freshlyWORN magazine volume 3 issue 3

freshlyWORN

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Letter from the editor... Hurry up and wait. Hurry up and wait. That has been my mantra and unfortunately the schedule I have been operating under for the last 2-3 months. Between a massive, eye opening vacation to the southern hemisphere, packing to move from one house to another (temporarily), packing the original house after living there for 10+ yrs and running multiple businesses out of it (this magazine included), then shoving all of those years into STORAGE for a minimum 10 months to a year - what have I learned? That is a BIG question and here are my answers... Let go of the stuff Letting go of the stuff you haven’t used, much less looked at, in over two years is the model I will now shape the rest of my days by. The sheer volume of ‘stuff’ that we saved, squirrelled away in attics and crawl spaces, was insane. Far more than DINKS (double income no kids) should possess. But ‘stuff’ often falls into the category of “maybe I’ll need it again in the future!” Well, at least 70% of the ‘stuff’ hasn’t been needed in the last 8+yrs, so there is a good chance it won’t be needed again, ever. So, what do you do now? Purge Purging your ‘stuff’ is the great equalizer. It brings the sheer volume of it back to a manageable size; gives you the opportunity to re-evaluate what you really ‘think’ you need vs. what you ‘actually’ need; provides an opportunity to give to others who need it more than you; and is the catalyst to living a leaner, cleaner, simplified life. My purging rules Start in one room and create 4 zones: Keep, Donate, Sell and Trash 1. If you haven’t used it in a year, put it in the Keep zone for re-evalution 2. If you haven’t looked at it more than a year, place in Donate or Sell zone and decide if it has value or not. No value? Donate it to a charity, shelter, community facility, or friends 3. If you didn’t even know you STILL had it, check on its condition and then if its not broken or damaged, place in the Donate or Sell zone and decide if it has value or not. 4. Anything that is broken or missing critical parts, breakdown into recyclable components as much as possible and try to minimize what you send to the landfill. 5. Repeat throughout every room in your home until the house has been purged of the old, unloved, unused items in your life. The Purge results? Firstly, you will be giving new life and purpose to your abandoned, previously “stored, just in case I use it again one day” items. Giving your unloved ‘stuff’ away doesn’t mean it’s valueless. On the contrary, just because it’s lost its interest for you doesn’t mean someone else won’t love it. And giving to charity is a rewarding experience! There is nothing better than seeing a big

smile on someone’s face after receiving an item that they have wanted, but couldn’t afford. It’s a really good feeling. Secondly, the sense of ‘lightness’ you get after a really monumental purge, especially when transitioning from one home/office to another, cannot be undervalued. It gives you an opportunity to reshape your home and lifestyle; a reason to be more vigilant and selective about what you bring into your newly refreshed and decluttered home. Lastly and most of all, a purge gives you the chance to live cleanly and minimally in a time when we all need a less ‘stuff’ and more experiences and connectedness with people, not things.

Christina Lazar-Schuler Editor-in-Chief, freshlyWORN magazine

Editor-in-Chief & Publisher CHRISTINA LAZAR-SCHULER

Creative Director & fashion Editor CHRISTINA LAZAR-SCHULER

issue 11 | winter 2015 cover photography: robby brouwers contact info: freshlyWORN is published and created in Richmond, BC CANADA. visit the website at www.freshlywornmagazine.com. submission guidelines, themes and online contributor/submission form can be found at www.freshlywornmagazine.com for more information, please contact the editor at: editor@freshlywornmag.com

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