declutter

Smaller Space

/ rachelgoes262 / 4 Comments

Back in August, I had started a blog post about the forced exodus from our old house due to abusive neighbors. I wrote about the attempted arson and daily harassment we experienced that necessitated that we leave under extreme duress for temporary safe housing that I only disclosed to very few people. It made sense to write about it at the time I was living it, especially when everyone in that area (except the attorney) was normalizing the abuse we experienced. 

Reading that now, I relived what we lived through this summer. It was very traumatizing. I am not ready to talk about or post about the attempt on our lives that occurred this summer and the subsequent daily harassment we experienced by the neighbors. 

Suffice it to say, we are now in permanent housing several hours away from those horrible people. We are safe. We no longer experience daily harassment, abuse or threats. We can sleep through the night without being deliberately woken up. I can walk outside safely without being physically attacked. 

It was very hard to leave an area and a community I was part of for over 20 years. We were literally bullied out of our home we had known for decades due to two families who were engaging in various criminal activities.

Now that we are in a safe place, I am learning a completely new location This is the hardest move I have made since the 90s. 

When we initially left, I could only take the cats in the car and whatever I could fit in the trunk. We had to arrange the leaving at a safe time when I would not be physically attacked or otherwise physically prevented from leaving. A few weeks later, when I went back with a moving truck to move all my belongings out of the old house, the moving men were threatened with assault by the neighbors. It was a rough situation.

I had spent all summer downsizing and minimizing the house. I knew we would be moving to a smaller space, even though I did not know where we were going. 

When they say, you and your belongings grow and increase to match the size of the space in which you live, that saying is true. 

While I got rid of over three truckloads of stuff before the move, it was eye opening to see how much I really have now that we are living someplace that is literally half the size of the house we fled. 

At first, it was encouraging to find that all my belongings fit into a 16-foot moving truck with room to spare. I had friends who kept saying I had way too much stuff and there was no way everything would fit into a 16-foot moving truck. To my surprise and delight, they were wrong! 

All my belongings were stored in the moving truck for about 8 days before we could get into permanent housing. To be honest, I mostly forgot about what was in there. 

The cats and I were in temporary safe housing with only what had fit into the trunk of my car. It was very freeing as well as eye opening to see how little we needed on a day-to-day basis. What was most important was that the cats and I were together through the entire ordeal and that we were all safe. 

While I was elated that all my belongings fit into a 16-foot moving truck with room to spare, moving into our new home was a bit of a comedown. With half the living space, it now feels like I have way too much stuff. 

We have only been in our new home for a month. In addition to unpacking and getting settled in our new home, I am learning a new area, working full-time, attending to all our medical needs, and had to deal with the fact that Sophie was totaled in this transition. 

It’s been a lot of change and a lot of trauma.

When it snows this winter and things slow down, minimizing will be back on my radar again in full force. This house feels cluttered with all our stuff in it. It is overwhelming. Therefore, things need to be removed.

I’ve seen how little we needed when we were living the emergency those few weeks in temporary safe housing. We do not need all the stuff in the new house with us now. 

The biggest difference between the temporary safe house and our permanent home is that when we were in temporary housing, we were in an urban area. It was easy to get things there and access resources such as groceries and laundry. In our new permanent home, on-site laundry is a necessity. Other necessities we need in our permanent home that were not relevant in temporary housing include emergency supplies for winter, as we are not in an urban area close to amenities. 

If people get more things to fill a larger space, then we must conversely get rid of things to fit a smaller space. 

Our weeks in temporary housing showed me how little we need. The challenge will be curating the items in our permanent home down to what will fit here without being cluttered. 

On top of everything I am doing trying to get settled in a new area, I am also trying to take time for me. The cats and I need to heal from all the abuse we suffered at the hands of the neighbors. Jolene especially has been traumatized. She had always been a friendly, outgoing cat until the summer when the neighbors escalated. Now she is timid and fearful. We are all still mourning Jude. I feel so guilty I could not get him out of that house before he passed. We all have a lot of trauma to process as the result of the daily harassment we experienced and attempt on our lives. 

