Downsizing!
Just a dream? Or a new reality?
Downsizing can be a little scary! What happens if you get rid of something important and later regret it? Maybe it’s better to just hang onto things in case you need them!
OR maybe not!
First off, clutter is bad for your health!
Related article: 8 Serious Reasons You Need to Declutter, Once and for All
It seems every time I take a look around our house I see clutter. But how can this be? I get rid of stuff all the time! My friends even comment on how they’re always seeing me giving away or selling something online. What could possibly be left? As I write this I am scanning around the room, looking at old “Soups” and “Cheese” cookbooks stacked nicely on the shelf below my TV as if I am a decorating mastermind! What is the real purpose of this? I know exactly why I put them there. I didn’t want to get rid of them, yet I didn’t have room in my kitchen cabinet. Yeah, that’s a perfect reason. Truth is, if I want to make a new soup I’ve never made, I am not going to that book, I’m going to Pinterest.
So, I guess the point is I have a long way to go in minimalizing this 880 sf house of ours. So, the cookbooks are out! But then, what about those sentimental items; the wedding presents (from 14 years ago) that serve as a dust magnet on a shelf? Or the art projects x 100 that Noah has brought home from school? I couldn’t possibly toss those.
Or could I?
So, I don’t pretend to be a minimalist. But I do like to consider myself a minimalist-in-training. I am always researching ways to de-clutter and most of the ideas I have come from others who have mastered the art of throwing crap away. And the most helpful thing I have found was this great article by the Happy Herbivore called “What to do with Sentimental Items.”
If there is one thing I can’t ever seem to part with it’s sentimental items, like old pictures, stacks of letters with loved ones, my dad’s 69 Ford pickup!
Ok, well, that I am putting to good use. In fact, here is a great picture of it. She’s beautiful, right?
But the other stuff is a little out of control. Will I toss the letters between my grandmother and I? Mmm…probably not. My great grandmother’s recipe book? Nope! (I mean how else am I going to know how to cook with lard?) Point is, for most things, the memories are inside me. And a box of items stuffed into the far back corner of my garage isn’t keeping those memories alive. When you have freedom from things, you’re mind is truly free to fly.
Read more about de-cluttering your life in the “10 Weeks to a Clutter-Free Life” Challenge
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Love it!
Thanks Candace. Trying to find more time to continue the efforts. Everytime I cleanse myself on more “things” I feel so much more free!