Note: This is a guest post from Zoë Kim of Raising Simple.
Finding our lives under everything we own is more than clearing away just junk. Often it requires removing good quality things. Expensive things. Useful things. Admired things. Fancy things. It means letting go of perfectly good stuff in order to pursue something more meaningful.
I began de-owning my excess six years ago. My husband deployed frequently and we had two children under five. I was spending more time doing something with our stuff than doing something with my family.
With my husband half-way across the world, the kids and I had to pack up to move again. It was our third move in six years, but this one was just down the street. How difficult could that be?
Well, the process of personally packing, unpacking, and organizing all of our stuff drained the joy right out of me—for two months. I wanted to take my kids to the beach, play at the park, and listen to their laughter. But I was exhausted, and stressed. Busy taking care of all our stuff.
It was in that stress, exhaustion, and desire to live better that I had an ‘ah-ha’ moment. I began to see the real cost of so much stuff— and it was way overpriced!
I started peeling away the layers of excess. And I was on a roll—until I hit that layer of perfectly good things! Valuable things that people spent much time and life to purchase. I felt wasteful and sick at the thought of giving it away. This was good stuff— wasn’t it? Maybe so. But I was learning, “The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.” —Henry Thoreau
It is possible to break through the layer of perfectly good things. Through the process, I learned these practical steps:
1. Accept the mistake. Often, we will see many mistakes as we start to purge all the ‘good stuff.’ Acknowledge it was a mistake so you can move on. Keeping something that does not add value to your life keeps you stuck holding on to the mistake.
2. Shift your perspective. As I journey further into minimalism, I realized there is far more joy in giving things away than can ever be found in owning more.
3. Designate a spot. In the beginning, I would walk through my house and see things I thought I wanted to donate but they stayed put until I set up a spot to start putting it all. Set up a box, closet or room to place your donation items. Remove them from your house often.
4. Community. Share your excess with your community. Donate books to schools and libraries. Donate clothing and other household goods to local foster care organizations, shelters, and your local food pantry.
5. Experiment. Experimentation by elimination has helped me shed the layers of good stuff quicker. I simplified my beauty and bath routine by removing 60-80% of my products. Much to my surprise, many things I kept had no real value to my day.
6. Keep your eye on your why. In times of discouragement, make a choice to focus on why you are giving perfectly good things away. Remember, you’re giving up the good for the best.
7. Ask yourself better questions.
Does it serve its purpose—to serve my purpose?
We’re often not consciously thinking about our motives when we keep things, but everything has a cost. How much are you willing to sacrifice your passion and purpose for possessions? Some of our things serve a purpose. The important things give our lives meaning and joy. The useless ones just drain our time.
Can this be useful to someone else?
When we hold on to good things we do not need, we keep them from being helpful to others. I used to think it would be wasteful just to give things away that were barely used or not used at all—especially if they weren’t cheap. But then I thought, what if I just own my mistake in buying this thing by giving it away.
Would I leave this as someone else’s’ responsibility?
With my spouse deployed in harm’s way, I was expected to plan. I filled out the spouse deployment form—pages filled with detailed questions and answers should my husband be killed. Experiences like these gave me more prudence. What will the state of my stuff look like when I’m no longer here? Do I enjoy this enough to leave if for someone to take care of—because it will be my family taking care of it someday?
How do you want to live your life?
Own too much, and you’ll live a life owned by your stuff. Say yes when you should say no and you’ll live a life organized by others. Keep more than you need, and you’ll give less to those in need.
The journey to minimalism might look like it’s about going through and purging your possessions. But it’s much more about going through your heart. “The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life.” Marie Kondo
I’ve often wondered if I would have journeyed into minimalism had we not experienced the active duty military life. If we hadn’t moved so often and been stretched in stress, would I have kept it all put-away—like organized hoarding happily?
Nonetheless, I’m grateful for the experiences which brought me to the path to living more intentionally with a lot less.
***
Zoë Kim blogs at Raising Simple where she inspires others to live an intentional life by owning less, creating new habits, and cultivating opportunities to give. And be sure to check out her on Facebook.
About Joshua Becker
I have an attic filled with barstools and tables from my previous home. I have downsized to a townhouse but keep that stuff up there incase I move back to a bigger place. That’s not likely to happen so why can’t I get rid of it
Hi
I been in minimizing my things and trying to simplify my life for last few years and got rid off many things as possible… but i still struggle to get rid of my study materials as I studied fashion design.. (still have some after got off rid many).. I always feel like I am revolving around cleaning and organizing rather focusing in my business and not able to focus in work I supposed to do.. any advise helps to let go of some study materials and books
It is a nice article and I am inspired by it. Truly, to be simple is actually tough. Simple thought and simple life can never be achieved if you stay attached to so many things that don’t serve any purpose in your life. There are beautiful ways of following simple life and you have done just that.
