Almost the New Year

Christmas feels like it's long gone already and it was only last week. Now we are already looking at New Years. I meant to do a blog post for after Christmas but either forgot or didn't have the time.

Today was the day that I had started to go through the massive perfume hoard in the guest bedroom. It wasn't so much to sort through to see what I wanted to get rid of and what to keep. It was the whole thing of what had evaporated and what I could really throw away. There were quite a few minis that I threw away, not because they were evaporated but they were ancient and really needed to be thrown out. I had to throw out a couple bottles that had gone off. But like I said earlier, I wasn't sorting to see what I wanted to keep and what to sell.

I had also started to go through my massive book collection to see what I can take down to Half Priced Books. I could donate them but most libraries in my area are not looking for what I read. The little library things in my neighborhood are very far and few. So it's either Half Priced Books or going in the trash. But I would rather try and raise some kind of monies and create some space in my house.

I keep saying that I am trying to make space and use things up and I swear that I am trying. Yesterday, I went through my bathroom and managed to combine half used shampoos and body washes. I also combined some face creams too. So I managed to recycle about 6 or 7 bottles along with throwing out some other junk. Every little thing that I can manage at any given time helps.

What is mostly good right this moment is that while I have been seriously working on clearing things out these past couple days, I really haven't been shopping. By not indulging in too much retail therapy, that means I am not undoing what precious little progress that I have made. Candle Day was a little bit of a bust for me this year and the Bath and Body Works Semi Annual Sale is lackluster. With the $40 Amazon gift card that my sister gave me for Christmas, I ordered Quake II for my Xbox, so I can start playing my Xbox a little more and not spend so much time with window shopping.

With it being so close to the new year, I am trying to make more serious changes. I would like to really start to crack down on my candle collection. By cracking down on my candles, that means actually using them. There is no need for me to have well over 100 candles. With the people that I live with, it is going to be somewhat of a tall order. They don't approve of having lit candles, even when there is a power outage. I want to spend less money in general as well. Eating out will have to be limited to once or twice a month and I am looking at quitting smoking as well. I know that not eating out much and quitting smoking will help my bottom line. I just want 2025 to be a good year.