Spring cleaning

03.24.2004

It's about that time of year (in the Northern Hemisphere) when I do "spring cleaning" & rid myself of a sizable chunk of possessions.

How'd this crazy tradition begin? A few years ago my apartment burned down. Took most everything w/ it. I managed to salvage a good portion of my books, CDs, a load of laundry (essentially, what I wore day in, day out). You'd think an apartment fire'd be devastating. Actually. It was liberating. All that stuff that went up in flames? Realized I didn't need it.

So. Each year, I get closer to truly simplifying my life (it's amazing how quickly I accumulate junk). Still. Each year, I get rid of fewer things (learning not to buy unnecessary junk). My main goal's been to reduce my wardrobe to the absolute minimum possible.

I came to Bolivia w/ most of the clothes I own (except for my two suits). Which makes this rather easy. Plus, I figure I'll replace ratted sweaters w/ nice (and cheap) Bolivian alpaca ones. That said, here are my targets (if you really wanna know):

Clothing List
Underwear: 12 pair
Undershirts: 10
Socks: 12 pair
T-shirts: 6-8
Pajamas: 2
Jeans: 2-3
Pants: 3-4
Shirts (long sleeve, button): 6-8
Sweaters: 6-8
Shorts: 2
Sweat pants: 1
Dress slacks: 2 (not including suits)
Dress shirts: 4-5
Dress socks: 6 pair
Ties: 6-8
Jacket: 1 (not including suits)
Suits: 2 (at my parents')
Parka: 1
Fall/Spring jackets: 2
Scarves: 2
Wool cap: 1
Dress shoes: 1 pair
Running shoes: 1 pair
Street shoes: 1 pair
Flip-flops: 1 pair

Yes, I realize it's still more clothes than any one person needs. But. What can I say? I'm a bit of a materialist. Still. People probably get tired of seeing me wear the same jeans day in, day out. (I'd wear my favorite jeans every day if I could.) Hopefully, all this'll fit in one suitcase for the trip home. Leaving the other for books, gifts, and whatnot.

Posted by Miguel at 01:31 PM

Comments

You have to do laundry more often, but I've found it more practical to be a minimalist as well.

Because I often wear the same jeans and same denim jacket, er, I have to hang them on my porch to get the pub smoke out of them.

--s

Posted by: Scott Barnard at March 24, 2004 03:04 PM

I can't believe you just did an inventory of your clothes.

Posted by: sam at March 25, 2004 02:25 PM

Well, Sam, you know how much I love lists. And it's not hard when you've few clothes. The hard thing'll be finishing indexing my books by LOC catalog number.

Posted by: Miguel at March 25, 2004 02:33 PM