Excellent article! I have kept many items from when my children were growing up. I kept a beautiful fuzzy baby blankent we used when our children were infants. I put the blanket in a sealed plastic zipper bag. I felt by keeping the blanket in the plastic zipper bag the blanket would be forever kept in great condition and might be passed to our children for their children to use.
That was one item. Multiply that by 50 or more items per child. We carried boxes of memory items with us for thirty years. I had a feeling inside my heart all those years that the memories inside my mind were more important than the physical items. However It took many years to actually get rid of the physical items.
What is it worth to each of us to have heart-touching items kept for many years in the garage and closets where the items cannot be seen and enjoyed. We carry emotional attachment to these items; yet since cannot see the items we kept, we must use our imagination to remember what the memory items mean to us. Why must we keep boxes of memory items packed away taking up space in our home?
How about displaying the most cherished items we keep where we will enjoy seeing these items daily? You can have a display box with the front that opens so you can take an item out once in awhile. Keep only the most precious of the precious. Then take photos of all the items and store the photos on a thumb drive. Give away the items that you do not need. The saying “if you own something that takes up too much of your mind’s time, then hasten to give it away!” You have better things to plan for.
Why not sort through the boxes of memory items we that most cherish and donate the rest? I did this and it was really difficult to do at first. I kept reminding myself what are the most important items, keep these, and get rid of the rest. I felt freedom from wanting these things and from wanting a lot of new things in the future,
Actually I had to go through my items several times over the years and let go a little at a time. The more I gave away the easier it became to give more away. I thought about selling my items and I could have made good money selling these. I asked myself how much time, effort, and my cost would it take to sell these items.
I decided I would rather spend my time on other activities than to use up my time to sell my stuff. I gave my kids what they wanted and gave the rest to charity. Whatever we do for others comes back to us tenfold. This is true for me.
I finally gave my children’s clothing (from birth to about 5 or 6) away. It was all in black bin bags with labels saying Children’s clothes KEEP. All good hardly worn and perhaps my own children could benefit from the clothes if they are in financial troubles. OMG – seriously, what was I thinking? The children are now 23 and 21.
It was too good to give away or donate to charity and is it worth selling it – lots of people sell baby clothes, so they were “my” special baby clothes. My kids were delighted when I finally dispersed of the clothing. It ended up going to friends who had youngsters in the family and a man who was telling me his daughter was about to add to her young son by having twin boys – her partner then left. Moved back with her mum and dad but needs to set up again. They were delighted with the clothes and dare I confess to cot bedding and linen. Some baby blankets etc.
Loved your article. Dawn.
I like your way of thinking. I am 60 years young a d have to much clutter. I was thinking the same thing you were. Why not sell these things an make some money? I think ever person situation is different and I don’t see anything wrong with selling a few things. As long as you are cleaning up and not buying new things with your profits. I understand that giving things away is more rewarding.
This puts me in the middle, should I stay or should I go.
I really think I should have said, should I sell or should I give this away?
My late husband was career military, and, as I realized after his death, a sentimental hoarder. For 20+ years, we moved tons of stuff all over the country–it was stressful and exhausting. We were always buying things to “organize” our lives. It never worked. When I was left alone with two stories of a house, attic, and basement filled with things, I had literal panic attacks, wondering how I would ever deal with all of it and be able to move. A friend helped me get started on donating and something clicked. It became a joy to downsize and gain control. I wanted to live my life, not be a caretaker to things. I will never go back.
I’m a very sentimental person, that’s why I still keep my old things inside the house which causes clutter. I guess what you’ve said is correct; I should donate clothing and other household goods to local foster. I’m willing to do this, but I just can’t give away the others, therefore I’ve decided to look for a storage unit where I can place my other things.
Please consider the monetary cost of renting a storage unit for “stuff” you’re unable to part with … it can be exorbitant.
Holding on to good items not wanted thus depriving others who could be helped by these items hit me like a shot. I am newly retired & am seriously considering moving halfway across the country. First though, I must reduce! This article, & comments, have resonated with me & am now mentally & emotionally prepared to proceed. Thanks all!
What should I do with my photo albums? I have tons of pictures of myself over the years.
My son never wants to look at them.and I have the photo albums stuck in many boxes in the closet.
