Art of Downsizing

 

 

"Stuff is so easily to accumulate. Before you know it, the stuff has taken over and is quickly becoming junk..."

As the years have passed, the amount of stuff we have accumulated has grown - by a lot.  And we have not done this on purpose. Some is laziness, some is sentiment, and a small amount is deliberate. By deliberate, I mean "Oh, I better save that as some day I bet I could use it again." Well, that someday never came, and all of a sudden we could barely make it into our garage loft.

For our generation, there has been a sea change. And it has been huge. Things passed down to our grandparents, and then to our parents, and then to us, do not have the value they once had. And most of our kids have zero interest in any of it. So our houses have become like clogged sinks. Stuff has come in, not much goes out. What we end up with is every nook and cranny being occupied with - something.

Here is an example. When my grandparents died, my parents inherited glassware which at one time might have had some value. If not monetarily, then sentimentally. Now that my folks are gone, we have the glassware - plus some collectables that my parents owned. Not much of it has any monetary value what-so-ever.

A couple years ago, my wife's brother passed away. We ended up with some stuff of his. We also have stuff from my wife's grandparents. From her parents. Throw all that in with stuff that we have accumulated, and that is a recipe for a real mess.

Both our daughters live on their own. They already have stuff. They have no interest, nor space, for any more stuff. None of the items which have sentimental value to us, have any sentimental value to them. Therefore, ever since the new year started, we have been on a three-fold mission - burn, donate, or possibly sell.

The next time you are up in your attic, or basement, or garage, when you see the piles are getting high, think of this - when you are gone, where is this stuff going to go? For many, when they think of downsizing, their eyes start to glaze over. The job is way too big, too daunting. It is that way mostly due to all of the stuff which has accumulated. 

Time to go. It is a nice day and the fire pit will again be active. I will be burning, sorting, and raking. Sounds like spring cleaning and clean-up to me....