Great article! My partner and I sold all of our possessions and have been nomadic since 2017. We got rid of a whole house of stuff in nine months! In the beginning it’s difficult, but it gets easier as you start to feel lighter. I had no idea how much my possessions were weighing me down.
Me and my spouse are currently moving out of the house we raised our kids in. 20+ years of stuff, 4 floors plus a garage. It’s been challenging, but gets easier as we go. I have had great success with Buy Nothing and Free Yard sale local Facebook groups, Freecycle and Facebook marketplace. I don’t normally use Facebook, but these groups have been amazing for getting rid of the stuff that doesn’t belong at a charity shop, but still has a lot of life left. Highly recommend!! We’re moving 1500 miles away into a two bedroom townhouse and I can’t wait for the lightness this will bring!
Wow, Jen! Good work! I have used some of the free Facebook groups also and one of my favorite parts is actually having the in person exchange. It can be very rewarding. Good luck with your move!!
Thanks for sharing all these great tips! I’m a firm believer in decluttering spaces to clear your mind. As a recipe developer and home chef, I am constantly taking inventory and cleaning out my pantry. I’ve noticed it makes a big difference in my weekly shopping for groceries, knowing what I have, what I need, and what I never end up using.
I moved out of my 4 bedroom house + basement and 2 cats garage in 2020 when I became an empty nester. I got rid of tons of stuff and stored a bunch of stuff. (I moved in with a friend during Covid in another state.) The minute I unpacked into the storage space I knew I had saved too much stuff. I got rid of about 3/4 of it since then. I have really been simplifying, and it’s been great!
I have read a lot of different things, content like yours, as a matter of fact, but most of my motivation came from within. I let my kids have anything that they wanted of mine, their heirlooms, etc. I tampered my sentimentalism by making a list of things that only means something to me, and literally giving my kids permission to get rid of it someday and not feel guilty about it. I gave them their childhood photos, organized into books and went through all of the things I had saved of theirs and let them decide if they wanted to keep it. I found alternative to keeping things like books. I go to the library. I got rid of all of my CDs and albums and saved them on Spotify. I went through every piece of clothing and shoes that I had and got very, very honest with myself. If it didn’t fit me at that time or was needing repairs and I hadn’t done it up to that point, I realized that I never was gonna fit into it or I was never gonna get it fixed, and there was a reason for that. I brutally assessed things that I bought for the person that I want to be instead of the person that I am. There is a lot of “baggage” in the things that we keep!
Yes, absolutely! Thank you for such a great response! You have done so much of the hard work. Being honest with ourselves is the hardest part. I'm sure your children are (or will be) so grateful for your efforts.
Thank you for sharing such thoughtful tips! My house is in need of a good declutter so the timing was perfect. It may not happen until my kids are grown, if ever, but my ultimate goal is to have my volume of possessions reduced to the point that I am able to responsibly dispose of anything I no longer want or need.
I did cut some handkerchiefs for the kids out of old t-shirts the other day that were not in good enough shape to pass along. The garage rag bin is full and I realistically am not going to make a rag rug out of them any time soon, but this at least gives part of the material a second life.
Ohh that's a good way to use the old shirts! We've used old sheets as weed barriers in gardens which can also be a good way to use up old textiles. Most likely they are going to a landfill anyways!
I will have to remember that next time we find ourselves with worn out sheets! We have a few that serve as multipurpose drop clothes, dust cover, and frost cover in the garden, but certainly don't need any more.
This was so good! Thanks for sharing your experience!
I’ve realized the more stuff I have, the more I feel like I have nothing to wear or use. Every time I travel and only bring the things I really love, I feel clearer, lighter, more myself. Need to channel that same energy into the rest of my life!
(The hardest thing for me to let go of are books!)
I agree. More stuff is just more overwhelm and decision fatigue for me. I'm obsessed with the library and always "try before I buy" and only keep books if I know I'll return to them. My current book collection is quite small, but I definitely have some that I'll never get rid of. I have also never had a good place to store books, so in a different life I could see myself having more books!
A lot of libraries have a library of things where you can borrow way more than just media. It's amazing for a lil minimalist like me! Yard games, movie projectors, kitchen equipment!!!
Great article! My partner and I sold all of our possessions and have been nomadic since 2017. We got rid of a whole house of stuff in nine months! In the beginning it’s difficult, but it gets easier as you start to feel lighter. I had no idea how much my possessions were weighing me down.
That's amazing, Jill! I also had no idea how much my possessions were weighing me down. It's tough work to declutter but so worth it!
Me and my spouse are currently moving out of the house we raised our kids in. 20+ years of stuff, 4 floors plus a garage. It’s been challenging, but gets easier as we go. I have had great success with Buy Nothing and Free Yard sale local Facebook groups, Freecycle and Facebook marketplace. I don’t normally use Facebook, but these groups have been amazing for getting rid of the stuff that doesn’t belong at a charity shop, but still has a lot of life left. Highly recommend!! We’re moving 1500 miles away into a two bedroom townhouse and I can’t wait for the lightness this will bring!
Wow, Jen! Good work! I have used some of the free Facebook groups also and one of my favorite parts is actually having the in person exchange. It can be very rewarding. Good luck with your move!!
Thanks for sharing all these great tips! I’m a firm believer in decluttering spaces to clear your mind. As a recipe developer and home chef, I am constantly taking inventory and cleaning out my pantry. I’ve noticed it makes a big difference in my weekly shopping for groceries, knowing what I have, what I need, and what I never end up using.
I agree! That is great! That probably helps tremendously with avoiding food waste as well!
Yes, for sure!
I needed to read this today! I had my second baby in January and suddenly everywhere I look is STUFF that I don’t want in my life.
Perfect! Get after it! Start today! You'll be so glad you did in a few months!!
I moved out of my 4 bedroom house + basement and 2 cats garage in 2020 when I became an empty nester. I got rid of tons of stuff and stored a bunch of stuff. (I moved in with a friend during Covid in another state.) The minute I unpacked into the storage space I knew I had saved too much stuff. I got rid of about 3/4 of it since then. I have really been simplifying, and it’s been great!
Yay Kelly! Do you have any favorite resources or did you just go all in on your own? I'm always curious about people's experiences decluttering!
I have read a lot of different things, content like yours, as a matter of fact, but most of my motivation came from within. I let my kids have anything that they wanted of mine, their heirlooms, etc. I tampered my sentimentalism by making a list of things that only means something to me, and literally giving my kids permission to get rid of it someday and not feel guilty about it. I gave them their childhood photos, organized into books and went through all of the things I had saved of theirs and let them decide if they wanted to keep it. I found alternative to keeping things like books. I go to the library. I got rid of all of my CDs and albums and saved them on Spotify. I went through every piece of clothing and shoes that I had and got very, very honest with myself. If it didn’t fit me at that time or was needing repairs and I hadn’t done it up to that point, I realized that I never was gonna fit into it or I was never gonna get it fixed, and there was a reason for that. I brutally assessed things that I bought for the person that I want to be instead of the person that I am. There is a lot of “baggage” in the things that we keep!
Yes, absolutely! Thank you for such a great response! You have done so much of the hard work. Being honest with ourselves is the hardest part. I'm sure your children are (or will be) so grateful for your efforts.
such a great post! thank you so much ! SAVING THIS.
I'm so glad it was helpful!!
Bookmarking for future project inspiration 🫶🏻
Perfect!! I hope it helps!!
Thank you!
Of course!! I hope it resonated!
Thank you for sharing such thoughtful tips! My house is in need of a good declutter so the timing was perfect. It may not happen until my kids are grown, if ever, but my ultimate goal is to have my volume of possessions reduced to the point that I am able to responsibly dispose of anything I no longer want or need.
I did cut some handkerchiefs for the kids out of old t-shirts the other day that were not in good enough shape to pass along. The garage rag bin is full and I realistically am not going to make a rag rug out of them any time soon, but this at least gives part of the material a second life.
Ohh that's a good way to use the old shirts! We've used old sheets as weed barriers in gardens which can also be a good way to use up old textiles. Most likely they are going to a landfill anyways!
I will have to remember that next time we find ourselves with worn out sheets! We have a few that serve as multipurpose drop clothes, dust cover, and frost cover in the garden, but certainly don't need any more.
You have probably thought of this already but, if you celebrate Christmas, old shirts make for great patchwork stocking fabric!
This was so good! Thanks for sharing your experience!
I’ve realized the more stuff I have, the more I feel like I have nothing to wear or use. Every time I travel and only bring the things I really love, I feel clearer, lighter, more myself. Need to channel that same energy into the rest of my life!
(The hardest thing for me to let go of are books!)
I agree. More stuff is just more overwhelm and decision fatigue for me. I'm obsessed with the library and always "try before I buy" and only keep books if I know I'll return to them. My current book collection is quite small, but I definitely have some that I'll never get rid of. I have also never had a good place to store books, so in a different life I could see myself having more books!
I really need to sign up to my local library! "Try before you buy" is a philosophy to live by!
A lot of libraries have a library of things where you can borrow way more than just media. It's amazing for a lil minimalist like me! Yard games, movie projectors, kitchen equipment!!!