Where does all the clutter come from??!?

Today there is a box by my front door waiting to be dropped off at the thrift store. Again. Where does it all come from? How did it get in my house and why didn't I get rid of it sooner? It's all 'perfectly good' stuff...what made me decide that is was clutter all of a sudden?



Anatomy of a cardboard box:

• Set of glass salad/dessert bowls. Wedding gift 21 years ago. I've acquired 2 other sets since then that I like much better.


• Plates & coffee mugs. Birthday gift a few years ago. Thoughtful, but not practical for everyday use or storage. They are cute, and someone is going to snap these up.


• Stainless steel & plastic water bottles. How many does a family need? I purged the ones with awkward or leaky lids. I don't even remember when/where I bought them.


• Ikea ceramic bowls. Or maybe they were from a dollar store. Either way, I moved them out of the kitchen long ago because the kids fought over the colours. And now they've been replaced with vintage glass bowls and modern Corelle.


• Clothes & shoes. When do kids stop growing??

The kitchen purge came about because I was looking for a storage solution for my growing Pyrex collection. I got rid of what I never use and don't particularly like, to make room for things that I can use on a daily basis, and make me smile every time I look at them.