. I don’t have enough time to do all of my laundry, tend to all of my dry cleaning, read all of my books, listen to all of my music, etc. I also I’ve outgrown some of the styles I used to wear a few years ago, and I know it’ll be a whole hell of a lot easier moving on to wherever I’m going to live next if I’m not packing up boxes full of shit I’m not going to use.

On top of all that, I think I’ve simply reached a point where I’d rather spend my money on experiences rather than things. Or if I do spend money on things, I’d rather purchase fewer, higher quality items I’ll use over and over for a long time, rather than crappy items that won’t last.

Thanks to eBay, I’ve been able to reclaim about $200 over the last few weeks clearing out my closet. Now that I’ve got some momentum going, I’m hoping I can recoup even more money and save up for something I’ll really enjoy. =)

If you’re on the same page (or you want to be, but need a little inspiration to get there), here are some words of wisdom I refer back to often:

1. Graham Hill’s TED Talk: Less Stuff, More Happiness
2. Jennifer Scott’s book, Lessons from Madame Chic (specifically her thoughts and chapters on the 10 item wardrobe and maintaining a clutter-free home)
3. Kendi Everyday”s Working Closet Series
4. Jess Lively’s Throw Out 100 Things Challenge

Happy purging!