The Purge is a horror movie series that is one of my all time favorites. Super scary, bloody and terrifying. The project I am about to undertake at my house feels like those movies.

I have lived in some version of my home since 1996. The husband moved in after finishing med school in 2001. That’s 26 years of collecting things for me. And I am really bad about throwing things in attics, closets, crawl spaces… anywhere I do not have to see them. In my mind, out of sight is truly out of mind.

We did do a big clean out of all baby things when we were 100% no more kiddos were being added to the family. But that happened in 2008. Y’all. We have So. Much. Stuff. Every now and then I will get the organizing bug and start to clean things out. But I will make a small dent in all of the junk, get overwhelmed and just close the doors again.

With one kiddo out of the house and the other one planning on being gone next August, it was beyond time to start cleaning out all of the collected crap. In order to not get overwhelmed, I am doing one project per day. No selling. Everything either donated or trashed. Our recycling center has a “Swap Shop” where you can drop off things to donate or grab something you need. I cannot imagine this project without the Swap Shop. You can drop off or pick up twice each day, and every time I have made the second trip, all the things from the first trip are already gone. I started downstairs and plan to work my way to the upstairs attics (which are the most cluttered spaces in the house). My exception is the toy attic. I want to take two loads of toys to the Swap Shop every day in December with the hope that my kiddos’ old toys could be new toys for a kiddo who otherwise might not get anything for Christmas. What is that saying… one person’s trash is another person’s treasure? We have A LOT to share.

Wish me luck in this truly terrifying endeavor. 26 years of collecting is a loooong time.

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