After living in a lovely home for 23 years (and both of us working from home) we sold everything to become extreme minimalists and move on a sailboat. You don't know 'togetherness' until you're living 24/7 in a tiny house afloat. We typically spend 7 - 10 months at sea. As I write this, were anchored next to Harrah's in Atlantic City.
I used to joke that I'd have to move to divest myself of all our stuff. Turns out I was right.
I read "Spark Joy" and a book on hoarding. Is there an HA (hoarders anonymous) group? Try as I might over the years, I seriously had trouble eliminating clutter and stuff. But we did it!
I donated so much - and tried to do it thoughtfully. All my office & craft supplies went to a local Montessori school. 1000+ Books (300 alone were my cookbook collection) were donated to churches and school libraries. And all of our Danish possessions; novels, cookbooks, board games, collected Royal Copenhagen pieces were donated to The Danish Home of Chicago.
Sad but true, our boys and their wives were not interested in my china which was handed down from hubby's grandmother. 😪
Now we have what we need and not a bit more. In fact, when we visit our land-lubber friends we bring things to be 'donated' to them. Oh, we don't tell them, we hide our things in plain sight amongst their own possessions. Mugs in the kitchen cabinets, towels (clean, of course) in the linen closet, etc.
It's fun when I get a call: "um, my husband just asked me when I purchased a wall hanging. I didn't. Did you abandon this at my house?"
Why yes, yes I did! Took you long enough to notice it.
So while I suggest a huge yard sale and/or straight up donation as a first choice... moving is what worked for me!
And all of our Danish possessions; novels, cookbooks, board games, collected Royal Copenhagen pieces were donated to The Danish Home of Chicago.
Sad but true, our boys and their wives were not interested in my china which was handed down from hubby's grandmother. 😪
Now we have what we need and not a bit more. In fact, when we visit our land-lubber friends we bring things to be 'donated' to them. Oh, we don't tell them, we hide our things in plain sight amongst their own possessions. Mugs in the kitchen cabinets, towels (clean, of course) in the linen closet, etc.
It's fun when I get a call: "um, my husband just asked me when I purchased a wall hanging. I didn't. Did you abandon this at my house?"
Why yes, yes I did! Took you long enough to notice it.
So while I suggest a huge yard sale and/or straight up donation as a first choice... moving is what worked for me!
Make it a project. Take a few days off. Tackle it room by room, or prioritize your list. If this is what you do for 2 days with few distractions you will fly through it and wonder what the hell you were fretting over. Just Getter Dun. Sure, you can pay someone - but its stupid work and you will still need to make most of the decisions. Save the money for a splurging treat when you are done
I’ve found that I’m easily distracted and one task creates 10 tasks in a home. The easiest thing to do is give yourself wins. The task may be we need to do something with this spare room. That’s too overwhelming. Start with the closet, for example, and stay focused on that alone until you “win”. Then tackle the desk, or whatever. Have a working list and check them off one by one.
I'm in a 100 year old house, and boy do I get what you wrote. I voted to outsource it...because I can't take my own advice and feel like I'm drowning in house projects that will never end. I love our neighbors, trees, and walkability of our neighborhood, but it would be great to have fewer creaks and groans. I have even considered (dreamed?) completely moving out for a few months to have a full renovation done - so maybe that's an option if it's financially available to you. Until there's time and money for me to do that myself, I just go room by room and keep tackling things in small portions.
Truly, it is so FREEING to get most of that stuff out of your house. You won't believe it. Put on audiobooks or podcasts and just, as someone in my life used to say, "Back up the truck." Once it's gone you won't think of it again, and the space it gives you (in your house and in your head) is amazing.
Annie, I’m a firm believer in outsourcing work you don’t want to do. Hire someone to do the most dull chores and spend your time on something you enjoy!
Get a buddy to work through chores with together, alternating each house. Do the chores to make it a nice place to live, because you have to do them to move anyway. My mom and her older sister worked together when her sister moved to the downsizing condo, and then when my parents downsized to retire in Florida.
Less is definitely more!