This winter expect to see a return to minimalism as we acclimate to a smaller space. I’m now looking at it with fresh eyes after our experience being in temporary housing for so long and having to flee our prior house under extreme threat and duress. I have a lot of “comfort items” that were not comforting and not needed when we were living the emergency. You don’t realize how little you need until you can only leave with a very small, space restricted amount of stuff. 

The good news is, that chapter of our life of horror is behind us. We have a new chapter ahead. While it has it’s challenges, we are all safe and no longer in physical danger. We can finally get back to our roots at Rewind Live Slow. 

Sentimental Items are the Hardest

/ rachelgoes262 / 2 Comments

Sentimental items are the most difficult to declutter. I saved them until last. It was easier to go through sentimental clutter when I had gone through everything else in the house. Sentimental items are hard because they have meaning. We want to be surrounded by things we love and things that have meaning. 

Sentimental items are not bad. However, it is possible to have too many sentimental items if you place every single item into the “sentimental” category. Don’t use the sentimental category as a catch-all for things you don’t want to deal with in your decluttering journey. 

You are the only person who can answer questions about sentimental items because those items hold meaning specific to you. To someone else, that blanket may just be a blanket, something to keep warm. However, if it was a blanket your grandmother made, then for you that is a more meaningful item than just a blanket. Yes, it keeps you warm, but it has so many memories attached to it too.

The thing to remember is that we are attached to people, not things. Do you really need 10 items to remind you of your grandmother, or will 5 items do? I can’t answer that. Only you can. Decluttering sentimental items is tough for a reason. There is so much emotion involved.

When it comes to decluttering sentimental items, the only advice I have is to leave them until last. If you start out decluttering sentimental items, you will become frustrated and discouraged. Don’t go there. Minimalism is about decluttering stuff to have more room for people you love. That is what makes sentimental items so hard.

I have been going through my own process in decluttering sentimental items. For me personally, I got rid of everything from childhood. I had a very bad childhood. It’s not something I want to remember. Why keep items from that time? They just remind me of pain.

Photos are meaningful to me. I created a photo album I like to call “My greatest hits.” It is a curated collection of the best moments of my life. These are the memories and moments I want to remember when I’m on my death bed. Those are the photos in my one album of greatest hits. Only my best and most treasured life moments, events and people are in there.

There are some items that I have set aside with a note on them that they will be donated or trashed (depending on item), when I move. Some things in this house I will not take with me when I move again.

Some of those items, like my couch, I am using. The couch is over 25 years old and has been through several moves. I have decided that it is not up to another move. If I move again, the couch will not go with me. However, I am keeping the couch right now because I am using it. I am not going to bother purchasing a new one when the one I have works perfectly fine. I just won’t move house with this couch again.

Then there are items with notes on them that say “donate (or trash when move” that are not currently being used. Honestly, those are items that can probably leave now. One of those items is a small box of photo negatives. In the digital age, it Is very challenging to find a photo lab that can process prints from negatives. I already have prints from those negatives. It may be time to get rid of the negatives, since most of those photos are already in my greatest hits photo album. 

What is the point in hanging onto something like photo negatives that are not being used? It is very unlikely that I will either need to be able to make prints from them again. They are sentimental clutter and can probably leave. 

As my minimalism journey is winding down, I am coming down to things that are hard choices to make. Sentimental items are difficult. 

Don’t beat yourself up if you have a lot of sentimental items. Yes, you are still a minimalist. If those things bring you joy, there is no set number of items for people to have. As long as you have enough time for the people in your life and your stuff does not take all of your time, you are fine. 

Sentimental items are the hardest. Leave them until last. 

Minimalism: 5 Books

/ rachelgoes262 / 3 Comments

Books can be a contentious topic. There are people who guard their personal libraries fiercely and say that is the one area of their life they will not downsize. I understand that. I felt that way about my CD collection. We all have one area that we won’t touch when it comes to minimalism. That Is okay. Everyone does minimalism differently. 

For me, I was able to downsize my book collection to 5 books. Some of you may consider that extreme, but here are some of my reasons for choosing five books.

When I moved, I used boxes from the local liquor store. If you go by the liquor store in the morning, they put boxes outside for people to take that have been emptied from restocking their shelves. For me personally, empty wine boxes are the perfect size for moving. They are easy for me to carry, and you can fill them up without having them be too heavy to move.

