Here’s a new task to help simplify our lives and minimizing our households.
Challenge # 14 Spring Forward
Very critically go through your winter gear. Pack away and label only that which you need. All the scarves, gloves and other gear that wasn’t touched or is now outgrown can be donated to a good cause.
How’d it go: Living in the North Woods seems to require a lot of gear. Skates, snowshoes, boots with different cold ratings, snowmobiling suits, helmets, float coats for dangerous ice travel, etc. Some minimalist experts preach not to differentiate and pack items away by season, but that’s simply not possible here.
This task took over our living room for a few days but the actual work, including laundering some of the well-used coats and snow pants, only took two hours. After going through my items, I was able to get rid of one coat and many scarves, hats and several pair of old gloves. For my 5-year old, minimizing is basically just giving away what no longer fits and I don’t give her a choice. She’s sentimental already, so we did say goodbye to the snow gear she’s worn for the last two winters. “Thank you for keeping me warm,” she whispered a tad tearfully as she hugged her favorite purple coat. She had two full boxes of gear ready to go to the next little girl in our neighborhood. My guy is a saver but he also uses what he has. I couldn’t get him to part with more than a couple pairs of old gloves.
Between the adults, we had a large shopping bags full of giveaways. We also threw away many single gloves that have lost their mates over the years. I had saved them long enough; if the match turns up now it will meet the same fate.
All in all, we each have a huge 27-gallon tote packed full that will be stored until late next fall. The sorting and culling also inspired a spree of spring cleaning and I tackled our entry way in-depth that same day. It was a good task.
Kellie Knight’s “Angle Full of Grace” 