After living in a lovely home for 23 years (and both of us working from home) we sold everything to become extreme minimalists and move on a sailboat. You don't know 'togetherness' until you're living 24/7 in a tiny house afloat. We typically spend 7 - 10 months at sea. As I write this, were anchored next to Harrah's in Atlantic City.
I used to joke that I'd have to move to divest myself of all our stuff. Turns out I was right.
I read "Spark Joy" and a book on hoarding. Is there an HA (hoarders anonymous) group? Try as I might over the years, I seriously had trouble eliminating clutter and stuff. But we did it!
I donated so much - and tried to do it thoughtfully. All my office & craft supplies went to a local Montessori school. 1000+ Books (300 alone were my cookbook collection) were donated to churches and school libraries. And all of our Danish possessions; novels, cookbooks, board games, collected Royal Copenhagen pieces were donated to The Danish Home of Chicago.
Sad but true, our boys and their wives were not interested in my china which was handed down from hubby's grandmother. 😪
Now we have what we need and not a bit more. In fact, when we visit our land-lubber friends we bring things to be 'donated' to them. Oh, we don't tell them, we hide our things in plain sight amongst their own possessions. Mugs in the kitchen cabinets, towels (clean, of course) in the linen closet, etc.
It's fun when I get a call: "um, my husband just asked me when I purchased a wall hanging. I didn't. Did you abandon this at my house?"
Why yes, yes I did! Took you long enough to notice it.
So while I suggest a huge yard sale and/or straight up donation as a first choice... moving is what worked for me!
I love your home... don't move!
#2SunsetSailors
And all of our Danish possessions; novels, cookbooks, board games, collected Royal Copenhagen pieces were donated to The Danish Home of Chicago.
Sad but true, our boys and their wives were not interested in my china which was handed down from hubby's grandmother. 😪
Now we have what we need and not a bit more. In fact, when we visit our land-lubber friends we bring things to be 'donated' to them. Oh, we don't tell them, we hide our things in plain sight amongst their own possessions. Mugs in the kitchen cabinets, towels (clean, of course) in the linen closet, etc.
It's fun when I get a call: "um, my husband just asked me when I purchased a wall hanging. I didn't. Did you abandon this at my house?"
Why yes, yes I did! Took you long enough to notice it.
So while I suggest a huge yard sale and/or straight up donation as a first choice... moving is what worked for me!
I love your home... don't move!
#2SunsetSailors
Make it a project. Take a few days off. Tackle it room by room, or prioritize your list. If this is what you do for 2 days with few distractions you will fly through it and wonder what the hell you were fretting over. Just Getter Dun. Sure, you can pay someone - but its stupid work and you will still need to make most of the decisions. Save the money for a splurging treat when you are done
I’ve found that I’m easily distracted and one task creates 10 tasks in a home. The easiest thing to do is give yourself wins. The task may be we need to do something with this spare room. That’s too overwhelming. Start with the closet, for example, and stay focused on that alone until you “win”. Then tackle the desk, or whatever. Have a working list and check them off one by one.
I'm in a 100 year old house, and boy do I get what you wrote. I voted to outsource it...because I can't take my own advice and feel like I'm drowning in house projects that will never end. I love our neighbors, trees, and walkability of our neighborhood, but it would be great to have fewer creaks and groans. I have even considered (dreamed?) completely moving out for a few months to have a full renovation done - so maybe that's an option if it's financially available to you. Until there's time and money for me to do that myself, I just go room by room and keep tackling things in small portions.
Truly, it is so FREEING to get most of that stuff out of your house. You won't believe it. Put on audiobooks or podcasts and just, as someone in my life used to say, "Back up the truck." Once it's gone you won't think of it again, and the space it gives you (in your house and in your head) is amazing.
Annie, I’m a firm believer in outsourcing work you don’t want to do. Hire someone to do the most dull chores and spend your time on something you enjoy!
Hire someone to do what you truly despise. Pair what you can tolerate doing with something you enjoy, like listening to music or a podcast.
Get a buddy to work through chores with together, alternating each house. Do the chores to make it a nice place to live, because you have to do them to move anyway. My mom and her older sister worked together when her sister moved to the downsizing condo, and then when my parents downsized to retire in Florida.