Day 20 of the 500 Pound Declutter - I Don't Own Any Jimmy Choo Shoes

This is what we not-so-lovingly refer to as the "Big Blue Bucket."

Really, it's more of an industrial storage tub.  And it has been sitting on the floor of our master bedroom, well, probably since we finished our basement a few years ago and had to get everything our of the strorage area.


Yeah, you read that right.  A few years ago.


It holds Brian's off season clothes.  And also serves as a lovely resting place for the junk in our lives that doesn't quite get put away.


It used to be more hidden on Brian's side of the bed until I decluttered his dresser.  But it got scooted over to my side (I am guessing my thought was that was "on the way to the basement") nearly two months ago.


I hate it.  I asked Brian what was even in it anymore and he said he thought it was his summer clothes.


So yesterday I decided it was time to tackle it.  Most of the things on the top simply needed to be put away.  But it had turned into quite a hodge podge of stuff, as evidenced by the abacus and costume pearls, accented with an empty Target bag.  Nice.

 I started, again, three piles:


1. Give away
2. Put away
3. Toss


Then I got to the bin itself and opened it.

Whattya know.  It wasn't summer clothes.  It was winter sweaters.  All of it.  And here we are (I am going to be optimistic here) nearing at the end of winter.


So now I had to find a place for them.


I headed into the closet to look around.  I immediately spotted this corner.  And while it's looked like that for a long time, I started to laugh out loud.

Those boxes in the corner?  Each has a pair of party shoes in them.  Beaded.  Strappy.  Dressy.  For the most part, stuff I just don't have the opportunity to wear anymore.


But what was funny is that I had ever thought it a good idea to practically hermetically seal them in boxes.


These are not Jimmy Choo shoes, people.  These are "xhiliration" and "Sam and Libby."  We're talking $29.99 party shoes.  Boxed and labeled like they were something else.


I pulled them all out and sorted them.  There were 8 boxes total (three were down on the floor from an event last weekend).  Of all of them, I kept two pairs.  Cause really, who needs navy blue, chunky heeled satin bridesmaid shoes?


So I'd cleared out a spot for the sweaters.  Which was great.

But I was on a roll and one thing led to another and I decided to tackle my wall of shoes.


Yes, again, you read that right.  My wall of shoes.  When we had our closet done a few years ago, the consultant came to measure everything and assess our needs.  At that point, I believe she discovered the statistic that Brian had 12 pairs of shoes.  I had 68.

 

The wall itself wasn't so much the problem.  It was the space around it.

What, you don't keep a fire truck puzzle in your closet to try and step on everytime you walk in there?

And this.

I decided this was it.  Time to take a good hard look at my shoes.  And share what I learned along the way.

1. If you have shoes in your closet that are dusty, it is their way of trying to tell you something.  They want to leave you.  Let them.

2. If you find shoes that have really pointy, hard heel backs and are really cheap.  There is a reason.  It's because they have really pointy, hard heel backs.  That will hurt you.  Even when they are cute.  They will make you walk like your shoes hurt.  Because they do.  So you won't wear them.  That is why all of the smarter people who tried them on before you didn't buy them.  They need to move on to an owner with pointier heels that you.

3. If you have shoes that every time you put them on you think either:
        a. Will I get fired for wearing these? or
        b. Do I look like a 16-year-old wearing these?
You need to let them go on to a life with someone with a less prescribed work dress code.  Or someone who is actually 16.

4. Purple comes in 4,000 different shades.  Don't keep buying purple shoes because you think you have a perfect outfit that they will match.  They won't.

5. Dogs like Crocs.  Even if you don't have a dog.  Somehow a dog will find your closet and eat them.

But I also learned that it feels really good to have a well-organized wall of shoes I actually do wear.

And it feels even better to just have a carpet dent where the blue bucket once sat.

 

Along the way, I got rid of 15 pairs of shoes, some clothes and toys.  All of it donated.  There wasn't any trash this time.

Adding up to a total of

38 pounds!

Bringing the running total to 375 pounds.

And so I celebrated by going shoe shopping.  Nope, not kidding.