Gifting Myself This Year

Want to know a dirty little secret?  I haven't had a dresser in about five years.  Sounds pretty crazy, right? When we moved from the west coast to the east coast, I let my dresser go in the move.  It wasn't in great shape anymore, and didn't seem worth putting on the truck.

Ever since then, I've been organizing my clothing in a super tiny closet and on some shelving cubes.  While it's been working out just fine, I honestly just can't stand looking at it anymore.  I've been on a decluttering mission for about a year now.  Although I have no plans to get rid of all of my clothing, I have realized that it's about more than simply getting rid of things.  Much like my money, I want my possessions to be simplified, then streamlined and organized.  I really do want everything to have a home, and I am willing to invest the time necessary to achieve that goal.  In my financial life, I absolutely do NOT want to have retirement accounts at five different places, and entirely too many credit cards.  I don't need five different bank accounts either.  The same way I don't need my money all over the place, I don't want to see my possessions all over the place either.  This is another way in which I feel clutter and money are related.

So, for the holidays this year, I am getting myself a gift.  I am buying myself a dresser.  As many of you know, we keep the holidays pretty modest in my household.  We have a PJ exchange,  pair it with a junk food, and a movie marathon.  If we have it in our budget, we also like to purchase at least one thing that will improve our space.  This year will be the year of the dresser.  I'm pretty excited because I know myself, and I will probably decide to get rid of some more clothing in the process of filling the dresser.  That will also improve my space.

I am sure this seems like a strange personal finance post, but I am realizing more and more what true balance is all about.  The more I improve my finances, the more I also want to improve my space and my physical health.  The more harmonious these things are, the better I am for my family, my students, my co-workers, and most importantly my present and future self.  So, if there's one idea that I want to put out there, it's to consider "What do I really want for the holidays?  What can I do/buy that will actually improve my life?"  I personally don't really want anything that won't improve my life.  So this year, we're getting a dresser.

What things do you gift yourself and/or others that will improve their lives?