Semi Annual Get Rid of Crap Day

We usually have our Get Rid Of Crap Day on Dec. 1st and May 1st. We go through the whole house and bag up whatever is outgrown, underused, or just plain unwanted and give it to charity. I could have a garage sale like some of my neighbors but that would require storing all the crap in the garage until the first garage sale worthy day and I am afraid that our crap would either grow roots in the garage or migrate back into the house. So the rule is that all of the assembled crap has to be dropped off to Katy Christian Ministries within 24 hours.

We live in a very small house and judicious tossing is critical. It makes our house seem much larger because it isn't so full and it saves time because we aren't sorting through all the crap we don't use just to get to the stuff we do. This year has been a little different though - because of my medical drama I didn't have the energy to tackle the entire house in one day. Plus I was really sick at the beginning of May so we just put it off.

Over the last week the kids and I have taken a room a day so our Get Rid of Crap Day became the Get Rid of Crap Week this year. But now we are done (with the exception of the garage) and I no longer have to shove drawers close or stack and restack the books on the shelves. I am convinced that my bath products, shoes, and DVD's are somehow breeding at night.

I always feel so much better when our bedroom is done. This is the one area in our house that can really collect clutter because it is the most private area in our house. I like to have people over and visit but I do not like other people besides family being in the bedroom Jeff and I share - it is a refuge from the rest of the world. Unfortunately it also becomes the catchall. If I have books that won't fit on the shelf I will put them in our room before quests come over. If I have papers that I need to go through or file I will put them in our room. Add that to the shoe, book , DVD breeding and it can really become a problem.

I have considered making the twice yearly clutter purge a quarterly purge but I just don't know if I am willing to be that organized.