Since we have not yet gone through the purge, I figured I should bring in someone that has. Jan Ramsey Brick from Less For More Life tackled the daunting task of downsizing and here’s what she had to say about her journey:
Not too long ago I was living with my family in a nearly 4,000 square foot house filled to the brim with the accumulations of a 20+ year marriage.
My husband and I were both busy with jobs and volunteer commitments. The last thing we had time for was a move, especially one involving a serious purge of stuff.
But with a kid in college, a house with rooms we never set foot in and a big career change for me, we decided it was time to sell our house and to downsize.
This is the story of how we were able to move from our large house into a 1,900 square foot apartment. And much to the amazement of our friends, we do not have any items in storage, nor do we have boxes stacked in our garage or closets.
If we can do this… anyone can!
Take It One Room At A Time
Since the housing market in our area is red hot, we knew we had a very limited amount of time to prepare for the move.
With a house that big, filled with all our junk, it was easy to get overwhelmed about what to tackle first. The only way to stay sane was to focus on just one room at a time.
Start With A Notepad And Pen
Once we chose a room, we went in with a notepad and pen and wrote down everything we knew would be needed in our next home.
In our younger son’s room those items included his bed and side table, bookcase and chest of drawers.
Then we asked him if he really wanted to keep the other items, for instance a chest that had once held toys but now held previously read books. His answer was no.
You Need Some Boxes And Bags
Once he decided he didn’t need a piece of furniture, we emptied it. We placed the cast off items in either a “To Donate” box or a “To Sell” box, or the trash bag. As soon as the furniture piece was emptied, we took it to a transition room.
I chose my living room as our transition area. Items remained there until I either sold them online or took them to a local charity donation center.
Pack As You Go (If You’re Moving Soon)
Since our move was imminent, we needed to pack everything except what we needed for day-to-day use. In order to make the move less traumatic for my high school son, we did his room last.
My older son was away at college so even though his room was undoubtedly the hardest – since it had “treasures” everywhere – it was one of the first to be tackled.
Savor Your Progress
As each room was completed, we had such immense feelings of satisfaction and achievement.
I refused to think about the rest of the house and all that still needed to be accomplished and just focused on that one room – from the moment we entered with notepad and pen till we closed the door and pronounced it done.
Reassess From Time To Time
Once we knew exactly where we were moving and what space we had to work with, we revisited our list of items to keep for each room.
More often than not, I subtracted, rather than added, items I wanted to keep.
Simplifying your life and your “things” is very freeing and a little bit addictive. Once you realize how wonderful it feels to get rid of something that doesn’t bring you joy, you search for other things to purge.
Let’s Talk Knick-knacks And Other Collectibles
I realized that I had moved many items around from house to house my entire life for no good reason.
I had so many things that had been given to me decades ago that I was holding onto. I kept asking myself if the person who had bought me that little knick-knack for a Christmas or birthday present really expected me to haul it around and hang onto it for the rest of my life.
I thought back to all the cheap little knick-knacks I had given as presents in years past and knew I didn’t expect my friends and family to keep them forever.
So I gave myself permission to let go and get rid of anything that I was hanging onto that didn’t bring me joy.
I gave myself permission to let go and get rid of all the things that just sat on a shelf collecting dust, or rested in a drawer or a box because I felt guilty about not keeping them.
And I gave myself permission to let go and get rid of all the collectibles that may or may not increase in value some day. P.S. I checked and none of mine had!
Donate And Sell All Your Old Junk, It May Be Someone Else’s Treasure
Two of the more pleasant and unexpected benefits to downsizing are a) the awesome feeling of donating to those less fortunate and b) making a bit of money by selling the unwanted things.
Take your pick – both of these ways to get rid of your old items are great. I used a combination of both.
I got a kick out of selling online. We’re lucky to have a Facebook group in our community with an online garage sale. Some people were thrilled to buy my things and selling to them was a great feeling.
Even more satisfaction came from donating large items to folks in need. There are so many local charities willing to pick up anything and everything – from old clothes to furniture to cars – and we did all of the above.
I hope you find the story of our downsizing adventure helpful. It has been a wonderful journey for me and I’m sure you’ll find the same to be true.
These are just some of the many things purged from our home.
Jan Ramsey Brick is on a journey into simplicity as she learns how to live with less clutter, chaos, and maybe even calories. If you’d like to receive a free booklet for more ideas on simplifying your life so that you get more with less, click over to Less For More Life.
Simply Tiny Freedom 