Clearance is clutter!

Have you noticed how many shows are popping up on the TV about clutter? These shows are generally centered around a person or family who is living in a house full of stuff that is deemed, by them, important. Where does the corolation between things and emotions come from? The only thingsI couldn't live without aren't actually things, but people. There are things that I have put setimental value upon but that is because they were given to me by people I dearly love. I don't need the thing to feel the love I have for these people or the love they have for me. That is what my memories are for.
I know that I have mentioned this before but I grew up in a house full of stuff. I don't mean just cluttered. I mean Fred Sanford on steroids cluttered. I guess that is why I have such an aversion to clutter now. Everynight before I go to bed I HAVE to straighten the living room and put away all the toys. I even so weird that I can't climb into an unmade bed. Not that I make mine every morning, but I do make it before I crawl into it at night. I don't sleep as well when there is a sink full of dirty dishes either. I've learned that a 15 to 20 minute investement in the evening is worth twice as much the next morning.
Having a child makes it hard to keep things under control. When I see Gryffin smile at a toy in the store I have to restrain myself from buying it. The same thing for a really cute outfit for him. It gets really hard when the item is on sale or clearance. The automatic mental response is "But its on sale!". I think the advertising companies send this message subliminally through commercials. I've learned that if I buy something that I don't truly NEED just because its a good deal is still wasting money and feeding the clutter bug. It is adding something to my household and subtracting something from my wallet. I've learned to interogate myself when in a retail setting. I always ask, "Do I really NEED this?".
An example of this happened this weekend. Gryffin NEEDED some jammies. He had two pair that were warm enough. Kohl's was having a big sale so we drug ourselves out early enough to catch their Early Bird Specials. On our way to the kids department I spotted a really cute pair of shoes for myself. Hey, they were on sale and fit! Like I usually do I put them in the cart and told Mike I would think about them. We proceeded to find four pair of jammies for Gryffin, just enough to make it through a week. On the way to checkout I told Mike I wasn't going to get the shoes because I really didn't need them and Gryffin NEEDED jammies. He prompty scolded me and reminded me that it was getting colder and the sandals I have been wearing everyday since May weren't going to cut it. He asked how many pair, besides my tennis shoes, I had. Hmm, let see... none. Ok, he was right. I needed a pair of shoes to keep my feet warm just as much as Gryffin needed jammies to keep him warm. Even through checkout I was still feeling a little guilty about buying them, but I couldn't argue with my husband's logic.
Now I have to make room for my purchases though. Time to Ebay! There are a lot of clothes Gryffin can no longer fit in, some still with tags that were purchased by various Grandmother's. If I get, I get to get rid of!