I filled wine boxes with books for moving and the weight was just right to carry. Anyone who has moved can attest to how quickly a box of books can get heavy. While the number of books people enjoy in their personal library varies, I’m sure that everyone will agree that no one likes moving books. They get heavy fast.

For me, downsizing to 5 books is a perfect number because I can fit 5 books in a small boat and tote. I don’t have to worry about packing up boxes of books to move. All I must do is pick up my boat and tote, put the strap on my shoulder and off I go. My collection is curated to ease portability.

How did I decide on five books? For many people, books are like potato chips – there are so many that we like, it’s hard to choose just a few.

For starters, I am a big fan of libraries. I love being able to borrow a book, read it, and then return it for someone else to enjoy. I do not necessarily need to keep every book I read. For many books I read, once is enough. The book can move on to bring someone else enjoyment.

If there is a book that I particularly enjoy so much that I have checked it out of the library to read twice, then it meets my criteria to purchase. If I’ve gotten it out of the library more than once, then it needs to be in my personal library. If you check the same book out of the library multiple times, it’s probably one you should own.

Of all the books I own that meet the “twice out of the library” criteria, how did I decide which ones deserved a permanent place in my set of five? I looked at how many times I have re-read the book once I own it.

If I have re-read the book three or more times, then it earns a spot in my personal curated collection. Really, if you’ve read a book three or more times, you must really enjoy it. Those novels are the keepers.

Books I have gotten rid of have been donated to either Little Free Libraries or library book sales. They can bring someone else joy. I do purchase “new” books. Books I cannot find at the library, I purchase used from a site called Thriftbooks. You can get used books on Thriftbooks for $5 or less. They are in great shape. Purchases often support libraries, as some books are library discards. I typically place an order for 5-10 books at Christmas. 

Once I have read a book, I will donate it. If I decide it is a book I may want to re-read, then I keep it. In this way, books flow in and out of my life. 

My current book collection of 5 books is not a fixed set. Some books come into your life for a season. If there is a book that has particularly resonated with me that I have read more than three times, then I will look at the collection of 5 to decide if I need to add a book and if a book has fallen out of the season of my life. 

It is possible for a book in my collection of 5 to leave. Different books speak to us at different points in life. 

The next time I move, it will be very easy to move the books. I won’t have to worry about wine boxes full of books and how heavy they are to carry. My personal book collection fits in a boat and tote that easily goes on my shoulder, leaving my hands free to carry other things. 

While 5 books may seem extreme to some, it works for me. I get plenty of exposure to books through the library. I do a Thriftbooks order every year for Christmas. I am not in want of reading material, nor am I bored with re-reading the same things. 

What criteria do you have for establishing a favorite book? How many times have you re-read your favorites? 

Media Minimalism: TV and DVDs

/ rachelgoes262 / 2 Comments

I have never had cable. As a child who grew up poor, we had a black and white TV set with bunny ears. As an adult, cable TV is a luxury I could never afford. Not to mention that working 2-3 jobs 60-70 hours per week, I didn’t have time to watch TV.

When my grandfather passed away (now over 20 years ago), I inherited his TV set. It was my first TV set in my adult life. It was my first color TV. I got bunny ears and had a few channels. I would turn the TV on when I got home from work at night just to have it on while I was getting ready for sleep. For Christmas that year, I got a DVD player. I could then watch DVDs on the TV also.

I had my grandfather’s old TV set for a few years. One day, I went to turn it on and instead of turning on, it just did this continual blinking – like it was trying to turn on but couldn’t. I called a friend who happened to work in radio at the time and asked if she could come over to fix the TV. 

It was a few weeks before my birthday. When my friend came over to “fix the TV,” she surprised me by giving me a new TV set that she said was for my birthday. That TV set is the same TV that I have today. If I remember correctly, I will say that TV is now about 17 years old. Since I had originally inherited a TV set from my grandfather and then received a new TV set for my birthday, I can honestly say I have never purchased a TV set in my life.

Over the years, I have had a few different DVD players. I have gone through at least 3 DVD players that I can think of. They don’t seem to last as long as TV sets. 

I primarily grew up on radio. I still prefer radio to TV. I would rather listen to baseball and hockey games on radio than watch them on TV. I listen to old radio shows on my cell phone. Back before TV, there were radio shows, much like those on TV, but without the visuals, obviously.