Should I throw them away? The memories are in my head. When I retire will I want to look at them? Not sure?
Sit down and actually go through all of your albums ,weeding out the not so special ones. How many photos do we really need? I had an incredible amount … many without any real lasting memories. The ones I kept, I scanned onto my computer ( & usb) with a great little scanner especially made for this purpose – I sat at night while watching tv, mindlessly popping them through one after the other. I kept the odd one or two loose photos, then divided the pile up into people ( who were in the pics) and then offered them to them. My daughters’ now have the responsibility of owning them!
I did that with my own and my mom’s albums. Except that I put photos on CD and sent away.
With what was left to me of other family treasures, I divided up and sent to other family members. It was small amount for each by the time I was done.
I am in the process of taking all the pictures out of photo albums and scanning them into my computer – I am putting them on a memory stick for easy access. I will keep the pictures but I will be able to share the memories much easier as a digital image. I have gone from 6 large totes to just one. Good luck.
Karole Sullivan…I work in a care facility (Residential Care) where 90% of the residents have some form of dementia, most have advanced dementia and are physically unable to function on their own. A memory stick of pictures is just that…a stick. The residents who have brought photo albums with them, love to look at the old memories…page by page as they have for many, many years. For them it would be a tragedy to take that pleasure away. Do yourself a favor, and save some books of memories, just in case.
My friend and I were just having this discussion. The favourite photos we have are already embedded in our memories; that’s where we see them. Maybe pick out the very best and make a book.
Photos have been an issue for me. I made it a point from the time I got married (49 yrs ago!) to always keep nice photo albums and everything labeled. I did really good, too! Then, we moved from a foreign country back to the US with only our suitcases and 10 checked boxes! I removed all my photos and grouped them in envelopes. Even the most insignificant one could be the one picture to jog a memory if one of us had a brain injury or dementia.
I am trying so hard to downsize and minimalize now that I decided to go ahead and chunk all of the photos that are not family-related. I have tons of vacation travel photos and photos of the youth groups we used to direct. At this point, in our lives, I think we will survive that “one, insignificant photo”!
Digitize.
Moving frequently was also my impetus to reduce my belongings. The first time we moved across the country, we took EVERYTHING. It was expensive and totally unnecessary. The second time we moved (again across the country), we packed everything our family of 5 owned into our van and an 8′ X 10′ trailer.
We are planning on moving (across the country) again. This time, as a family of 4, we can only bring with us the items that will fit comfortably into a 24-26′ long 5th wheel. Which will be our home for at least a year.
We will definitely need to get rid of many perfectly good stuff!
I think sometimes for me an example of what perfectly good, useful, expensive items you got rid of and how you made that decision. For instance for me books is an easy thing to get rid of “will I really read it again? will I loan it out? will I want my kids/spouse/sister to read it someday? is it worth the shelf space in lieu of 20 other books I have on my wishlist?” but what about other items? The clothes that you only wear when you have dirty yard work to do or painting/reno projects, but you live in an apartment so those opportunities happen once or twice a year, or the hiking boots that you desperately need when you are hiking but you live in coastal Virginia so you plan a trip once or twice a year to a location that requires the use of hiking boots. My biggest hang ups are always those items that you will use eventually, but how long do you wait for eventually to happen? (too many sticky note pads, or an abundance of sharpies) sometimes I think examples help to jump into action. The stuff I don’t want/need is the easy part!
Hello all.
I am just embarking on decluttering a 4 story house. So much I am sentimental about. I am encouraged by all of your words, and will read them when I get disouraged. Thank you.
Even though I am new to this FB page of minimalism, I am not new to the topic. For the better part of the the last 9 years (after inheriting family mementos and memories), I have been trying to figure out why I have the roadblocks to having less stuff and not being successful at living in peace and contentment. Recently, I discovered that the reason I like to watch the Hoarder show is because it verifies that I am not a hoarder, but indeed I am an organized collector. In reality, it’s all still too much stuff and I can see how it stops me from living the life I want. Now I just have to figure out what that “life” looks like for me. We are retired and our kids and grandkids live out of state. So sometimes I see where the ‘stuff’ takes the place of their company, that I miss so much.
Such a great post! De-cluttering is on my to-do list this spring, and you’ve given me some wonderfully practical methods and reasonings right here! Thanks for sharing :)
Very happy to hear you found this article helpful! Thank you, Laura!
