#throwing things out

Things I have thrown out

Do not call me a minimalist yet, because I own so many things, and keep buying so many stuff.

Anyway, here is a list of some things I remember at the top of my head that I have thrown out.

Shoes – some I have given to guys who do batter-trade (mali mali) but without asking them for anything in return

Phone – was not working so well, but was worth several thousands when I disposed it

HDMI cable –…

Dear Letty.... why do I find it so hard to throw things away? And even when I do I need to know it has gone to a good home..? Helen

P.S I'm sending you a thing to keep and a thing to throw away.

We hired a mini-skip-trailer thing, with the words "Trailer Trash" emblazoned across it and a rather sexy looking cartoonised woman alluringly glancing at whoever walks past. Sultry minx. It wasn't cheap, but the amount of stress it saved us was incredible. Whilst I am the ultimate recycler and donator to charities, at this stage of the moving game, it was all too much. I am donating clothes to my sister and then to the charity shops, some towels to the shelter I support, Ingrid's Haven, plus a portable cat enclosure that we've hardly used. Other than that, we have turfed out a huge (and environmentally unfriendly) amount of stuff.

Sometimes, you have to be ruthless. I had to shut off the part of my brain that said "you should donate that. You should recycle that. You should sell that on eBay. You should keep that" and instead, just throw things away. I am running out of time to listen to my environmental conscience.

It hurts.

On the upside, we have family who are storing our most treasured things for us. I have boxes and furniture at mum's. I have a handful of things at my sister's. B's mum is storing all our large items and some boxes at her place.

It's strange what you can't throw away. I couldn't part with my high school formal dress. It's too small, too nineties, too ugly to ever wear again, but I can't toss it out. I'm saving it for a dress-up box for my future child. I couldn't let go of my swimming club jacket. To earn that, you had to qualify for regional championships. To do that, you had to do a minimum number of swim meets in a year. For someone who hated competing at times, this was a big ask. But I wanted that jacket. Still on the swimming note, I threw out my kickboard and pullbouy, but the flippers stayed. They are in an old suitcase with my 5 most loved handbags (three of which are vintage Glo-Mesh), a good pair of goggles and a souvenir swim cap from a team triathlon. A dress my mother made me 4 years ago and no longer fits is in storage. I love it too much to abandon, despite the zipper not doing up. Boring things, like work clothes, of course will be stored for my return.

The boxes labelled "KEEPSAKES" have multiplied a little, I admit. The soft toy that my uncle gave me when I was born found himself in a vacuum Space Bag, so as to avoid any potential moths or bugs getting him whilst in storage. Photos, birthday cards, postcards from all over the world... Some things you cannot throw out.

The hardest part of this week will be taking my beloved cat Atticus to my sister's house. There he will live for the duration of our time in Europe. Right now, he is sitting beside me on the couch, paws tucked neatly beneath him, ears twitching as a dog barks outside. I know he will be loved and well-cared for. But not having my furry companion with me all the time will be hard.