The bunny ears do not work in the house in which we now live. They don’t get reception here. I still use the TV, but only with the DVD player. Cable is too expensive. It’s a luxury item. I still prefer radio.

The past few years, I have been downsizing my DVD collection. I now have them minimized to the point where all the DVDs fit into the cabinet below the TV set. I no longer have an entire bookcase full of DVDs. Of course, they are curated so that I only kept my absolute favorites. I do have some World Series on DVD so I can watch baseball if I want to see it, in addition to listening to games on the radio. 

Given the age of my current TV set, I have decided that when this TV set breaks, I will not get another one. When this TV set dies, I will get rid of all my DVDs and just go without. Yes, I am using the TV set and DVD player since they are here. However, I do not feel it necessary to replace them when they are gone. I am just as happy listening to radio and reading. TV has never been a big focal point in my life. 

Maybe that is why I am so horrible at trivia. I miss a lot of popular culture references, as I have never had cable TV. I do not subscribe to any TV streaming services. It just doesn’t seem worth the money to me. I have so many other things I would rather do with my day than park myself in front of a screen to watch something. 

That’s not to say I don’t have my moments. I do have some favorite TV shows on DVD – Cheers, Highlander, Mash, the Golden Girls. I’m just not one to “Netflix and chill.” I listen to radio almost all day long. The TV set is not a daily habit. It’s one I can take it or leave it. 

I will enjoy the TV set and DVD player for as long as they continue to work. However, once this TV set dies, that’s it. I won’t get another one. My life does not revolve around it. 

Minimalism: Approaching Maintenance

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My minimalism journey is now entering its 12th year. That’s a long time. For those of you feeling discouraged with your decluttering efforts, it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon. That’s how much stuff I had to get rid of. I spent over 30 years accumulating, and over a decade trying to pare it all down.

The one area of my house that I am still working on minimizing is my CD collection. As you know from previous posts, this is the most difficult area for me due to my love of music. For the longest time, I would declutter anything in the house EXCEPT the CDs. 

My thinking now is that I only want to keep albums I truly enjoy. Those CDs where you pop them in the player and truly enjoy the entire disc. I’m not keeping a CD if there is only one or two songs on there that I like. We have YouTube for things like that. I’m not a huge fan of digital music, but I find it easier to just Youtube one song on the rare occasion I want to hear it instead of holding onto an entire CD for just one song.

One strategy that I use frequently in my decluttering efforts is that I will only keep items that fit in the space available. For example, if I don’t have enough room in the cupboard for all the coffee mugs, then it is time to declutter the coffee mugs and only keep what fits in the cabinet.

In decluttering my CDs, I have done the same thing. However, with CDs, I used to have 3 different pieces of furniture holding my CD collection. I am now downsizing my CDs to the point where there is only one piece of furniture holding my CD collection. That is two pieces of furniture I can get rid of also.

Once my CDs are minimized, I will be at maintenance minimalism. Maintenance minimalism is all about being a good gatekeeper. At this point, my goal is to only bring into my home consumables (food) and things I absolutely need.

Do I have some items that are completely unnecessary to the point they could be considered” clutter?” Yes, I do. I have 5 squishmallows. Do I need 5 squishmallows? No. They are probably considered clutter. However, they bring me joy and have use as pillows when needed. I enjoy them, so they stay. 

There is still a room full of donations upstairs. Everything in that room needs to leave and be donated. It will have to wait until spring when the weather is better and when I can find places to donate items. Some larger pieces, like the bookcase and extra outside chairs will just go out front with a “free” sign. They are too large to fight with to transport in my car to take someplace to donate. I could fit them in my car if necessary, but I don’t want to deal with it.

Apart from emptying the donation room and completing the minimizing of my CD collection, I am done. I am officially at the maintenance phase of my minimalist journey. 

There are a few random items that will be donated or trashed when I move. Some things in this house I am using now but will not take with me when I leave. However, I feel that I have now downsized this house to the point where I am either actively using everything here or the item brings me so much joy (hello, squishmallows) that they are staying.