I bought a fairly expensive piece of art at a gallery and it sat around all wrapped up for months before I decided to put it up. When I took it out of the wrappings, I realized it was all wrong for my house. I was kind of devastated I’d made that mistake until I had the great idea to donate it for use in a local charity’s silent auction. I get a tax write-off and they get a nice piece of art that will bring them a good amount of money. Win-win!
What a wonderful idea, Jill! Thank you!
Fantastic post, Zoe! This is so true – “I was spending more time doing something with our stuff than doing something with my family.”
It never occurred to me that perfectly good things can still take our time away from our family and our loved ones.
When there is talk of minimalism, most of it is around discarding things we don’t need. One must also look at what is grabbing their attention and taking their time away from their loved ones.
Thank you, Michael, for reading and commenting!
Giving useful items to others who need them more than you, is a wonderful thing. We had no furniture when we bought our small house. Family friends who were down-sizing, gave us most of their collection. What a gift – it’s not perfectly to my taste, but it saved us so much money. When my brother and his wife got married, we re-gifted one of the bedroom sets to them for their new house (it was too large for the room it was in our house). I still remember my husband’s satisfaction when he reported, “Cynthia said ‘now I have a dresser to put my clothes in, instead of boxes!'”.
It’s harder to do this with items that retain value associated with who you believe you are. I finally gave away a tea set to a tea lover a year ago. I was given three sets at my wedding – all of them beautiful: silver from my parents (US), gzhel from my old teacher (Russia), and a set from china from my old roommate. But the beloved afternoon tea ritual my mother enjoyed, never has been a part of my life. I haven’t used any of these tea sets over our 10+ years of marriage. I finally had to admit, that as wonderful as my mother’s ritual is to this day, it’s not one that I’m likely to include in my life. So the question is do I give away one or both of the remaining sets? I’ll figure that out this year, most likely.
Oh my goodness!
We moved 2009 – 30 yr residence & 3 businesses & I’ve been sorting downsizing then an interruption moved us across country & I went between both residences. I’ve worked 6am to midnight overwhelmed. Feeling like a failure, have given away lots but have been trying to figure out what to sell, etc.
I’m amazed at your clarity, focus, but knowing you’re a Military family & chosen what is excellence makes me know I can do better, my best!
You’re wise beyond your years and we love ❤️ you for it!
I hope you don’t feel like a failure. . . the items you give away, or put to a donation center may be of incredible value to those who receive them. My family is so blessed by the perfectly useful things people have given us when they moved/down-sized, as well as many used items I’ve purchased over the years. Keep up the good work!
Hi Marte, thanks so much for reading and sharing. And thank you for your very generous words.
I admire your perseverance to keep going, figuring out your next best step, even when/if you feel like a failure.
I love this quote by Winston Chruch Hill.
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal; It is the courage to continue that counts.”
This lifestyle we call ourselves “Living lean and clean”…There is always room for improvement. The ideas in this e-mail have been helpful as I am going for the ‘Hotel Look’ in my house. Thanks so much for all your tips and advice.
I love that, “living lean and clean”! I’m happy you’ve found these tips helpful. Thank you for reading and commenting!
Thank you for the many sacrifices your family has made to protect our freedom.
It is so easy to get rid of old, unwanted stuff we no longer need or use, but it is a lot more challenging to part with the perfectly good things. Thank you for the tips to help ease the process.
Cody
Thank you, Cody!
We carry so many sentimental items and items we may “need”. Learn to invest in experiences and people.
Zoe,
Thank you so much for your wonderful article. So much wisdom!!! I am still in the beginning stage of getting rid of the excess, and already enjoy the fact that I have empty drawers in my house!!! However, I have to delay the real work until I finish my Bachelor’s Degree (first things, first… 1 month to go). I can hardly wait until I really have the time to devote to a full purge.
I will be 60 this year, and want the remainder of my life to be about people; and not about taking care of stuff. I am no longer am willing to spend my weekends cleaning house… I want to be with friends and family. I want to have time to go places, do things, and also to just do nothing!
And when my children have the task of going through my possessions when I’m gone, I want their burden to be as light as possible. This becomes more and more important to me as I get older.
This is an article I know that I will come back to again and again to absorb the words and ideas into my soul.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the post, JAM, and thank you for sharing a bit of your journey. It is inspiring, thank you!
Hi Zoe! I had the same realization (better for best) due to travel. My husband and I spend a month at a time in other countries twice a year. We travel with a carry on and 1 week’s worth of clothes purely for convenience. We have realized we always take our “best” for quality and comfort. We are always amazed at how satisfied we are with so little for so long. It really makes daily life so much easier and allows us to enjoy our experiences instead of thinking about our stuff. We have incorporated this idea at home now too, giving up better for best. Thank you for your article!
