Almost-Spring Cleaning

It's that in-between time of year where the temperature goes from cold to warm and springlike and back again, classes are taking their toll, and the to-do lists are piling up. For me, crazy days of classes combined with hanging out with friends and my boyfriend have been leaving me feel like everything in my life is a mess - especially my room in my apartment!

A major source of my cleaning stress is laundry. It seems like I always have either a ton of laundry to wash or a ton of laundry to put away (and putting it away is ten times more difficult than washing it!). To be honest, I think I just need to do loads throughout the week to make it all manageable. I end up washing the same few items that I wear repeatedly (leggings, my favorite jeans, quarter zip sweatshirts, v-neck tees, layering tanks) and digging through all of my clean laundry just to find it, leaving my room in shambles.

But in reality, perhaps my biggest problem is that I love to shop - and I don't wear nearly as many of my purchases as I should. I decided (on a whim) to stop shopping for Lent. It's something I've noticed several other bloggers are doing as well. My thought was, "If they can do it, why can't I?" and after I decided to commit to it, I keep thinking how great it will be. I will be forcing myself to work with what I have instead of buying new things. I will be taking a good hard look at the items in my closet and getting rid of what I don't love (and returning anything possible!). And another thing that my shopping ban is doing is motivating me to work out more so I can look great in the clothes I have instead of taking the easy way out and buying new items (I have noticed that my clothes are not fitting the way I like anymore - I want to tighten up my exercise and eating habits to get myself to a healthier and happier mental and physical state!). Of course, the final bonus is that there will be extra cash in my wallet now - definitely something I need as a college student!

Put away all of my laundry. Do the laundry that has been piling up. Organize my clothes in my closet so everything is accessible and won't become a mess when I'm in a hurry! Return at least one item in my "returns bin" (especially the returns to the store I work at!).