My biggest challenge right now is going to be getting rid of everything in the donation room this spring. Donation centers in my area have closed. It is extremely difficult trying to figure out how to get rid of things, so they do not end up in the landfill. I also have a small box of electronics that I must figure out how to recycle.

While I may be approaching the maintenance phase of my minimalism journey, this blog will continue. There are always things to minimize in life including routines and digital items.

My goal with minimalism is to make this house and my surroundings as easy to care for as possible so that I can enjoy life. I don’t want to spend all my time cleaning. I want to spend my time with those I love.

That’s the true goal of minimalism – not a set number of things. The goal is to make life about love and not about stuff. 

Like with Like – Part 2 (rooms)

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Putting like with like can be very challenging. Houses are meant to be lived in, so of course stuff is spread out all over the place. In the first like with like post, we discussed the benefits of corralling items together to be able to minimize them. It is helpful to look at clothing, books, DVDs, and other items as a group. That way you can ascertain what you have and what you need.

A second aspect of like with like has to do with rooms. For example, I had my stereo system in my kitchen for a few weeks last year. Does a stereo system belong in the kitchen? For some people, it does. If you have a stereo system in your kitchen, that is okay. For me, my stereo system belongs in my living room. So, with the stereo system in the kitchen, it was in the wrong place. Only kitchen items should be in the kitchen. The stereo was out of place. 

I currently have stuff all over my house because of the harassment from the neighbors. I have taken almost all my belongings, regardless of which room they should technically be in, and piled them against one wall to try to block noise. (Pro tip: this doesn’t work at all against concert level noise). I have had to empty an entire room after they drove into the front of the house and caused damage to my front doors. 

While I may have all the CDs together, books together, clothing together, etc, stuff is not necessarily in the right room. 

The bedroom is a prime example. The bedroom should be a tranquil sanctuary for sleep. It is hard to get a good night’s sleep if you are surrounded by clutter and things that do not need to be in the bedroom. If an item does not belong in your bedroom, it should leave. Every item needs a place. Items should not be stuck wherever they fit. Items should be in the appropriate room.

If you have too many items to fit into your living room, then that is a clue that things need to be minimized. If items cannot fit in the space available, do you really need all those items or do some need to leave?

Every item should be in the appropriate room. Would you put your blender in your bedroom? Of course not. Blenders belong in the kitchen. It’s a wild example, but you get the point. Bedrooms especially should be places of calm. A living room is naturally going to contain more items than a bedroom. Bedrooms are for rest. Living rooms are just that – for living and doing fun family activities. 

For my next minimalist challenge, I will be focusing on making sure that items are in the correct room. Piling everything against one wall does not work to block excessive noise coming from the neighbors. Since that does not work, I can take my household items and either move them into the rooms where they belong or get rid of what I don’t need. 

Making sure that items are in the correct room is helpful for organization and for minimizing. It helps you to see what you have, what you need, and what fits in your space. 

Minimalism: Like with Like

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A basic tenant of minimalism is to put like with like. For example, if you are working on decluttering or downsizing the number of shoes you own, you should start by gathering all of your shoes together so that you can decide which pairs you are keeping and which pairs are leaving. 

Putting like with like sounds simple. It is deceiving. I’m not going to lie. Putting like with like is HARD. All these minimalism tips tell you to put like with like as if it was the easiest thing in the world to do. It’s not. 

Stuff is everywhere. Your belongings are spread out and scattered all over your living space. It’s supposed to be that way. Homes are meant to be lived in. So telling someone to put like with like may sound simple in theory, but is challenging in practice. Your home is lived in, and your stuff is everywhere. 

Putting like with like may be easier for some items that others. It all depends on the person and your lifestyle. For me, personally, putting all my shoes together was easy. I don’t have many pieces of footwear. They all tend to be in the same area of my house and not spread out. 

This winter when I engage on a major decluttering project of paperwork – that was hard. I have paperwork all over the house. There was paperwork in my office, my kitchen, and at least 2 other rooms in my house. Paperwork ranged from things like appliance manuals to insurance policies to car repair receipts. Stuff was everywhere.

I could have gone through piles of paperwork in each room. Essentially, that’s what I did first. Then, I put all of the paperwork together in one room. That was the hard part. Everything was spread out. As hard as it may be to put like with like, I’m glad I did. I now have my paperwork downsized to one milk crate of papers in one room. That is the extent of my paperwork. It is no longer spread out all over the house.

Having all the paperwork together not only makes it easier for me to find things, it makes it easier for someone else to find things if something happens to me. Have you ever had to go through a loved one’s paperwork after they died? The paperwork is everywhere. You go through piles of stuff trying to figure out what is what. It is a tedious task that no one wants to do after a loved one dies. 

I downsized my paperwork so that anything extraneous was shredded and all necessary papers are together and labeled into categories – medical, insurance, car, house, etc. If something happens to me, I have one milk crate of important papers for you to go through to settle my affairs and shred.

Homes are meant to be lived in. You should have all of your belongings spread out and put in places where they are being used. However, when you are trying to declutter, it is easiest if you can put like with like so that you can see just how much you have. You may say you want to downsize your coffee mugs. Then, when you put them all together and see you have 32 of them, you can set a goal – such as 6 coffee mugs – for downsizing. You need to put like with like to get the full scope of just how much you have. 

Like with like is not an easy task. However, if you can manage to put like with like, it will make the overall process of downsizing easier. Going with coffee mugs, once you donate the 26 mugs you are not using, by all means take the 6 coffee mugs you are keeping and put them wherever you need them. Spread them out. Homes are meant to be lived in.

It may sound like an easy premise, but like with like is actually challenging. Don’t be hard on yourself if you start trying to put like with like and find it difficult. Minimalism and decluttering is not an easy process, even if people like me make it sound easy. 

Decluttering Sentimental Items

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Decluttering sentimental items is the most difficult and challenging aspect of minimalism. It is advanced minimalism, and should be undertaken last. Before attempting to declutter sentimental items, you should have experience in exercising your decluttering muscles. Downsizing categories such as clothing, the kitchen and the bathroom should be categories you have addressed well before sentimental items. 

Leaving sentimental items until last allows you to build your minimalist muscle. If you attempt to declutter sentimental items too early, you set yourself up for failure. Not only do you fail to declutter the items, but you experience all the feelings involved that make the items sentimental from the beginning. It can cause you a setback in your decluttering journey.

I have finally reached the stage where I am ready to declutter sentimental items. I have tried to declutter this category before and I failed. That’s okay. My initial sweep through the sentimental category, I downsized sentimental items from three storage bins to one storage bin. Sometimes you have to take baby steps.

If you are just starting with the sentimental item category, I do recommend taking it in steps. First, gather all of your sentimental items together. Second, try to curate your collection. I found that downsizing from three storage bins to one storage bin was a challenging, yet doable goal.

The other tip that was helpful for me was that once I downsized from three storage bins to one storage bin, I took the two storage bins that were going to be “leaving” and left them in a closet for a year. After that year, I was completely okay with the two storage bins leaving and just having the one bin of mementos. In fact, after the year, I had completely forgotten what was inside the other two bins. You can’t miss what you don’t remember, can you?

This was a few years ago that I undertook the three bins to one bin exercise. I am finally at a point in my decluttering journey where I am able to address the one bin that is left. Granted, the one bin is about 90% full of items from my childhood. I’m sure your sentimental bin may look different.

Here are reasons why I am now finding it easier to get rid of the remaining bin of sentimental items. 

  1. I had a horrible childhood. Why do I want to keep items that remind me of the most traumatic time period of my life? Did I enjoy playing with those toys? No, I did not. I lived in a state of abuse and perpetual fear. The toys in the bin were given to me by someone else in the family, who had absolutely no idea of my favorite toys as a child. They had just set aside toys that they liked or thought I would have wanted. I don’t want them. Now, some of these items are worth money. I have a pair of pristine Sonny and Cher Barbies as well as one of the original preemie Cabbage Patch dolls that came in a plain cardboard box from Sears before they started putting them in shiny, colorful packaging with a plastic “window” to see inside. I still don’t want them. They do not invoke any happy memories.
  2. I have no children. Some people keep a set of their most loved toys to pass down to their own children. I have no children to give these toys to. They are just sitting in a box, not being used, played with or loved. They are taking up space. Toys are intended to bring joy. I’m sure there are children out there who would find joy in playing with them.
  3. They are not benefitting my life. The toys are sitting in a box taking up space. I am decluttering my house in anticipation of an international move. I refuse to pay international shipping to take those items with me. What’s going to happen to them when I move again? They are going to sit in a box in the closet same as they are now. Why pay time, money and energy to move something from place to place that is going to sit unused.
  4. Swedish Death Cleaning. What will happen to this box of toys when I die? They will either be thrown out or donated. Why not get rid of them now so they have the opportunity to bring joy to some child. 
  5. Is this difficult? Yes, it is. While none of these items evoke happy memories, it is still difficult to get rid of them. Yet when I sit down and think about it, I cannot think of one good reason to keep them. Do they bring me joy? No, they do not. It is still difficult, emotional and sad to get rid of them. Don’t ask me how. Emotions are complicated that way. You know those times when you feel all the feelings. Even though they evoke negative emotions, I also have negative emotions about getting rid of pieces of my childhood even if it was bad.

