The 90-Day Throwaway

I’ve lived in my current house for four years and three months, plus. That’s the longest I’ve lived in one house since I was in high school. And that was a long time ago. So despite my best attempts to never ever be a hoarder, even though it’s in my genes, I seem to have amassed some things. I can tell I have too many things because I am having trouble finding places to put things. And also, change is on the horizon. I need to lighten my load.

Accordingly, I’ve decided it’s time to get rid of some stuff. I’m going to throw away one thing every day for the next three months. I’m calling it the 90-Day Throwaway (hashtag #90dayThrowaway on Instagram — I know, I’m insufferable).

The first thing I threw away was a pair of expensive candles — both gifts (well, one from myself) — that smelled so good in their heyday that I have been having trouble tossing the empty jars, even though both candles burned down to the wick-holder-thingie weeks ago. I keep thinking I’m going to resurrect them somehow. Like, maybe melt some unscented wax in with the remaining dredges of scented wax at the very bottom, and make diluted new candles. But, I’m never going to do that. It’s time to get real with myself. Buh-bye, empty candle jars.

The second thing I threw out was a coffee grinder that I broke on about day three of ownership whilst trying to grind some whole nutmegs. I eventually replaced this grinder with another just like it, but have felt too guilty to throw away the broken one, since it’s made entirely of plastic and never really saw any use. But, it’s not exactly fixable, and I’m probably not going to ever get around to using it in an art installation.

And on day three, I threw out a perfectly good hoody that I haven’t worn in over five years because it is a remnant of my old yoga job, which took at least five years off my life. In fact, the hoody bears the name of my old yoga boss, who, sorry, is kind of a horrible person. He once told me that he thinks people who have pets are weird because he doesn’t care for animals. True story. So, despite the comfy utilitarian nature of this hoody, I’m never going to wear it again.

Note, though, that I’m not really throwing out perfectly good clothes. I’m putting them in a bag and donating them to Goodwill. This makes it easier to feel good about.

I have no idea if I can come up with 90 things to throw out, but I’m determined to try. If you want to follow along on this riveting adventure, follow me on Instagram. Or better yet, join me in lightening your own load!

#90dayThrowaway