Moving Update #1

It's been a little over a week since we officially moved into the new house, and we are slowly settling in and setting up. We are making our house a home, and this is a brief update.

Everything we own is at the house, but we need to buy living room and dining room furniture. We are evaluating what we need and how pieces will fit into the house for maximum flow.

While the moving is over, the purging is not! There is more Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up to be done.

After tackling my clothing, my books, and my papers, I tackled what the author calls komono (miscellany). Before the move, I sorted, donated, and sold CDs and DVDs. I also sorted through my bath & beauty products. In the final weeks of packing and moving, I abandoned tidying up. This week, I will start fresh: craft komono.

Moving House

John and I moved house this month. In spite of our lifestyle and efforts to reduce our possessions, the process was still difficult. For some, parting with possessions and/or moving is emotionally trying, but for me, these processes are physically difficult.

We had sold our dining room set and other items in anticipation of an aborted move last March.
We packed a three-bedroom townhouse ourselves.
We moved over the course of 2-3 days, using our cars and a 10' moving truck.
We needed three car trips and two van trips to move everything.

Tidying Up - Papers

I am in for another round of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying-Up, and tonight, I focused on papers. Bank statements, random print-outs, and crafting information... all of it gone. Well, it is not entirely gone, as I refuse to toss sensitive materials. Those must be shredded.

In addition to papers, I purged magazines and CDs. Most likely, I should have tackled both as an extension of books. The magazines were easy enough to purge. Very few brought me joy, and even fewer had been read in recent months. Goodbye!

While I don't have a massive music collection, it's a daunting task. I started in earnest, immediately pulling and listing 10 CDs to sell. After an hour, I needed a new plan.

A Simple Plan
Shred the purged papers within seven days.
Digitize all of my music by the end of the month.
Keep 10-15 of my favorite CDs for listening in the car.
Sell the rest.

This all-in method of de-cluttering is intense, but it yields great results!

Minimalism Tag

I decided to join the party and participate in Hello Cathy's Minimalism tag.

I tag LeaAnn, Dingbatkilla, and anyone who cares to answer the following questions:

1. What drew you to minimalism?
2. How did you start the de-cluttering process?
3. Have you ever counted all your things? If so, how many things do you own?
4. What are your tips for dealing with the desire for more?
5. How do you deal with non-minimalists in your life?
6. Do you have any guilty pleasures where minimalism doesn't apply?

Tidying Up - Books

Before embarking on this segment of the tidying up, I owned enough books to fill three of paper ream boxes. For many book lovers, three boxes is child's play. Once, I owned far more books. Once, I dreamed of owning a large house with a giant library.

Instead, my books often lived a dismal life boxed up and stored in an attic, basement, or who knows where. I moved around the country, and some of my books came with me, but mostly, I saddled family and friends with storing them.

My first serious round of purging books came in 2001 or 2002 -- after reading Karen Kingston's Clearing Your Clutter with Feng Shui. By the time I moved to Pittsburgh in 2009, I owned roughly eight boxes of books -- down from over 28!

It is still difficult for me to part with a book if it was a gift or if I have fond memories surrounding its purchase. Yet, my books, like every item I own, must be assessed for their ability to spark joy.