Success at downsizing/de-cluttering?
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Anonymous
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I have become addicted to minimalist blogs and am in the process of cleaning out all the crap we do not need and learning to embrace our 1200 sf house as being "enough". But most of the minimalist bloggers all seem to be in small towns and places West. My friends here are buying bigger and bigger houses, and no one seems to relate to my desire to downsize (or, at least, to not upsize).
Are others on here embracing minimalist living? If so, I'd love it if you would share your stories for inspiration. It would be nice to have some reminders of others in the DC area who are intentionally not keeping up with the Joneses. (Also, for those on DCUM who have giant houses and four cars and who are really happy with all of your gorgeous stuff, I am not critical of you. I just want to take a different approach to my life for my own sanity, and am looking for kindred spirits). |
Anonymous
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I live in the city and we have 3 kids in a 3-bedroom house. There are times we're in collecting mode - but about every four months I collect all the drawings and art projects and have the kids go through to pick out their favorites to keep. I promptly whisk away what they didn't choose. Then I whip out their old favorites and encourage them to choose the favorites of the favorites. We take pics of the kids posing with things they love but need to move on from so they can look back on them.
When mail comes in, it all goes in one box. Once a week DH goes through the box, sitting in front of the shredder, recycling bin, and online checkbook. When the kids get new sneakers, the old sneakers promptly go in the hall closet to be worn when doing yardwork or on rainy days, and the prior old shoes are thrown away. I don't care what the Joneses are doing. They are not my concern. I care that we're doing what's best for us. The kids have a beautiful playground one block away, so we don't need a backyard for them. So ours is a garden and I grow a lot of what we eat. Could we afford to buy a bigger house? Sure. Could we afford a house where each child gets their own bedroom, plus there's an office plus there's a guest room? Sure. But the reality is, we don't need that. In cleaning out closets and cabinets on a regular basis what I've realized is that if you do it often, it's not some huge multi-day project. It's a half hour project instead. If an older kid has a growth spurt, we pile up all the clothes that no longer fit and call in the younger kid to see if they'll wear them. If they say no, we bag it, and donate it either that day or the next day. We don't let stuff sit around, and we don't let relatives go crazy giving the kids things. "What do the kids want for the holidays?" They want to go to the zoo with you. Last year the two grandmas took all three girls to see the Nutcracker for Hanukah. That was their gift. They bought each girl a new dress and shoes, and spent the entire day together. We framed a pic of all five of them and sent it to each granny for Valentines Day. We really push for experiences rather than tangible items. Let me know if you need more. |
Anonymous
| OP, could you list some of your favorite blogs? I'm trying to move in that direction too and it always helps to see what others are doing. |
Anonymous
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I don't think it's size the size of your house that matters, just shedding the unwanted crap.
You may want to join a Simplicity Circle for inspiration: http://www.simplicity-matters.org/index.php |
Anonymous
Not OP, but I like ideas outline here: http://www.ivillage.com/how-declutter-your-home-30-days/7-b-412558#414521 (It's my mission and I've had a hard time staying focused on it.) |
Anonymous
Anonymous
Me too! Ugh. Let's try and keep our motivation up this summer. |
Anonymous
As a professional organizer, I saw a few things in that link that were incorrect. If it works for you great, but those are not great tips. |
Anonymous
Which tips weren't great in your experience? |
Anonymous
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I'd love to downsize, but I never upgraded. I don't know any Joneses with whom I'm supposed to keep up.I do live in one of the best neighborhoods in DC, but have yet to see anybody else trying to keep up with the Joneses.Then again, I might be blind or I'm just too poor and they don't bother to make me feel worse....lol.
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Anonymous
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I have been relatively successful for the past three years. We are a family of five in a three bedroom, 1400 sq ft house. You have to refresh on a constant basis, tossing papers, donating clothes, toys, and other junk. My inlaws take the kids for a week or so each summer, during that time I really tackle their rooms.
Now I'm on the hunt for new beds for my sons. They are 10 & 12 and their current bunk beds are junk. The problem is finding something that isn't over powering to a small room. Quality bunk beds are huge. Does anyone have older kids still in bunk beds? |
Anonymous
Um, off the top of my head, the having three baskets nearby when de-cluttering. There was no mention of shredding, which is important with paperwork to avoid identity theft. Also, decluttering takes a lot of time. To cut down on the time it takes, it's smart to use a one-touch rule. See a pair of jeans in the kitchen, and before walking out of the kitchen take all other clothing items and go run them up to the bedroom. Don't dump things in baskets. Then you'll move the basket against the kitchen wall at dinner time. Then two days later, will move it to the bottom of the stairs. The next day it'll get upstairs and into the room it belongs in. Then it will take anywhere from a day to half a year to empty that basket. It sounds like you'll be running all over the house by doing it my way, and you will, but you'll avoid the basket issue. There were others, but those two stood out to me. Please feel free to ignore me if those tips work for you. As long as things get organized, the process doesn't TRULY matter too much. |
Anonymous
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17:49 again. I have my kids do the one touch rule. It works great for getting them to clean their room. Sometimes I have to stand in the door way to get them going.
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Anonymous
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Interesting - I grew up with a basket approach so that feels more natural to me. But our basket quickly though - the next time you go upstairs/downstairs. It doesn't linger.
I'm always looking for more tips though because we just downsized and it's been a struggle. Mostly with paperwork though. And kid artwork. And current projects (e.g., sewing project with DD). |
Anonymous
Honestly, I take issue with your critique. The 3 containers suggestion (rule 5) makes total sense when re-organizing your closet or kitchen, maybe not to day, but I keep a bag in my closet for clothes donations. When it's full, it get donated. Your one-touch rule as maintenance or a strategy for a major project makes no sense. Running around to collect all the things that go upstairs makes sense only if you're limiting yourself by time, e.g., I have 15 minutes. If you're trying to focus on one area, e.g., the kitchen and you take something upstairs more than likely you will be distracted by something up there and not get back to your main task. Never leaving a room empty handed (rule 28) makes sense for maintenance. I hang a bag on the bannister toiletries, e.g., combs or random t-shirts my kid took off go in and carried up at the end of the day. |