Hi, Tracey,
That is great! Thank you for reading and sharing what is helping you along.
Your point about how our useless items will one day become someone else’s’ responsibility is eye-opening. I had to go through that with my siblings as we cleaned my mother’s house. The job itself was hard, but made more so because of the glut of possessions.
One suggestion I have regarding your comment on donating books to a school or library (having worked at both): please call first and make sure they’ll take them. They often will if you show up with the books, just to be nice, but it might cause more work for them. The places I worked always accepted them, but most of the time one of us had to take them to a thrift store or a charity that ran a used book store.
Thanks, C.J for the suggestion about the books and calling ahead! It can cause more work, especially if they aren’t needed in that location.
What a great article! Just like the “just in case” items, the “perfectly good things” are just as invasive. I have culled out lots of clothing from my closet, but I still have twice as much clothing as I need. Why? Because the items of clothing that remain in my closet are perfectly good items! They are hard to part with because I still wear them. I just have too much of a good thing. I now want someone else to enjoy my “perfectly good items.”
Well said, Andrea! They are just as invasive and it’s easy to have too much of a good thing. Thank you for reading and sharing.
Dear Zoe, I have been reading about and trying to practice the art of paring down for years. I am the Pare Down coach for my friends and family!
Recently I’ve been preparing for a mid-March speaking gig to share about this with a group of older women. I’ve read dozens of things and was having a hard time organizing a presentation based on so many concepts/parts. Your article here is very well-organized and well-written. I may just use it as my outline and share it! Thanks for your work toward this end. May your joy be complete and overflowing as you continue to encourage others.
Hi Sue,
Thank you for such thoughtful and encouraging words!
Another woman wrote me this morning and wanted to share the article and use is as an outline for a class about owning less that she is teaching at her church.
I think this is wonderful and I am so happy you’ve found it to be helpful.
I appreciate all your tips! But tell me – how can I part with things that belonged to my parents, my grandparents, and even my great-grandparents? It doesn’t feel right to give these things away, yet my daughters will only want a small portion of the considerable number of heirlooms I’ve inherited. Thanks.
Hi Susan, If you have lots of items from relatives you don’t need to keep all of them, just the things that suit your lifestyle (either because they are useful or beautiful). Then ask your daughters what they would like. Then take photos of everything else before you sell or donate them. We know that the memories are not ‘in’ the things, but the things usually trigger specific memories, so photos of items will help you remember special times just as well as the actual items would.
Of my grandmothers possessions I kept a wooden writing box (which I don’t really use regularly and could probably go!) and a silver ring that I wear every day – and think of her whenever I look at it. Good luck!
I understand the difficulty with getting rid of family heirlooms. I am the family historian, it seems, and am grateful for the many artifacts and documents that I have. But, there comes a time when it’s just too much to take care of. With the technology we have today, this job becomes easier. Take photos (sometimes several of an item) and make good scans of documents – front and back. Then, you can share the photos and files with other family members who might be interested — and you likely will find family members who would like an item or two for themselves. If there are no interested family, contact your local library or historical society or genealogy society about their interest. Genealogy is one of the most popular hobbies today and there are many places that would LOVE to have some of your treasures.
I second taking photos. I’ve had a hard time with things from my parents, as they both died young. I’ve taken photos of everything I’ve let go, with the plan to make a scrapbook with the stories and photos.
In the meantime, I’ve been surprised at how little I want to look at the photos. It’s been eye opening. Taking the photos helped shift the energy so I could let go of the items. I feel so much lighter, and still have the memories.
Hi Susan,
Thanks for reading and commenting!
I don’t suggest people start off parting with their parent’s stuff most cherished. But for the items kept just because they were your parents/grandparents, here’s my personal thought process…
I’d ask myself questions.
1. What part about giving their stuff away doesn’t feel right? Is it that they worked hard for it? They spent their money and life/time for it? Or they loved it?
Maybe it’s all of those reasons or something else altogether. Regardless, even if all their stuff served them well, for your life to move forward (fulfilling our passion and purpose), it needs to serve you well too. If it doesn’t, the very purpose it was created for is lost.
2. I’m always asking myself what kind of legacy I want to leave my children?
My grandparents (whom I was very close to) gave me many of their things during their last years. (This was before minimalism in my life).
My great-grandparents came here (with nothing) from Italy and my husband’s parents came here from South Korea (with very little). By the later years of their life, both acquired a full house of good stuff. Over the last six years, I have donated many of their things (furniture & decor) while keeping a few special items that meant the most (to me).
