Downsizing

151949 · ‎03-09-2010

6 years ago DH & I moved from our northern home where we had lived for 28 years into a new retirement home in Florida. We actually moved into a slightly larger home 1100 Sq Ft to 1500 Sq ft but the new house has no basement and our old home, because it was a split entry, had a huge basement. Also, my DH had one room in our old home that was his home office and we had so much office equipment in there that the company did not want back after he retired. We got rid of so much stuff - we gave things away, donated things to charity, threw things away , and sold a few things. We were fortunate that we had a cousin whose son was buying a house and getting married so we gave them almost an entire shed of lawn and yard care items, and they took some furniture we didn't want to take to Florida, and they took an enormous box of Christmas lights. Our community was starting up a library so we donated a whole set of the Father Tim books and a lot of other books - about 6 large boxes. In the end we still moved a ton of stuff to Florida - we had our furniture and 70 boxes. Last night DH was asking me what ever became of something and I said I think we got rid of that when we moved. We noted that it was rare for us to ever have missed any of the stuff we got rid of. Makes you wonder why you stored all that junk in the first place.

A lot of stuff DH just could not decide about we stored in our camper which we stored for a year at a storage facility. When we reopened the camper the next year we found all those tools etc and he was easily able to say he did not need that stuff anymore and we took it to Goodwill.

DCGIRL · ‎05-08-2010

That's nice. I am workiing on doing the same thing! What part of FL did you go to? I am trying to decide between gulf and ocean coast. But i have to be within walking distance to beach. But yes we do accumulate way too much stuff.

pinky ann · ‎08-09-2013

@151949, We've been downsizing every part of our lives for years now, and I can see the end clearly in sight.

I started years ago with home decor, and eliminated all but what we felt were our best, and favorite pieces.

Holiday things were easy to part with when we finally had to concede I couldn't manage our attic pull down ladder very well anymore.That helped iginite a huge clear out of holiday things as they now needed to fit in the bedroom closet instead of the entire attic. Our Christmas things take up less than a quarter of the closet they now reside in, and it's so easy to decorate for the holidays.

Years ago a priest at our church had a homily on the subject :"How much do you really need?" That lit a spark in me to get our home and ourselves "Right Sized" and I hope that spark never goes out. It's a feeling of lightness that I've only been able to find living more minimally and with more focus.

Miss Minimalist's blog had an entry that also has really stuck with me. The subject was comparing going through life as a butterfly, compared with living life as a bull. The butterfly traveling so lightly through it's life is a brilliant image in my mind, and one I try to hold close when I consider bringing anything into our home. pinky

GCR18 · ‎07-03-2013

I have a ways to go till retirement, but I've been downsizing. I used to feel I needed stuff. I don't feel that way anymore. I've emptied and organized every closet in the house. Yesterday I hit the garage. Today I'm going to finish the master closet and I'll be done. It feels really good.

151949 · ‎03-09-2010

@DCGIRL We live in Sarasota county - south of the city but our town is right on the gulf. I would not want to be anywhere else. I kinda grew up in Cocoa Beach, Fl. on the Atlantic coast, watching the rockets being launched from the Cape.

151949 · ‎03-09-2010

All my married life my DH the semi hoarder would have to go away every spring for a week long sales conference so I would take a weeks vacation that week and spring houseclean. It was best he was away because I would go through every cabinet , drawer and closet in our home and really throw away a lot of stuff. I would put the trash bags over at our neighbor's house so he didn't realize I was throwing so much away. He never missed any of it. The only area I did not clean was his garage. When we moved it , literally, took him 2 months, working every day, to get that garage cleaned out. That was the first time he had cleaned it in 28 years. I had NO sympathy. Now I am seeing signs of our new house's garage starting to accumulate so I go out there and start organizing and when he sees me in his "things" (junk) he is almost crazy to get me out of there, so he comes out and helps me get it cleaned up. He goes thru the trash bags and takes out every item I threw away - things like empty spray cans and empty containers of stuff like car wash soap and if he finds even one drop in there - back on the shelf it goes.

151949 · ‎03-09-2010

I love love love when there is extra room in a closet. My DH is the opposite - he seems to take comfort in being surrounded by clutter.

KentuckyWoman · ‎03-13-2010

@pinky ann wrote:
@151949, We've been downsizing every part of our lives for years now, and I can see the end clearly in sight.
I started years ago with home decor, and eliminated all but what we felt were our best, and favorite pieces.

Holiday things were easy to part with when we finally had to concede I couldn't manage our attic pull down ladder very well anymore.That helped iginite a huge clear out of holiday things as they now needed to fit in the bedroom closet instead of the entire attic. Our Christmas things take up less than a quarter of the closet they now reside in, and it's so easy to decorate for the holidays.

Years ago a priest at our church had a homily on the subject :"How much do you really need?" That lit a spark in me to get our home and ourselves "Right Sized" and I hope that spark never goes out. It's a feeling of lightness that I've only been able to find living more minimally and with more focus.

Miss Minimalist's blog had an entry that also has really stuck with me. The subject was comparing going through life as a butterfly, compared with living life as a bull. The butterfly traveling so lightly through it's life is a brilliant image in my mind, and one I try to hold close when I consider bringing anything into our home. pinky

Our minister did a sermon several years ago on the same thing. Stuff. He made reference to George Carlin's monologue on "stuff." I have been tryuing to get rid of things we don't need or no longer use. I have donated a ton of home decor to ReStore for Habitat for Humanity. I just shake my head at all we have accumulated. If I knew then what I know now, we never would have had so much. I am keeping our best but it's out with the rest.

Mominohio · ‎08-08-2010

@151949 wrote:
I love love love when there is extra room in a closet. My DH is the opposite - he seems to take comfort in being surrounded by clutter.

I think this is one of life's sweet little pleasures, opening a closet and seeing that you have just what you need, just where you need it AND NOTHING MORE!

I have only one closet that fits that description right now, but someday....someday......someday!

giddy up · ‎05-30-2011

@151949 wrote:
All my married life my DH the semi hoarder would have to go away every spring for a week long sales conference so I would take a weeks vacation that week and spring houseclean. It was best he was away because I would go through every cabinet , drawer and closet in our home and really throw away a lot of stuff. I would put the trash bags over at our neighbor's house so he didn't realize I was throwing so much away. He never missed any of it. The only area I did not clean was his garage. When we moved it , literally, took him 2 months, working every day, to get that garage cleaned out. That was the first time he had cleaned it in 28 years. I had NO sympathy. Now I am seeing signs of our new house's garage starting to accumulate so I go out there and start organizing and when he sees me in his "things" (junk) he is almost crazy to get me out of there, so he comes out and helps me get it cleaned up. He goes thru the trash bags and takes out every item I threw away - things like empty spray cans and empty containers of stuff like car wash soap and if he finds even one drop in there - back on the shelf it goes.

I need you to secretly come over my house and get rid of the excess superfluous redundant pieces of Temptations that I have collected over the last few years....STAT