Downsizing

Downsizing has become common place in Pinterest and in our society, downsizing and living in a tiny house. However, this seems much easier in theory than in reality. What to keep? What to discard? What to sell and what to donate? How do you do away with a prized antique dining room suit you have had for years? With no sun room what about the furniture in your current sun room. Believe me that is no easy task. No matter how many pins you pin on Pinterest when you are holding that item in your hand discarding is a tough decision.

Prior to the process of downsizing I prayed hard and made the decision “it is just stuff”. I also read the book, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” by Marie Kondo. I bought into some of her ideas. Some I did not. I do not and will not empty my purse of all its contents daily. However, the book was helpful in jump starting the process. In the book Kondo states if it doesn’t bring you joy discard the item. I realized not as much brought me joy as I had thought. I also realized we had LOTS of “stuff” that we didn’t NEED. I remember calling our daughters telling them not many of my clothes brought me joy, did they need any hangers. They both thought I had lost my mind. I donated a car full of clothes to a local shelter.

Making the decision to downsize required some organization. Organizing and simplifying your life can take time, allow yourself that time. I tried to compartmentalize physically and emotionally. I went through one room at a time, placing like items together. I was surprised at how many pens, pencils, note pads, etc. was in various places. I discarded items that no longer worked and donated duplicate items.
After going through each room and deciding what to keep and what to discard there was the task of discarding. I tried to pawn most items to our daughters. They were not totally interested. Believe me not everyone wants those antique pieces you treasure. I researched ways to discard. I gave to family and friends, I placed items on Facebook marketplace, I donated to charities, I gave to our daughters for them to have a yard sale (I have resigned from yard sales), after that I opened a booth at Apple Barrel Antiques for those treasured items our daughters refused to take.

The items that most have trouble with are those sentimental items, feeling I can’t get rid of this because someone gave it to us, or I got that when we were…. Those are the tough items. If you think about it most of those items are tucked in a box and rarely visible. Also, I did not want to leave a lot of “stuff” for our children to go through one day. (Hopefully, that is a long time away.) I do not feel guilty for keeping the items that I kept and, I don’t miss the items I purged.

On Pinterest there are many pins on items to throw away, how to discard sentimental items, how to organize, how to simplify, etc. The one that I held true to “Your home is living space, not storage space”. I made a point not to use our new home for storage but for living. Anything not “needed” was given much thought before placing it in the keep box? De-cluttering was life changing. Now I am more conscious of an impulse buy. Do I need it? Is it useful? Will it add value to my life?

Tips that were helpful for me to “declutter” and downsize…
1) Set a goal – plan – mentally prepare for the process
2) Do one room at a time – every cabinet, every drawer, every closet
3) Create a system – I had three areas; keep, donate, sell
4) Forget cost – Because you paid a lot of money for something doesn’t necessarily make it valuable
5) Group like items – discard broken – donate multiples
6) Think seriously if you use it – Is it useful- do you need more than one (examples; books that you have read, magazines, files, old receipts, kitchen gadgets, small appliances, Christmas decorations)

7) Be diligent – At times I caught myself getting off track and had to refocus – don’t slip back into that I can’t get rid of that because…
Just for the record this wasn’t completed in one day or the first try. I made progress, yet I had to fine tune as we moved into our home. I will say that life is much simpler with less “stuff”.