downsize

I have three books that I bought to help with downsizing:

• Scaling Down : Living Large in a Smaller Space

• Rightsizing Your Life: Simplifying Your Surroundings While Keeping What Matters Most

• Moving On: A Practical Guide to Downsizing the Family Home

I bought the books to help both my mom and father-in-law downsize their possessions but realized that I really needed to work on my house and by doing so has motivated them to downsize at their own pace.

The books have helped me let go of a few things that I would have probably kept for a few more decades. I’m figuring out which things I use or are important to me and what is just taking up space.

... a few sets of cups or glasses at a time didn’t really seem like much but recently noticed how nice the cabinets are without so many things. Here is the list of cups and glasses that I gave away in the last few months:

• Cups/mugs: 30 (old stoneware mugs plus two sets of crystal mugs)
• Silver goblets: 16
• Crystal glasses: 20
• Lowball glasses: 10
• Margarita glasses: 4 (plus pitcher)
• Other glasses: 6
• Tupperware tumblers: 24
• Travel mugs: 6
• Disposable cups

That’s over 100 glasses and cups plus a few hundred disposable cups! I still have a few pitchers that I don’t need and will get rid of them later this month. The everyday glassware that I kept are two different styles of the same brand and eventually I will buy more of the style I prefer and get rid of the other set. I gave away a lot, but we still have plenty of different types of glasses and cups.

... we looked at lofts and condos. We aren’t ready to downsize our home for several years, but wanted some motivation to continue getting rid of things and also get an idea of what is available.

In the past our goal was to fit in a three bedroom condo which would be about 700 square feet less of living space and no large garage for storage. After seeing a few open floor plans, some of the 3 bedroom units felt too big! We are now more focused on the idea of a two bedroom condo. We want a guest room, but don’t want a room that is seldom used, so we will most likely combine the office space and guest room. Perhaps a condo with two master bedrooms or a small media area elsewhere.

I’m glad we aren’t in a rush to move so that we have time to downsize a few areas of our lives gradually and adapt to a different lifestyle before we make the move.

We plan to work a few projects that are more time consuming:

• Paperless office (getting there)
• Sell all merchandise I have stored on eBay/Amazon (will take 2-3 years)
• Get rid of several small vintage pieces of furniture and collectibles using consignment
• Reduce the amount of books we have by about 350
• Reduce our CD collection by about 75% (or more)
• Downsize our wardrobes (including shoes) by 50-75%
• Finish sewing projects and reduce my fabric collection by at least 75%

I’m happy with the progress I have made downsizing and actually looking forward to moving to a smaller place.

I am currently working on downsizing the house. We are surrounded by so much stuff! I have been working with my family for about three weeks now setting things aside to have a yard sale in two weeks. Whatever doesn’t sell at the yard sale will be donated to the thrift store down the road. I am also looking at selling some of the furniture we rarely/never use and re-homing craft projects I haven’t gotten to in years.

Today I thought about all my challenges – they’re a lot! I need to downsize my life. It’s not just stuff, but so many aspects of my life. Yes, I’m a work in progress, and I think progress for me means less of everything. I also need 2 days off in a row at work, which won’t happen for at least 2 more weeks. I don’t mind being weird, but if I don’t get that time away from my job, I start to feel crazy and get sucked into everyone else’s craziness. Not good, not simple, not me.

A rattan magazine rack, wicker newspaper holder and assorted baskets made my house more comfortable in the past. Now they just feel like they are using up space and provide too many places to keep things. I removed them earlier today and the rooms feel a little calmer and more open without these things. I still have a place to keep a small stack of catalogs/magazines to read, and that’s all that is needed.

The hallway runner and stair treads looked out of place once I removed the family photos at the top of the stairs and in the hallway. We seldom slow down long enough to enjoy the photos and hadn’t been updated in years. Once I scan all my photos, I will give away most of the picture frames.

I also removed a floor lamp from the family room. Eventually I would like to get rid of a couple bookcases (in the office and upstairs) and only keep the bookcases that are in the living room. Just need to get rid of enough books so I no longer need those bookcases. There’s also a large oak file cabinet upstairs that will be given away once I finish scanning papers.

I still have a few small pieces of vintage rattan and wicker that are also taking up space. I may look for a consignment store for those items instead of donating them.

At first I was concerned that my house would lose some of the warmness by getting rid of so many things, but I kept my favorite things and actually able to enjoy them more without them being crowded out by everything else. The rooms are starting to feel more open and have a sudden enjoyment with some rooms of our house that were seldom used. I like it, but still need to adjust to the changes I have made.

I noticed a lot of games and puzzles in the guest room closet the other day and could really use the extra space. I will ask one of hubby’s cousins if they want any of them and will donate everything else to the Salvation Army. I also found some old albums and think my husband is finally ready to get rid of them.

We decided that we no longer need a television in our bedroom. We came to this conclusion in stages. First we gave away our second TiVo, because we seldom used it. Next we canceled our cable and then realized we just don’t need this TV. We seldom watched it when we had the TiVo and cable and would watch it even less often now, so we will give it to a relative.

It will be nice to have a little more space near the closet.

On Saturday we dropped off donations to the Salvation Army. I think it was about nine boxes total. I’m still in the process of finding things to give to relatives and should get rid of at least six boxes of things to the family. I also have a very large box of things from the kitchen that I will probably sell it on eBay if none of the relatives want it. I doubt I will miss anything that I have taken out of my kitchen.

This week I am cleaning out the hutch and bar cabinets to get rid of serving dishes, glasses and pitchers that I no longer need.

After I finish this project, I plan to go through Christmas lights and ornaments.

My husband has FINALLY realized that we cannot afford to have 50 million horses (okay, 6 horses). So he’s selling one today, which is a significant downsize for us. There is one more who will be sold within the next couple of months (he needs a bit more training). Then we’ll be down to 4 which is manageable. Sally, the one leaving today, was a throwaway horse that we fattened up and that he trained in Natural Horsemanship, and now it is time for her to move on to the next phase in her life. I wish her the very best!