Have milestones/significant life events inspired you?

[pearl2]

I just realized I am going through a small, yet neato, transformation. Since 2007, I have moved to a new city, got engaged, got married, bought a house, had a child, turned 30, and am pregnant again with another child. It's only 2010!! I used to move a lot yet carried boxes around full of crap from place to place and never actually went through it.

Over the last few years, not only have I had to go through ALL my stuff to combine households, then make way for wedding gifts, then make way for baby items, but I am now completely going through my closet and getting rid of every single thing I haven't worn since well before the first baby. I am keeping a fall/winter/early spring maternity wardrobe around, and maybe a few basic postpartum pieces. Everything else I am getting rid of.

I used to teach, so I needed professional clothes. I do not any longer, so I won't need ALL those clothes around as I plan to SAH for a few years.

We have fabulous thrift stores in my area where, as I like to say, the black clothing isn't even washed out and faded yet. I can get Ann Taylor, Gap, all sorts of nicer clothes just like walking into a regular store.

I am going to use post-baby body #2 (that spring and summer) to build myself the wardrobe of the New Me as an Adult with 2 Babies. I just like to capitalize that because it is funny to me.

This really has given me some direction in life to improve myself and get my household ready to welcome another life. If I get my act together now, hopefully these qualities will stick around with me and I can pass them down to my girls.

There's also a huge consignment sale coming up, so I am going through all the clothes to get ready to sell all the things we didn't use with DD and narrow down a basic wardrobe for girl baby 2 due this spring. This way, I will not be totally overwhelmed with clothing everywhere due to well-meaning hand-me-downers, gifts, etc. What doesn't sell will get donated. Only items that I would buy myself in great condition with no stains will be sold/donated!

Whew! Long post, but I still feel inspired, so maybe I will inspire you. Also, I'd love to hear stories about what life changes have nudged, forced, or inspired you to get up and do something about possessions that have ultimately impacted you in a positive way.

Off to make the popcorn to read your stories!! Can't wait.

[Oliver's Mama]

hm, not sure if this is what you mean, but today ds2 has just reached the big milestone of crawling.. it's very exciting, and bittersweet, since we likely will not have more children. But at the same time, I totally freaked out when I realized all the crap on the floor is fair game.. he is constantly going after things and is so proud of himself, and then I have to make him cry by taking away something that really isn't a toy for him (tv remote, pile of dirty laundry, shoe, etc)
So I suppose this great milestone has inspired me to seriously declutter, as well as organize things like ds1's legos and trains that carpet the living room, and there's no dragging my feet about it, no pun intended. I also don't want ds2 to have to navigate around so many obstacles.. I picture a clean, clear organized play wonderland for him to explore and grow!

Congrats to you.. it feels so good to purge out the excess/dingy clothes and have a fresh, more sparse closet. For my kids, I started hanging their clothes in the closet instead of drawers.. seeing a neat, uncluttered rack of clothing, and knowing that's it- there are not drawers more to sift through to pick the day's outfit is refreshing. I'm forced to keep it organized and pared down when it's out in the open, too.

[OkiMom]

Realizing Im about to have a third child has been a kick in the pants for me. With one it was easy to live around the clutter. With two it was a little more difficult but now Im having a third I realize that I DON"T WANT TO live around it anymore. My goal is to totally organize and declutter the apartment before the baby comes so when I come home with the baby this time Im not stressing over the house being disorganized or messy.

[aratiaw]

DH and I have just bought a townhouse, after 13+ years of renting. We're moving in a few weeks.
I've done several bouts of decluttering over the last five years, but I feel that the new place is my/our chance to be organised in a way that renting can never completely be. We don't have to hang on to unsuitable furniture "just in case we need it at the next place", for example.
I was comfortable with renting before we had kids, but had to move unexpectedly at short notice when I was pregnant with DD2, and the lack of stability really hit me. I'm so thrilled and grateful to finally be buying a place where we can feel settled.

[DTmama1]

Life changes definitely spur decluttering for me. I'm a foster parent and I've found that when a child leaves who I've had longterm, I want to rearrange the entire house. I find it rather healing. Now I'm in the middle of a divorce and really find it soothing to purge so much from my house, and to arrange it just to my liking, etc. My room is so empty and I love it.

[Juvysen]

I'm turning 30 in a few months and had my 3rd child this year... and I guess I've sorta gotten this feeling that it's time to act like an adult. I ditched most of mt wardrobe yesterday and am trying to replace it (slowly) with only pieces that look great on me. I'm working my way through my house (using the holiday grandplan) room by room to hopefully clean and clear out all this junk we have that we don't need/want.

[34me]

In June of 2007 we had a fire and lost about half our house and all of our posessions. That really cleared the clutter!! Now I think long and hard before I bring anything into the house.

[PoetryLover]

Originally Posted by pearl2

I just realized I am going through a small, yet neato, transformation. Since 2007, I have moved to a new city, got engaged, got married, bought a house, had a child, turned 30, and am pregnant again with another child. It's only 2010!! I used to move a lot yet carried boxes around full of crap from place to place and never actually went through it.

This really has given me some direction in life to improve myself and get my household ready to welcome another life. If I get my act together now, hopefully these qualities will stick around with me and I can pass them down to my girls.

Whew! Long post, but I still feel inspired, so maybe I will inspire you. Also, I'd love to hear stories about what life changes have nudged, forced, or inspired you to get up and do something about possessions that have ultimately impacted you in a positive way.

Yes! I could have written your post!

In 2007 I was 31. I moved back to the city from the country, met my husband, got married, became a long distance stepmother to 2 girls, and had a baby. I, too, had boxes of stuff I carried around with me that I've been wanting to get rid of for years. DH and I are planning a second baby and will be TTC soon. I was convinced I needed to sort through the boxes in the utility room and closets before I'm pregnant, as I had a horrible pregnancy last time. No sooner than I finished the utility room, we heard word that my younger DSD wanted to come live with us full time and now I am moving at high speed and total motivation! We will be homeschooling, so I need organization more than ever. I think I'm emotionally ready to let go of the old stuff and move ahead with my life. It feels great! It's amazing how much mental space physical clutter takes up! I am loving this purging period!

Full speed ahead! In with the new! Woo-hoo!

[homemademom]

On a smaller scale, with my last child I got a lot done during nesting, things I've needed to do since we got married nearly 12 years ago! (I went through all our pre-digital pictures, made a memory box for each family member, etc.). I feel like I'm on the verge of another purge, partly because I'm pg, but partly because we plan to move in 3 or 4 years. I still have some college notebooks and lots of books we never read cluttering our shelves. Not sure when I'll get to this project, but I feel like it's time.

[OkiMom]

Originally Posted by 34me

In June of 2007 we had a fire and lost about half our house and all of our posessions. That really cleared the clutter!! Now I think long and hard before I bring anything into the house.

to you. It must be hard to lose everything like that. But Im glad you found a positive way to look at it! I bet that would change your prespective on things.

[catscharm74]

Several!!!

1. Getting older. I have realized what is TRULY important in life- my little family, LIVING life and not storing it, education, travelling lightly.

2. Moving 8 times in 5 years. Finally settling back at home in Texas.

3. I love my job- but I don't want it to become a necessary thing in my life. I finally found my passion and love it. The paycheck a perk for myself and my family.

4. Health reasons- 6 major surgeries (2 for me, 4 for hubby) in the past 2 years.

Living with less, what we love, praticing mindfulness, minimalism and giving back to others has put me in a completly different place than I thought I would be and I it.