in my efforts to simplify and clear the junk in my apartment, i came across four areas where i have accumulated so much (and for no reason).

1) shoe bags.  i remember when i was in high school and i bought my first pair of shoes that came with shoe bags.  i felt so fancy and swore i would keep those bags forever.  of course i promptly lost them, and now i have a mountain of shoe bags, like the closeted bag lady that i am.  it is good to keep a few (especially for traveling, because you don’t want your shoes to dirty everything else in your suitcase), but the rest are being recycled.

2) random containers.  repeat after me: owning containers does not make you organized.  they are just vessels to store useless crap.  a few of the containers pictured below are from trips, so they will stay for sentimental reasons.  but the rest are outta here.   3) kitchen gadgets.  this is a lettuce keeper.  2.5 years ago, when i moved to new york city, i decided that i needed this to keep all the lettuce i would surely be buying.  2.5 years later, it still has the plastic on it.  i hope someone at my local goodwill keeps (and eats) more lettuce than i do, and will provide this with a loving home. 4) shoe boxes.  this one breaks my heart a little, because part of the thrill of purchasing beautiful footwear is the package it comes in.  i know a lot of people find other uses for shoe boxes, but i have accepted that i am not one of those people.  my shoe boxes sit in my closet, mocking me for all the vital space they are taking up.  my 650 square foot slice of manhattan does not have room for shoe boxes (or mockery for that matter).  to the recycle bin, shoe boxes.  i will not let you defeat me any longer.