Downsizing... It HAS to happen

This weekend we were really busy but the Hubby and I managed to get a date night. I finally got to see a NHL game for the first time and it was amazing! The Capitals lost to the Panthers, but it was a great experience and we got some much needed adult time thanks to great neighbors and Grandparents. Getting back to the reason for this post....

I have worked on downsizing over the past year and gotten rid of a TON of stuff that took up way too much space in my house and caused a lot of undue stress. Over the years we have accumulated quite a bit of stuff and since we left the military and bought a house I feel as though we have fallen even more into the consumerism trap. We often ask ourselves the question: What Now? What I mean is that when you finally make the desired salary, bought the dream home, become a stay at home Mom and get to where to wanted to be, what do you do when you still don't feel happy?

We have learned through downsizing that this stuff that we work so hard to buy and keep clean is just taking up time, space and money that could be better spent on LIVING our lives through travel and experiences. When I first started the "great purge" in our home I was pretty overwhelmed. I recommend that you start with one room or one closet first. I got rid of things that hadn't been worn or used, didn't fit, forgot I had or knew was duplicated. I then put them in TOSS, DONATE and SELL piles.

Sell piles went to various places:

1. Consignment Stores. Make sure things are clean, free of stains or damages, no animal hair and dry-cleaned if they need to be. I took the kids stuff to places like Once Upon A Child, Platos Closet, and local consignments for clothing and furniture.

2. Facebook For Sale Groups. If you're not on FB, try Instagram or pay a friend a portion of the sale if they post for you. It's a win-win and I still made quite a bit of money when I did this.

3. Yard Sale/Garage Sale. This is also a great way to involve the rest of the family.

4. DeClutter: I went through all of our DVD's, CDs, Game Systems, Textbooks and other electronics. I made $83.00 on old stuff that was just collecting dust. I will post alternatives to these items in the future.

5. Used Book Stores in the area and reselling textbooks on Amazon.

What didn't sell I donated:

There are a ton of places that you can donate to. I like to look for places that help organizations like The Purple Heart, Big Brothers Big Sisters and local shelters. This can be used as a tax write-off and give back at the same time. Some places can even pick up the stuff for you! One thing my tax advisor gave me was a list that included the description, original cost and resale value at time of donation. This will help with itemizing stuff over $500. We easily donated over $1000.00 our first year.

When beginning this process it is easy to get in over your head and create a mess in the home. I get on a cleaning kick and find myself getting distracted with other projects as I go along. Try to stay focused on one room and know that it's perfectly normal to go over the same areas a few times. The more you downsize it becomes easier to let go of things and you will back over areas of the home and downsize again. I will do another post specific on how I organized things and decided what to get rid of.

Remember to STOP shopping and start investing in your future goals. I know it's hard, but if you keep reminding yourself of the end goal the easier it will be. Happy Cleaning!

Here are a few photos of the stuff we have purged over the year: