My favorite thing about the weekend (besides sleeping in past 6:00 a.m. and spending time with my adorable toddlers) is the opportunity to tackle some decluttering projects. As Saturday afternoon rolls around, I can see my clutter getting nervous. My eyes roam the house, searching for my next project. This weekend my gaze fell upon my “linen” cupboard. (The quotes are because I don’t think any actual linen resides in there. It’s mostly towels and an odd assortment of sheets.) Here is my linen cupboard before:

If you’ll note, we had A LOT of towels. We probably registered for the amount of towels recommended for new couples on wedding registries, which, in my opinion, are just a way to convince naive couples to register for more things than they could ever, ever actually use in a lifetime of wedded bliss. I asked myself, “How many towels do we actually need?” The answer was simple: two for me, two for Josh, one for each of the kids, two for guests. (Note: our au pair has her own towels in her bathroom upstairs, which I, of course, left alone.)

But the idea of having merely 9 towels in the house seemed crazy! The “what ifs” immediately popped up in my brain: What if there’s a flood and you need towels to sop up water? What if a towel gets stained or dirty? What if you need to use a towel to soak up something gross, like blood or mud or an oil spill? I thought perhaps my decluttering had gone too far. Only 9 towels? Are you crazy, lady?!

I was starting to sweat, so I brought in Josh for a consultation. To my utter surprise, when I presented the idea of eliminating roughly half of our towel collection, he seemed unfazed. “That sounds about right,” he said. (Did I mention I love this man?) So here is my linen cupboard now, with just the right amount of towels and sheets:

In case you’re wondering, in addition to the towels, I eliminated some washcloths, hand towels, sheets, and tablecoths (like I ever use tablecloths! Please, what was I thinking acquiring those?!). I knew the perfect home for these unused linen items: the homeless shelter where I used to volunteer. They are always in need of towels and sheets for their guests. So I packed up this bounty and took it to the shelter that afternoon.

I felt good knowing that my unused towels would be put to good use. I also felt good with the free, uncluttered space I’d just opened up in my house. That’s truly why I declutter – because it makes me feel free. That may sound corny, but it’s true. The newly opened space makes me feel like I’m looking at possibilities; it makes me feel calm.

I hope I’ve motivated some of you to take a look at that towel collection and consider culling some of it for a good cause.