downsizing

Today's packing adventures involved my jewelry. Granted, by jewelry, I mostly mean earrings. See, for the past 7 years I've kept my jewelry in this $5 plastic container. 

Yes, it is every bit as cheap as it looks - and those "dividers" in the top shelf were ghetto-rigged by yours truly out of construction paper so I could separate my earrings somewhat. Anytime I've ever moved in the past 7 years (Which has been 9 times, of which 3 were international), I've just taped up the drawers and stuck it in my suitcase. Pretty effective. 


However, If you didn't notice yesterday, I'm feeling a bit worried that I'm going to have too much to fit in my 2 suitcases (each with 50lb weight allowance) and 1 carry-on suitcase (how I'm going to get all this shit to the airport is also going to be an adventure). So I've been spending the last week since I got back from Scotland downsizing my belongings. My first project was getting rid of clothes I haven't worn in the past year. Last week I took 4 bags, weighing a total of 25 pounds, to be donated (saving space and collecting good karma, go me!) and I'm currently working on a 5th bag. 


Today's project included considering alternatives for my "jewelry box." Finally I decided to ditch the old plastic container and weed out the jewelry I don't actually wear (you wouldn't believe how many single earrings I hold on to when I lose one). Go team, I thought, this will save so much weight and space! so I took an old cloth and put dangly earrings on one side and studs on the other and in the middle wrapped up the few necklaces and bracelets I own. Pretty crafty, if I do say so myself.

Of course, when I picked up the empty plastic container, it weighed next to nothing, but I still feel like I saved some weight... maybe. let's see what other fun packing ideas I'm able to come up with in the next week - any ideas from the peanut gallery?