In addition to the one bin of childhood toys, I have other sentimental items that will be leaving this year. My entire jewelry collection will be leaving. The only piece of jewelry I am keeping is my mother’s necklace that has Jude, Simon and Jolene’s names on a heart with their birth stones. Why do I need jewelry? It does not bring me joy. No one sees me. My mother’s necklace brings me joy. I am keeping that. 

Since the pandemic has started, life has become a story of survival. With no end to the pandemic in sight, why would I need items like jewelry? They are unnecessary baubles. They are not essential for survival. I am downsizing all my items to only those that are necessary or that bring me joy. The other jewelry pieces do not bring me joy. I would not want to take the other jewelry pieces with me on an international move.

I can only wear one necklace at a time. Ok, ok, I’m sure you can wear two or three necklaces at a time. However, that just makes me think of some cheesy 80s rapper concerned with their bling. I personally prefer to wear one necklace at a time. My mother’s necklace is the only one that is meaningful and brings me joy, so it stays. Every other piece of jewelry I have is not irrelevant. 

When life is reduced to survival, you really take stock of what is important in life.

There are some sentimental items that are still in the gradual reduction process. There are some items that are too difficult emotionally to leave. I have put those in a box for a year. We will see how I feel at the end of the year. Will I pull items out of the box because I want to look at them or keep them? Will I even remember what is in the box at the end of the year.

To clarify, I do not have a life devoid of meaning. I do have sentimental items I have kept such as my mother’s necklace. I have curated a photo album of my greatest hits / best memories which I take out often and look through fondly. I have some sentimental items that are either in use or on display in my home. I’m not saying to life a life without meaning or sentiment. I am saying to curate what you have. If you love it, display it. Leaving toys in a box for 30 years and shuttling them around from place to place – those are the types of items you really need to question about leaving. 

What tips do you have for decluttering sentimental items? 

Vacation Allure

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We all like vacation. At least, I haven’t met a person yet who doesn’t. Vacation is when we get to relax, unwind and have fun. We get to explore new places and experiences. Even if you stay home for a staycation, it’s nice to simply have the break from the workday. 

One of the allures of vacation is empty spaces. Who doesn’t love a hotel room /Airbnb /other accommodation not your own home? Part of the love of hotel rooms come from the fact that they are practically a blank slate. A hotel room has the essentials – a bed, a bath, maybe a coffee maker. The only belongings you have in the hotel room to personalize it are those items that you really need for the length of your stay. That may be a bag of clothing and some toiletry items.

You drop your bag off at your hotel room and go out the door. You are free to explore without being weighed down by your earthly belongings. You feel free. Vacation is very enticing.

Minimalism allows us to create that same allure of vacation at home. You can curate your surroundings and your belongings to ensure that you are only surrounded by what you need and what you love. This is not to say that your walls should be barren and your cupboards empty. I’m just saying that if you get rid of the CLUTTER at home, you can capture that vacation feeling every day.

I say this, but even as a minimalist, I am not perfect. I have my weak spots. For me personally, the area of my home most likely to become cluttered, remain cluttered, and attract clutter quickly is my kitchen counter. They say the kitchen is the heart of the home, and mine is command central. It’s always been that way for me. 

