Moving Epiphanies

Just a little over two weeks until the big Florida move. My apartment is on it's ear. Boxes fill the rooms. The trashcan runneth over.

It's amazing how much the "Ooh. I can't wait to try it!" product quickly becomes the "That ain't gonna do nothin' but take up space and add wieght." product. Can someone please tell me why I have 3 different mayonnaise conditioners? Better yet... can some one tell me why I have the 3 different mayonnaise conditioners and still look like I got swung around by my feet 'round 'bout the head area? WTH? Where did all of this crap come from? Why do they even let me in CVS and Walgreen's still? Gah!

If something stank 6 months ago... It will probably stink now. There are about 4 bottles of perfume that were given to trashcan gods. Why was I holding on to it? I can't for the life of me tell you why.

If you have to keep the empty bottle to remember to repurchase something, then it probably didn't leave the lasting of an impression. Case in point... As soon as I use up the shower gels that are in current rotation I am going to buy Yes To Carrots Carrot Rich Shower Gel. The empty bottle hit the trash ages ago. I have been walking around with an empty Lush shower gel bottle in the bottom of my ding dang purse since Methuselah was a tadpole. The empty bottle has made from purse to purse when I change them. How many times have I been to the mall with this empty bottle? Eleventy billion. How many times have I actually remembered that the stinking bottle was in my bag *while* in said mall? ZERO! So guess which shower gel will not be bought with my funds in the future.

I have learned that I am fiercely loyal to some products. The idea of having to find replacements is not appealing to me. Since I will be moving to a part of the country that I am not familiar with, I worried that I may not find some items that have become staples. So I have created a folder with bookmarks to all of the web sites that sell the items that I love. Or I have just bought an embarrassing amount of the products. This explains why I am now the proud owner of 5 bottles of NK Satin Silver np. I wasn't able to find the brand here in Connecticut so I planned on picking one up when I visited Philly. Then I realized that I may not be able to buy it in Florida either and since Florida to Philly is waaaaay longer drive than CT to Philly I picked up enough to last me through a nuclear winter. Problems... I haz em.

If you pack boxes in a pair of moisturizing gloves, be prepared to get strange looks. Mr. Brown looked at me like I grew a 2nd head when he saw me wearing my mani gloves. I told him that moving was hard work and I wanted to protect my nails. Yeah... he gave me that same look. Lol.

Overall... The packing process has been going smoothly. I ended up getting rid of a lot more makeup then I expected to. I still have a metric ton but I can gift someone with a nice starter stash with what I purged. I haven't bought any new makeup or skin care products. I have used up a few. I am proud of myself! I had empty containers for the first time in ages! I found some long forgotten head bands so that was a definite plus! It was like Christmas in March.

B.B.

New Year, New Blessing, New Challenges

Happy New Year everyone! Doesn't the arrival of a new year always feel like a chance to start fresh and new? A way to start with a clean slate? Let's just shake off the heeby jeebies of last year and kick start the new year five pounds lighter shall we?

A few phone calls and unforeseen blessings has given my family a chance to relocate to Florida. *looks out of window at the fresh snow that blankets my yard... Suck it Connecticut!* Three moves in as many years have taught Mr. Brown and I a thing or two about moving. You'd be surprised a how many things fall into the "I don't really need that after all" category when space in the moving truck becomes scarce or you just simply don't want to be bothered with taking down or up a flight of stairs.

Since we have a few months before the actual move takes place, I figured this would be a great time to get into that "use it or lose it" mind frame. It's time to use up the fifty-leven bottles of half used shower gel and conditioner that takes up valuable moving truck real estate. I won't open or purchase any new skincare products. I won't purchase any new cosmetics. My entire makeup and nail polish stash must fit in my Helmers. All of my random beauty items (brushes, sponges, etc), perfumes, skincare and haircare products must fit in one modest sized plastic tote. I will adopt the "If you haven't used it in a year then toss it" mentality with somethings like lotions. That rule in general has always been hard for me. I always end up looking for it two month later. I will toss all of my mascara before the move. By that time it will all be at least three months old so theoretically I should be tossing it anyway. When I finish something or get rid of an item, I will post pics to track my progress. Wish me luck!

Any tips on moving and purging? How did your last move go?

B.B.