In that process, I discovered that a life and legacy built around possessions will be always be lost. True connections are made between people, not stuff. When I let go of their stuff, I didn’t loose them or dishonor them. I’ve honored them better by sharing the love, lessons, generosity, wisdom and talents they helped cultivate in my own life.
3. Would my grandparents want me to keep their stuff understanding the burden it was to me? How much time it took caring for it instead of caring for my children, my husband and myself?
My conclusion, no, they would not want me to keep it.
As a parent to four, my joy is found in seeing my children live joyful, healthy and purposeful lives. If the care of my stuff inhibits them from doing that, then the joy is lost.
You can also take photos as others mentioned. Or remove the item from sight if possible. This helped me see that my life was just as rich (without my grandparents hutch in the dining room).
Susan, I’m in the same boat…became the “keeper” of the family heirlooms – pics, furniture, paintings, books, quilts and childhood momentos of 8 relatives. No one else is interested and don’t think my kids care. It’s so hard knowing people leave earth and are easily dismissed from the busy minds of the living. Hubby says to take pictures of everything and then take it to donate. He can do minimalism…I have an emotional block. Not as bad as the hoarders show , lol.
Over the last few weekends I’ve been helping my Mum declutter her stuff. We got rid of hundreds of things from her kitchen,nearly 100 from her closet and 50 or so from her linen cupboard. This was nearly all perfectly good stuff. I was hard for her to let go of all this “useful” stuff, but she soon realised that most of it was just getting in the way and therefore useless. She’s got the bug now!
Hi, Amy!
Love that, “She’s got the bug now!”
First I read the book. The Life- Changing Magic Of Tidying Up. Life changing is an understatement. It teaches you how to look at your stuff. I donated 20 bags of clothes and boxes of house items. Wonderful feeling
Hi Zoe. Thanks for your insightful post. As for me, I look at an object and look at the space that it is occupying. Then, I think about other people who could use the object more than me. Then I detach and muster the courage to give it away. This clears up space in myself so that I can focus on what is more important.
Hi, Daukuro.
I love your thought process — thinking about others who can use it more!
Thank you!
A dear friend directed me to your article. She knew I have been doing serious de-cluttering or “clutter-busting” since early January ’17. This process has been a huge gift! Without sounding too zany I have “got my life back.” My home is a more peaceful, much more organized place. I have yet to finish the process but the transformation to date has been remarkable! This is sheer fun once you get momentum going! You are 100% right about a “staging area” for items on the way out. I don’t know how many times I inwardly said “YES!” as I read your valuable article. I have gained a deeper appreciation for what has happened from reading your masterfully composed offering! THANK YOU!
Hi, Russell!
So wonderful to hear you ‘got your life back’! It is a joy to read and see all the transformations, so thank you for sharing!
Thank you for your kind words. I’m very happy you found this article helpful!
I am a home care physical therapist. My days are spent stepping around clutter in broken down homes where the owner moves perilously close to falling over piles of stuff. No one plans for their health to suddenly decline. It can happen in an instance. A car accident, heart attack, stroke large or small.. Now you can’t clean. Or sort. Or sell. You’re fighting with your family who wants to help clear pathways but you want to do it yourself. You need to touch and decide on every item. So it sits around you. Potentially for the rest of your life.
Today is the day. Don’t wait to clean out the garage next summer. Don’t clear your junk room next week. Cause life is unpredictable. And it is a cruel task to leave to your family. They will not be thinking nice thoughts of you as it takes weeks and months to clear out the stuff that you just couldn’t make a decision on. Or part with. That might be your legacy.
Today is the day.
You nailed it!!! :)
I feel like this is where my MIL will end up in a few more years. She has problems with her knees so she already has limited mobility and difficulty getting through all her stuff. Her house is just piled with things on every surface and all over the floor. She lives in a different state so we are only able to visit a couple times a year and can only help so much. Every time we see her she says how she is planning to do this and that to clean up but the house always looks the same when we visit next. She just isn’t able to keep up with it physically anymore. She has several sheds and trailers on the property also filled with stuff. I wish we could go stay for a few months and clean it all out, or hire someone to go clean up for her. I have no idea what we will do if she leaves it like that when she either passes away or needs to move because her health declines.
i wholeheartedly agree. i had a stroke on sep 14 and have been playing catch-up ever since. i know i am lucky to be alive, but i sure wish i would have taken care of this when i had two hands and two legs that worked 100%.
