Feeling Overwhelmed with Downsizing

[ghost]

IMO

Downsizing and minimalist is so great!

; )

Matt

 

[mert6706]

A few years ago everything was taken from me (long story.) I grieved my "stuff" at first, wondering how I would ever get over losing it. I had carted some of it around through several moves without ever using it, because of the sentimental or monetary value. After I lost it I started to realize I was living without the stuff and surviving just fine. The lifting of the burden of "stuff" you think you can't do without is fantastic! You start to realize you didn't own it, it owned you. If an object that is lost has a strong emotional attachment you can keep it in your heart without having the actual thing to look at and touch. Yes, there are some irreplaceable things gone that I wish I still had, that still hurt, especially things having to do with my son who has since died, but I am surviving without them! And my boy is with me wherever I go.

 

[CityWoman]

. . . I started to realize I was living without the stuff and surviving just fine. The lifting of the burden of "stuff" you think you can't do without is fantastic! You start to realize you didn't own it, it owned you.

Yes, I agree. I am actually not a very sentimental person and I don't feel any great emotional attachment to most of what I own. I'm really okay - and ready - to let the majority of my crap go. It's mostly the physical work of downsizing that is so tedious and challenging.

I'm pulling things out of closets, bookcases, shelves, drawers, storage bins, file cabinets, kitchen cabinets, bags, overhead cubbies, and so on, to sort through and decide whether to toss, donate, give to someone I know, or sell. And I have to sell as much as possible because I need the money. It's just very laborious and time-consuming, and even though I know I am making progress, the place looks like I barely made a dent. There's a lot to do.

There's another forum I frequent that is very supportive regarding the process of de-cluttering, letting go, and downsizing, with lots of great tips on how to keep going. I've found it to be very helpful. But they aren't nomads, nor aspiring to be, so very few members there understand or relate to my ultimate goal of getting on the road. Since that is now the main purpose of my downsizing projects, I just thought I'd come here and vent a little. The process is physically exhausting me, and I don't have anyone who can help, but I keep going!

 

[TexasWoman]

Add me to the list.
I'm getting my house ready to either rent or sell .. haven't decided which.
I just know that it is time to get organized and declutter.

Amazing how much stuff we can collect!

I have three bottles of nail polish top coat .. THREE BOTTLES of TOP COAT .. not to mention multiple other bottles of base coat, polish, nail hardener, etc ... and I hardly ever even wear nail polish!

In addition to lack of time and just not wanting to go through this procedure, I think a big part of the problem is the emotional toll of going through the memories - notes, pictures, letters, concert stubs  - it can just be so difficult to go through these things.

Basically the purging boils down to four categories:

1)  The things I use everyday and absolutely need - put them in different storage bags and containers to get portable for on the road.

2_ The things I may use in the future and do not want to get rid of - box them up with labels for storage.

3) The things I do not want to keep - box them up for garage sale. Your trash can be someone else's treasure. Whatever is left over goes in a box on the street with a sign "free stuff" .. but don't put it in front of your house.

4) The things that are truly trash - paper, mail, plastic bags, straws, paper bags,  etc.  I only throw away real  trash in the trash, never anything that can be used by someone else.

Everyday just tackle one little space.  
Today I cleaned out my bathroom because I'm getting new tile, new faucets, sink and tub refinished and new toilet next week.
I wish I had done this years ago so I could have enjoyed it.

 

[Cammalu]

[emoji3] on the top coat of nail polish. I have three junk drawers of makeup items that I never look at. I keep thinking I need new mascara or something then I get home and realize I already bought three under the same circumstances. I need to get my niece in there and tell her to have at it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[UmpquaTim]

Hi,

I need to get this house sold whether I get another smaller home base or live full time in my camper. I'm going through 30 years worth of stuff. There are things that are too good to throw away or give away but probably too much work trying to sell for what I would get. So I set those things aside and pick up the next thing. Then I question myself, should I keep this thing or get rid of it? This is going to take forever but I need to have this finished in the next month or so. I'm so sick of stuff.

I know this attachment to stuff is shallow and I probably won't give it another thought once something is gone, but it just seems heart wrenching when you are in the process.

Those of you who went through this, is there a way to streamline this a bit?

Just over a year ago I had a house on the North Umpqua river (running through my backyard), 3.5 acres, 2300 square feet, two car garage, large workshop, artist studio and a gardening shed.  And of course, I was full! After my daughter moved out and got married, I downsized to a duplex that's 680 square feet.  I understand what you are going through.  

What I will say is that I only miss one thing... the beauty of where I lived (I certainly don't miss mowing the darn lawn).  And fortunately, spending more time on the road solves this problem as you'll discover new beauty throughout your travels.

I only say this because I don't fret about anything that I got rid of.  In fact, most of it I just gave away.  I'll leave you a couple of tips as I'm going through this process yet again...

