stuff

There's definitely some kind of fall juju in the air right now and it's sending my nesting instincts into overload. Last weekend I spent a good amount of time weeding through closets and storage containers and cupboards in preparation for a garage sale I'm planning to hold in a couple of weeks.

What I'll actually be able to sell remains to be seen. (What doesn't sell will be donated so it will still end up out of the house.) So far it feels great just to purge and know stuff is finally going OUT instead of always coming IN.

After the garage sale is over and I have lots of dollar bills and quarters in my money box at the end of the day, it can't just end there. One of my new goals is to try to be much more mindful about stuff. Making sure as much (if not more) goes out than in, and making sure the stuff that comes in is quality and has value. Whether clothing, housewares, toys, whatever - I've got to have some tougher standards or I'm going to end up right back where I started.

See this quote? (from a page out of Domino magazine, R.I.P.)



Uh huh. Now THAT'S what I'm talking about.

You know what else is awesome about that picture? That round yellow pan on the shelf under the counter. My family had a whole set of that cookware and most of it ended up with my Dad. Two days ago he called, said he noticed in a photo that I had one of the pieces sitting on my stove, and offered to send me the rest of the set. (Thanks, Dad. What a wonderful, unexpected gift.)

Yes, technically, this is more stuff. But I love those yellow pots and pans and I will keep them forever. They are beautiful, they will be used often, they are well made, and they have sentimental value.

These are some of the criteria I've come up with when deciding whether something is a keeper. What kind of criteria do you use? How do you decide what to hang on to for years and what to pass on? Please share - this is a work in progress and I still have a lot more stuff to go through!