I just returned from spending a week with my sister-in-law with the goal of helping her clear out and organize her sewing room and attic. We also took time to enjoy restaurants, friends, the birds, exercise and, of course, conversation with each other! But each and every day, we spent hours sorting, labeling, donating so much STUFF. Since I was not emotionally connected it was easier for me, but she did a great job of staying on task and occasionally letting me know that she’d had enough for that day. It was wonderful and she was so appreciative! We’ll both remember that time with happiness, I think. :)
Great article. I have a difficult time getting rid of the “good stuff”, but this has helped me take another look at it. I really like the idea of looking at my possessions as being helpful to others, especially the stuff I don’t need. Thank you!
Thank you, Theresa!
I am, slowly, working through my items. We are a newly retired military family in our forever home. There so many boxes that had been in storage, for years…outgrown kids clothes, paperwork books, souvenirs, photos, baby toys, etc… It has been hard, so many memories attached to those items. Thanks for letting me vent.
We are at the same time in our lives. It is difficult. I framed a few “memories” to hang on my walls. I put a few toys on a shelf- one for each of our three grown up children. That is all. We just can’t keep everything. We don’t want to burden our “children” with old, stuff, if something were to happen to my husband and I. You will be happy you did it.
Great post, Zoë. I love the good to best approach, which can be applied to many things in life. This has inspired me to really take a hard look again at what I own and see if everything is serving me as the “best” and not just good enough. I feel like you did, exhausted by spending so much time with my stuff, moving and cleaning and caring for.
Hi, Nathan!
Thanks for the kind words and sharing a bit of your story!
I am doing a small addition to my house (2nd bathroom and enlarging the kitchen & back bedroom as part of a foundation fix) and just spent the weekend doing the final pack and move out of the back of the house (kitchen, laundry and back bedroom). I couldn’t sleep last night thinking about how I get to do it all again at least 3 more times – move back in before I list the house for sale, move out after the sale and then put in storage while I try out a new part of the country before making a final move. I thought about how much easier it would be if I just gave away everything that was easily replaceable . . .
Think you have answered your own question Donna. If you do it now, you wont have to do it later and you wont spend as much money, if any, on storage. Also, the additional space will look lovely and airy if you don’t have too much stuff in them and I bet the house will sell more quickly. And think of the time you will save!
Any suggestions on how to easily sell your stuff as you go along for the new things? I would like to do an approach of giving away the gently used items and selling the newer items but we have many so that can become Clutter itself yet I’m having trouble thinking about all the quick cash we could make.
I’ve had a lot of luck selling items on local Facebook pages in my city. Just type in your city name and add the words Online yard sale or online garage sale. I’ve been downsizing and sold a beautiful Curio Cabinet last year for $600. At the same time I also had listed a gorgeous Grandfather Clock for $1,800. I wasn’t getting any offers so I contacted the lady that had bought my Curio Cabinet and asked if she was interested in it. She said she was but didn’t have the extra money. So I let her mail me payments since last August, She’ll be sending me her last payment this month and then arrange to come pick it up. The lady said she’d always wanted a Grandfather Clock and that I made her dream come true. It feels good to have made someone so happy. It’s also a great feeling that I won’t have to move these two BIG items to TX when I retire next year! I also sold a set of snow tires. Many other small items I kept in my car and would meet people around town that was convenient for both us and exchange my items for cash only. I usually meet people in Walmart or a grocery store parking lot in a very visible area. I always try to sell the good items I know I can get fast cash for. I’ve found that having a garage sale isn’t worth my time anymore. I’ve made many donations all over town for the clutter and clothes that I could care less about. Just a tip: Always have someone at home with you if selling an item out of your home. If possible have the item already outside covered with a tarp so you don’t let a stranger in your home. It’s just not safe anymore to take chances…..Good luck to you! It does feel great to downsize in preparation for our retirement. I’ve been doing it for 8 years now and will have very little to move! Yippee! :)
Hi, Beth. Thank you, for reading and asking a great question.
I took that approach when I started out as well. It is easy to get stuck hanging onto ‘the plan to sell’ stuff. So…
I set up guidelines for myself so selling the items didn’t drain every day of the week and halt my goal to simplify. Once I made the decision to purge/sell something, I removed it and put it in my designated spot (closet, garage, a corner in a room). Removing it gave me immediate results and helped further the process to let it go. I started with the big stuff, taking one day a month to post for sale. (craigslist & local FB sale page) For the smaller items, I wanted to sell I put them away in a closet, posted them for sale and made the decision to donate them after three weeks if they hadn’t sold.
If the volume of stuff you have is large, it can be helpful to do this for one room at a time.
