Treasure or Trash?

7:30 Saturday morning, you’re deep in sleep, sweetly dreaming about those European Castles you visited last summer, when suddenly you’re awakened by the CRASH of the sanitation truck just outside your window. The noise goes on interminably until finally, at looong last, the din dies down. Just as you dare to remove the pillow covering your head, a neighbor’s gardener starts in with the leaf-blower – WHIRRRRRR… It’s now 8:10 am, you rub your temples and reach for some aspirin as a jet plane roars overhead – eerrrRRRRRRRRRHHHH…This, my friends, is auditory overload.

When you walk into a house and are greeted by papers piled so high that they threaten to topple over if someone within a blocks vicinity sneezes, and the magnets on the refrigerator are packed in so closely that several fall off every time you pull to unstick the freezer, that, my friends, is visual noise. If it’s your house and your stuff that we’re talking about, now we’re adding emotional stress to the mix because somewhere under those piles ‘o papers are bills that scream ‘Past Due!’ --- but you can’t find them!

Hunting for all kinds of material treasures can be great fun as well as a relaxing way to spend the day. Here’s the rub: we are living in a world in which our time and space, yea our very senses, are bombarded from all directions, so when you go out searching for those rare, delectable treasures that a perfect, sunny, Sunday afternoon will beckon you to buy, do yourself a favor and keep these few things in mind:

Even pretty clutter is, well... clutter. To showcase your special, lovely items, allow space around them so that you can appreciate their beauty. The only way to accomplish this is to be certain that you still have some free space where you live, therefore purge out any unwanted, useless, unloved items first in order to make room for new precious cargo.
*Surround yourself with things that you truly love. Be selective. Remember, the images you look at every day will settle into your subconscious and begin to manifest in your life, so choose your collectibles, paintings, etc. with that in mind.
*Get clear on what sort of value you’re looking for:
---Are you going to garage sales to acquire basic household items because now that gas costs $92.00 gallon, you’re on a budget? If that’s the case, then bring a list with you, use discretion, and stay focused on your goals.
---If you’re hitting vintage stores and swap meets to find hot, new-to-you clothes, check your closet before you leave the house. Ask yourself how many items in your closet you wear versus how many either still have tags on them, or were impulsive estate sale purchases that never saw the light of day since you dragged them home – bear all of this in mind as you shop, and only buy those things that you will actually use.

As you learn the art of shopping yard sales and swap meets, you’ll see that you can find incredible things at prices that make sense to you. I recommend that folks get clear on how much discretionary income they have before heading out on these forays though, because if you amass the most beautiful wardrobe ever, but fail to put anything away for your retirement, you are paving your way to being the best dressed 85 year old greeter in discount store history!

Sasha Lauren
www.RemarkableTransformations.com
I'm available for workshops and public speaking. Call 310.927.0297 to discuss specifics.