1)  If you don't need it for work, doesn't bring you joy, or isn't required for safety or travel, get rid of it.

2)  If you have the time, transition into it.  For example, in your kitchen, clear one drawer and one cabinet.  Anytime you pick something from elsewhere in the kitchen, return it to the newly cleared drawer or cab.  As you do this, you'll start to store only what you use and not what you want.  For me, I realized I only use a couple of plates, two knives, and two pans with any frequency.  As such, I don't feel like I'll miss anything after downsizing.  You can do this elsewhere in your home as well.

I will say this though, and this might be why it's easier for some than others.  Historically I've had issues as it relates to the value of my possessions. I once traded a car for a guitar, junked or given away cars or other things I simply didn't want to deal with.  I felt like I was being irresponsible and vowed to keep what I bought (or sell it for top dollar).  This created more anxiety as I started feeling almost claustrophobic and even somewhat "vulnerable" by having so much stuff I didn't need.  Then, I did the big purge and felt free. That's when my minimalist lifestyle began.  Turns out, I wasn't being irresponsible when I was younger, rather, I didn't feel tied to those possessions.  My anxiety was related to comparing the way I feel about possessions with social norms.   Now I just want what I need

In short, you could be on the verge of one of the most profound changes you'll make in your life.  I'd say... buckle up and cross that finish line as soon as you can.  

-T

 

[mayble]

is it wrong that i kind of envy the folks in houston when i see all their stuff piled at the curb?

 

[Cheli]

I just finished this process and moved out of my house two weeks ago and in with my sister to save over the next several months to get on the road. I started my downsizing last August and got real hung up on the monetary value of items and was trying to sell everything. It became such a pain and I couldn't understand why people didn't want to buy my perfectly good stuff, it ended up being far more difficult and time consuming then I had thought it would be.

Finally, about two months ago, my friend told me that I needed to just pick a deadline and make it happen. This conversation was about the last week of June. And she said "you need to get rid of everything now, give your notice to your landlord on August 1st and be out by the end of August. Come stay with us but just get out". My sister said the same thing, and has been for at least the last six months, along with several of you on here. Every month I stayed in my apartment that was a minimum of $1,500 in rent and utilities, was my stuff really worth that? So a year later I've spent a minimum of $18,000 on rent and utilities just because I didn't want to give my stuff away. I totally regret it.

In the last two months I have donated about 75% of my stuff to a local donation center and the rest I either sold, gave away or trashed. I did that all in about 6 weeks and got rid of everything. My personal belongings all now fit into four totes I have stored in my sisters basement and I still feel like that's too much. It feels amazing to not be tied to stuff anymore.

I only wish I had done this a year ago because then I'd already be living my long dreamed of nomadic life.

I tell you all of this because I completely understand how difficult it is, both emotionally and physically. It's a lot of work. And quite honestly, if I didn't have my sister helping me as much as she did I probably would never have finished. I kept feeling overwhelmed and didn't know where to begin. But she would come over and be like, ok, the kitchen, lets work on the kitchen, now go through each cabinet and lets make piles. And so on.

But if you don't have the help, just keep plugging away and it will get done. Just be kind to yourself and stay focused.

 

[Almost There]

The dollar and cents of it all make perfect sense Chelli.

Those dollars spent o rent costs are why I gave up my place in the beginning. Yes, I could have paid rent and utilities etc. while I was gone but I took a long hard look around my apartment, calculated the cost of keeping it while I was gone for 6 months in the winter and figured out that I could put the money aside instead of handing it to my landlord. If, when I came back in the spring and really wanted an apartment, (I didn't and I don't) I could go on a furniture buying spree and still have money left over.

I gave away a lot of furniture to people I knew who could use it. The deep freeze went to a friend who had a 30 yr old freezer on it's last legs and no money to buy a new one. My entire office set up went to a woman who was starting an advocacy service for the disabled. I held a yard sale and raised almost $800.00 - that was the hard one - long hours, major work! I kept my precious crystal and my pottery collection and stored it against the day I ever have to quit travelling.

That rent money saved every month goes a long way for either savings, more travel, old age, etc.

 

[Vanna White]

Flylady.net

 

[squid]

Hi,

I need to get this house sold whether I get another smaller home base or live full time in my camper. I'm going through 30 years worth of stuff. There are things that are too good to throw away or give away but probably too much work trying to sell for what I would get. So I set those things aside and pick up the next thing. Then I question myself, should I keep this thing or get rid of it? This is going to take forever but I need to have this finished in the next month or so. I'm so sick of stuff.

I know this attachment to stuff is shallow and I probably won't give it another thought once something is gone, but it just seems heart wrenching when you are in the process.

Those of you who went through this, is there a way to streamline this a bit?

Hire a 16 year old teenage girl with an attitude to help you decide.  She'll tell you whatfer.