When I was working on my degrees, the kitchen was where I would do all my schoolwork. It was where I would write my 20-page papers and where I wrote both my masters’ thesis. My kitchen table is where I wrote my first novella and continue working on my second. I often put things on my kitchen counter that are in “transition.” For example, if I plan to make zucchini bread in the morning, I put all the ingredients on the kitchen counter the night before so everything is ready to go the next day. 

It seems my kitchen counter is always in use. There is always something on it. It is always cluttered.

Last week I had a plumbing emergency in my kitchen that necessitated me completely emptying my kitchen counter. The experience was mind blowing. It took emptying the kitchen counter for me to realize just how much clutter was on the counter.

Once the plumbing issue was fixed, I did not want to return to the cluttered kitchen counter that had existed before the plumbing emergency. I was much more mindful of what I put back on the kitchen counter. 

If it did not need to be on the kitchen counter, I set it aside. I have an entire basket of items that used to be on my kitchen counter that now need to be relocated. I do not want my kitchen counters to reach that level of clutter again.

They say when trying to declutter you should completely empty a space and then only put back what you absolutely need or love. It definitely works. I did not fully realize how absolutely cluttered my kitchen counters were until I completely emptied them.

If you are stuck in a rut on your minimalist journey, I highly recommend completely emptying a space. Only put things back that you need or truly love. All the things that don’t make the cut need to either leave or find a new place within your home. 

The allure of vacation is that we get to stay in an uncluttered hotel room. You can capture the vacation feeling at home by reducing your clutter. It does not mean nothing. It means curating your space mindfully. 

10 Chairs

/ rachelgoes262 / Leave a comment

After years of minimalism, I have decluttered many items. I have highlighted the great coffee cup purge, downsized my wardrobe, and decluttered my entertainment media. So how in the world did I end up with 10 chairs for one person?

Talk about a fantasy self. I will admit that 4 of the 10 chairs were acquired since buying the house. Why 10 chairs? Well, here they are:

2 wooden kitchen chairs that match my kitchen table

2 green plastic upright chairs that were on the porch at the apartment 

2 folding camping chairs – 1 small easy to throw in the trunk of the car for impromptu outdoor outings, one is my luxury wine glass holding relaxation chair for Adirondack camping

4 blue plastic Adirondack chairs – It has always been my dream to own an Adirondack chair. Of course, the wooden real ones are too expensive. I compromised and purchased plastic Adirondack chairs when I bought the house. I had been relaxing on the front porch with the people who helped me move, and there was not enough seating. Some of us sat on the porch ledge. I thought that getting 4 outside chairs would be used. My train of thought was the fall time camp fires we would have using the outside fire pit. Of course, that was a fantasy self. Covid hit, and almost all of the people who helped me move into the house have died. I don’t have anyone over because we are still in a pandemic. Not that hardly anyone I know is still alive anymore.

That’s how I ended up with 10 chairs. It’s ridiculous. One person does not need 10 chairs, especially when almost everyone I know is dead.

I will be decluttering my chairs. 

First off, two of the blue plastic Adirondack chairs will be leaving. I have always wanted Adirondack chairs. Now that I have them, I will keep two. I am using two of them. I use one upstairs in the bathroom to sit in when changing my clothes. I also use the two of them to help drape sheets for air drying after going through the washing machine.

My luxury camp chair is staying. The arm rests are specially designed to hold a wine glass. The chair also reclines. It is the blue chair I take to the Adirondacks with me.

The small folding camp chair is questionable. Right now, it is hanging in the garage. I do use it in the fall when I want to sit at the outside fire pit. However, I could also use my luxury camp chair for that. I have not yet made a decision about the small folding camp chair.

The 2 green plastic upright chairs are being used. One is my desk chair for work. The other, the cats enjoy using to sleep in at the end of the bed. It has a blanket on it for them. For the time being, both green chairs will stay.

The two wooden chairs with my kitchen table are staying. I use them. I use my kitchen table. Sure, I am one person with two kitchen chairs. One of the kitchen chairs is used by the cats. 

Realistically, I should probably declutter down to 5 chairs. I am thinking: luxury camp chair, 2 kitchen chairs, and the two green upright chairs. 

We will see. I will not officially declutter the chairs until spring 2023. It just amazes me how I have overlooked CHAIRS in my whole decluttering process. 

One person with dead friends does not need 10 chairs.

How many chairs do you have per person?