Saga of the purge

As you may know from reading my past posts, I am in the middle of an application, a goal, if you will, I set for myself as a result of a study I did with my small group from church. My goal was no shopping for two weeks. The only things I did purchase were decorations for my sister-in-law's baby shower, which I am co-hosting (so, as you can see, this purchase was a must) and tickets to a play for my husband and I (a purchase that was not a must). In addition to not buying anything new, I wanted this application to help me understand why I have this insatiable desire for new things. So, every time I get an urge to shop, instead I pray and ask God to show me why I want, want, want. I know that the desire is never satisfied, so why give into it in the first place?

I have decided to extend my "no shopping spree" for another two weeks, making it a full month. I must admit that I am surprised at how little I have wanted to shop, or even thought about shopping. I did have a partial nervous breakdown this week before work. I was standing in front of my closet, already running late, and could not find a single outfit to wear! Of course, in the end I pulled something together. Normally, a crisis such as this would have sent me racing to the mall after work, avoiding a relapse for the next day. But, since I knew this was not an option for me, the thought really never crossed my mind.

I completed my purge last Friday. Keep in mind that this was not my typical spring cleaning. During my usual spring cleanings I will still hold onto items that I have never worn or will wear again, especially if there is any sentimental value associated with such items. Not this time! Even my hard core "purge" wasn't even as difficult as I had expected. God must be making it easier on me so I can realize that my happiness and contentment do not derive from the things I own. I can honestly say that I am excited about the next two weeks. I have never been able to say that I am excited about not shopping!

Here are some before and after pictures of the purge:

my closet, before the purge

my closet, after

another closet, before the purge

same closet, after

shoes i have gotten rid of

the piles of clothes i will be donating

even the bathroom closet was purged...
i am, well was, a product junky

and after
(it wasn't that i am a complete slob, but the closet was just too full!)

this is trash from the bathroom closet!

So, all of this has been a pretty big accomplishment for me. If you can't understand why it is so hard to go a couple weeks without shopping, consider yourself blessed! It is a terrible addiction to break. I even kept track of what I got rid of and the following is my list.....

25 pairs of shoes

13 sweaters

18 tank tops

7 short sleeve shirts

13 long sleeve shirts

5 pairs of jeans

1 pair of slacks

2 pairs of capris

5 skirts

4 scarves

2 purses

1 coat

7 pairs of "lounge-y" pants

4 belts

3 fleeces

7 t-shirts

And after all that, I sat down with a hot cup of peppermint tea!