I  love to swap. For almost 3 years I've been hosting swaps, begging my friends and family to let me go through their closets and help them purge, enjoying free clothes, and passing clothes on to people I know. I love it. Recently, I started a secret Facebook group called Swap-ortunity. It's a place for the women in my life to get free clothes, and share the things they no longer love.

I am a huge proponent for only keeping things that you love. Many of us hold on to clothes because of the memories attached to them (maybe you were smaller size), or for a "some day" --a vacation, a wedding, or when you lose those 15 lbs you've been trying to drop for 3 years.

I have developed a few "rules" for purging your stuff:

Embrace where you are right now. Only keep clothes in your closet that fit you right now, the size that you are. And that make you feel good about yourself. Keeping those "too small" clothes only reminds you that you are wanting something else. and while that is ok, you don't need a physical daily reminder of that. When you do lose weight, you're going to want new clothes anyways..not those size 4 jeans you wore in high school, they will be out of style.

Size doesn't matter. The number on the tag, is just that, a number. I have found myself feeling disappointed because I'm a size 10. Before David, I was a 6-8. But that's ok. It's how you feel that matters. If you don't feel good about yourself, eat less crap, and move a little more. But don't be mean to your body. It's just an innocent bystander, and doing the best it can with the circumstances you're giving it.

Gifts are just that, gifts. Many people hold on to items of clothing because they were a gift from someone special in their life. The purpose of gifts is the act of receiving that gift. Keeping the gift only because you worry that it might hurt the givers feelings is silly.  They would not want you to carry that. The gift served it's purpose, a token to show how much the giver cares about you, but beyond that, the gift is just an object.

It can feel so freeing to let go of "stuff" that no longer serves you. Many of us have too much stuff that clutters our homes, thus cluttering our daily lives.

As you begin to purge and lighten up your "stuff," magically many other things in your life may become lighter and easier, and you might actually have time for some of those hobbies or things you really enjoy!

I am partnering with Cat from Coffee Cat in Mason City on March 19th, and hosting a jewelry/accessories swap as a fundraiser. Stay tuned for more details on snagging some new, free goods!