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Our most recent move was from a house to an apartment; square footage-wise I think they're about the same, but our house came with a garage, making it all-too-easy to hold onto things we didn't need. I've discovered that following every move I get rid of more stuff during the unpacking process rather than the packing. We've finally started to declutter (we're planning a long-distance move in the relatively near future, and I don't want to pay to move things that I don't need) and I'm realizing that I often need to go through things several times; you might want to try that, too, to see if it works for you. In theory it's a waste of time to have to look at things twice (or three times), but I've found that I have a much easier time evaluating things objectively if I go through a drawer or box once then let it sit another two weeks or so and then repeat the process.
We plan on moving in two years or so.
I am already sorting through stuff, selling and giving stuff away.
We are also downsizing to a smaller home that we have already furnished, so when we move there will be very little that will go with us.
People underestimate the cost of moving stuff......unless something has significant person or common sense value, get rid of it.
They call them possessions, not because we own them, but because they own us........
I'm reviving this old thread because I need to get more inspiration to get rid of things. I just moved from one house to another and, at age 62+, I feel that the NEXT and perhaps final move I make, into an apt, has got to be easier than the move I just made that nearly killed me!!
I have tons of paperwork--old writing and artwork, that represents a huge part of my life--there isn't enough time in this lifetime to type it all up on the computer and....for whom? When I kick off, no one in my family will want it. I just hate to part with it (vanity?) but it's taking up a LOT of boxes in one of my rooms.
Has anyone dealt with getting rid of artistic/writing stuff and if so, what was your attitude about it??
I'm reviving this old thread because I need to get more inspiration to get rid of things. I just moved from one house to another and, at age 62+, I feel that the NEXT and perhaps final move I make, into an apt, has got to be easier than the move I just made that nearly killed me!!
I have tons of paperwork--old writing and artwork, that represents a huge part of my life--there isn't enough time in this lifetime to type it all up on the computer and....for whom? When I kick off, no one in my family will want it. I just hate to part with it (vanity?) but it's taking up a LOT of boxes in one of my rooms.
Has anyone dealt with getting rid of artistic/writing stuff and if so, what was your attitude about it??
Hey newenglandgirl! Kudos for you! Have you tried a scanner? You could scan the stuff into the computer and it would be a lot faster than typing it.
I'm reviving this old thread because I need to get more inspiration to get rid of things. I just moved from one house to another and, at age 62+, I feel that the NEXT and perhaps final move I make, into an apt, has got to be easier than the move I just made that nearly killed me!!
I have tons of paperwork--old writing and artwork, that represents a huge part of my life--there isn't enough time in this lifetime to type it all up on the computer and....for whom? When I kick off, no one in my family will want it. I just hate to part with it (vanity?) but it's taking up a LOT of boxes in one of my rooms.
Has anyone dealt with getting rid of artistic/writing stuff and if so, what was your attitude about it??
if it helps art/writing is the process of doing it. once done you can give it away, throw it away or keep it but the "art" of it happened when you made it. make more. edit your collection to the cream of the crop. out with the old in with the new.
I just retired and am planning a downsize move within the next year to 18 months. In an effort to declutter the present home and "showcase" it for selling I've set a goal to do one room a month, purging, packing boxes and labeling them with detailed contents.
The professional clothes will go to consignment or the local Salvation Army. Furniture, dishes, vases, home decor, pictures, glassware, excess pots and pans are being taken to a home goods consignment shop on a 4 month contract. I'm moving small appliances and other inexpensive items to the basement for our annual neighborhood garage sale. I'm contacting my nieces and giving them a time frame to take family heirlooms, telling them that if they don't want them, they too will be sold, as I'm not moving them across country AGAIN!
I'm reading books and donating them to the annual book fete that occurs each spring. If I want to read them again/over, I'll download them or use the local library (now that I actually have the time to go to the library or reserve a book on line).
I'm finishing sewing/craft projects to sell/gift/or give away. I'm using up stored canned and packaged foods (with a goal of consolidating a shelf every 3 months) and trying not to stock up because it's a good deal.
If, in the end we still have too much stuff to fit into the next place, I'll rent a small storage unit for a year until we are settled and it's determined if we have a use/need/space or place for the "stored" items.
What helps me is writing down a list for the month and checking the items off as I complete them. I can also add more tasks, or keep notes about what I want to do, who I need to contact, etc.
Now, if I could just get the husband to do the same....
Hey newenglandgirl! Kudos for you! Have you tried a scanner? You could scan the stuff into the computer and it would be a lot faster than typing it.
It would take far more years than I have on earth. I have TONS of writing over 30 years (mostly longhand that was never typed up). Thanks for the suggestion though!
if it helps art/writing is the process of doing it. once done you can give it away, throw it away or keep it but the "art" of it happened when you made it. make more. edit your collection to the cream of the crop. out with the old in with the new.
Thanks, I needed to hear this. You must be an artist or writer. I will spend the winter months deciding what's the cream and what's the stuff to throw away. I am trying to get into the habit of not writing longhand but that's what comes most naturally to me--on yellow lined pads---boxes full. I must have had something better to do with my time!!
We had a 3300 sq. ft. house crammed to the rafters with stuff and we bought a 1300 sq. ft. townhouse condo. It was quite a challenge believe me. Very little of what we had was going to be any good in our new space. Too big, different style of house completely, wrong colour, etc. We kept the best three bedroom suites we had and the rest we offered to our kids first. They took two and the other two we gave to the thrift store. We gave away all the furniture that we in the family room. Two leather sofas, two recliners, coffee tables, lamps etc. WE had a few nice carpets, we gave them away except a couple of really nice handmade small ones and in retrospect we should have given them too because they effected what colours we had to choose for the new place. WE cleared out two walkin closets and I mean CLEARED OUT. If it had not been worn in the last year it was gone. Years and years of kids schoolwork was offered to the kids and of course they didn't want it so it was burned. We kept 2 good sets of dishes and the rest were given away. Dozens of bed sets and towels were disposed of. I got rid of my wifes huge collection of tupperware and other plastic junk, that felt good LOL. To make a long story short, we got rid of just about everything except the bare essentials and even then once we got moved we still had a garage full of stuff we could not fit into our new place and bit by bit it went too but it would have been better not to move it in the first place. The only big mistake I made was giving my kids most of my tools. I wish I had not done that. When you buy a brand new house you would think you don't need many tools anymore. I just didn't realize how often and how much I used my tools. After 5 years in the condo I sold it and bought a single family dwelling and I have bought myself new tools.
I really don't think you can get rid of too much stuff. It's very liberating not to have that mass of things to look after and keep organized.
When the family had taken all the things they wanted I called the charity thrift store and they came with a moving truck and it took them 2 loads to take the things away that I wanted gone. Even after all that when the movers came to move the things we had kept, they filled their 53 ft trailer to the max and could not get the last couple of things in.
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Reviving the Downsizing Thread
