We are consolidating households with my in-laws. This move will allow them to retire on time, and afford us the luxury of owning a home. In preparation, we are getting rid of things that we will not have room to keep, which leads me to the central theme of this article.
DOWNSIZING!
Even though we live at a somewhat scaled down rate, in that there are a lot of things we COULD use, there are so many things that we have that we do not need. I am amazed at how much stuff I can throw away without batting an eye and be better off for it.
We currently rent a four bedroom home, and even with the minimal downsizing, I find that we could have done well with a three bedroom house which would have meant lower rent and utilites. No worries - frugality is a process not an event!
This is one area that I have often found myself returning to for lack of "learning the lesson" the first time around. Knick knacks are nice, but it's basically more things to clean and worry about the kids breaking during one of their less than angelic moments.
Clothing is the biggest theif of your storage areas! I have given away bags of clothing and thrown away at least two bags of articles that were too worn and too stained to give to anyone. (Note: If you are ecologically minded, you can recyle these into cleaning rags, quilt, scrap braided rugs & more!). I am amazed at the sheer volume of clothing my children possess!
Beware the "poverty mentality" that if someone offers you something to take it because you might need it or can't afford to buy it. This is another thing that will hurt you everytime you turn around!
The paper trap! I have at least four hours worth of papers to go through. I keep so many things that seem so important when I keep them, only to find them six monthes to a year later and throw them away. I think there are some things you SHOULD keep for a set amount of time, but at least file them in a tickler file and throw them away after a prudent period of time.
While I am frantically downsizing my household and planning for the move, I am thinking about future articles and getting back on my weekly track.
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