I’m not sure if I really answered your question, but having that system helped me.
Try a reputable, local consignment shop
We had a massive yard sale when we moved. We sold lots of useful things that way and kept lowering our prices so that by the end of the day we were practically giving things away. It helped us a lot.
As I’ve been decluttering around our farm I’ve been able to sell some high-value things on Craigslist–a great service that is free.
Another option is bartering. Some things we can trade for services. Another good way to get rid of stuff and get value out of it.
If it’s clear that something just isn’t going to sell (at least not in a reasonable amount of time) we just go ahead and give it away.
Getting rid of excess stuff became not only easier, but actually a joy, when I began volunteering at a local food pantry/”thrift shop” where all donations are given free to the poor and needy. What a blessing to actuall see my hardly worn/used items being taken home by a family in need. It’s truly a double blessing.
Getting rid of excess stuff became not only easier, but actually a joy, when I began volunteering at a local food pantry/”thrift shop” where all donations are given free to the poor and needy. What a blessing to actuall see my hardly worn/used items being taken home by a family in need. It’s truly a double blessing.
Hi, Linda, my feeling precisely! Reminds me of Joshua’s quote…”There is more joy to be found in owning less than can ever be found in owning more.” Because chances are, when we consume less, we can give more.
Great topic! I previously organized a donation for baby supplies. Honest to goodness people gave us trash. Broken, stained items that were unusable. It opened my eyes to how much good stuff is needed and made it so much easier to give things away.
Hi, Michelle, agreed, a thousand times over! Thanks for commenting.
I am currently going through a divorce. I am the one leaving the house.and I am going through things asking myself if it’s really going to be useful. I will be living with 2 other roommates, so space is limited. It actually feels good not to take everything with me. Starting over is freeing!
Hi, Julie. That question has personally helped me immensely. I wish you well on your new journey!
I have been working on decluttering my stuff for a couple of months now. Having that box to put things in as i come across things is also something I recommend. Thanks for your article.
Thank you, Lisa. Happy to hear that has been helpful to you too!
I agree, planning ahead is a great time to ask “what will I leave behind?”. If the answer is too much, then get rid of it before someone else has too. Thank you for your sharing your unique story!
Cheryl, you are so right. Nothing makes you take assessment of your own things like cleaning out an apartment or house of someone else’s things after they’ve died. My mother died 5 years ago this July. It took a few weeks to go through her things. We donated a lot of stuff to ministry efforts (her work clothing to an organization that helps women find jobs, some of her furniture and household items to an organization that furnishes apartments and homes for people & veterans getting back on their feet, her piano music to a music minister in India who is teaching others the joy of music). BUT, I kept so many things because they had such memories attached to them. But they’ve been boxed up for 5 years. I am now going through them and donating so many things so that others can enjoy them and use them. It isn’t easy, but I just came up with the phrase: “The weightlessness of joy is such a better feeling than the weightiness of “stuff”. I’m choosing joy.”
Thank you, Cheryl, for reading and commenting!
I’ve spent the new year getting rid of clutter from my home. Perfectly good things were donated…and I’m still on a roll! I’m doing the visible stuff first, then I will go through each drawer, closet, etc. I thought it would be hard to get rid of sentimental items that were weighing me down—but once I let go of the stuff, it was a brand new lease on life :)
That is wonderful Judy! May your roll continue!
You are “reading my mail” Judy! I have done exactly the same thing, with determination, persistence and a thoughtful, decisive attitude! The transformation in my home and mindset has been wondrous and deeply appreciated! It is a new lease on life indeed!
Judy, etc: I encourage retirees especially to downsize, purge and any household items not being used (kitchen, linens, blankets, even furniture) that family or friends don’t want, donate to local group homes, foster parents, church missions, and sometimes low income senior housing or rescue missiom (clothing). This is ongoing for folks who wants less clutter. I have some cooler weather jackets which I will send to a church mission in a cooler climate. We haven’t had real winters in several years in the S.E. Older throw rugs and towels sent to animal shelters. Sell the good stuff or re-gift. Hubby retired ’81 after 20 yrs in Army, we never had much because we had to move around, bought used furniture or apt was furnished.
Great points. Though, I was more able to relate the point ‘shift of perception’ Switch in thoughts can actually make you come out of your emotions and attachment. It is said, when you have decided for the change – work on it – before you again make a change .
Thanks for sharing.
:)
Thanks, Shruti! Love that, “when you have decided for a change – work on it – before you again make a change.” Without a shift in perspective, the change can be short lived.