Savannah 978-853-6661 cheryl@organizingbycheryl.com

Blog

My Move

Living Minimally and Preparing for a Move

I’m about to move into a new apartment. For many people, the idea of a move is stressful and difficult. You would think that for an organizer, and a minimalist as well, moving would be easy, well…

It’s not that it has been difficult; in fact, I am surprised by how few boxes I’ve already packed, and I’m almost finished packing. I’m not sure yet if I’ll end up with 21, 22, or 30 boxes, but it’ll be around there. Overall, it has been fine. I have spent a few hours each weekend packing, and during the week, I’ll spend an hour or so after dinner wrapping glasses in bubble wrap, carefully placing them in boxes, and packing whatever I’m not using and don’t plan on using from now until my move date.

I’m excited about the move. I’m moving to a city I am familiar with and for which I have a lot of love. I have many friends there too, so all around, it’s a great move! My move has, however, gotten me thinking about our connection to “stuff.” As I packed each glass, plate, sweater, towel, and more, I realized that most of us probably have items in our homes that we never use. I packed a pie plate and thought, “I wonder if I’ll bake a pie in the new apartment since I didn’t in the current one.” I did some purging, which felt good, but I still have things that could probably go.

For your next move, my only advice to you is to plan ahead of time — way ahead of time if possible — and start to donate items well ahead of the move. There are many websites with rules for what you should toss or donate (e.g., www.theminimalists.com, becomingminimalist.com, bemorewithless.com), and each site has its own rationale for why you should part with your stuff: if you haven’t used it in 90 days, then donate it or if it doesn’t bring joy, then toss it. For me, I started to think about the life I am going to lead in my new apartment, and I donated those items that won’t fit with my new lifestyle in my new city. That seemed to work.

Next month’s blog will be from my new digs!

Cheryl Russo

September 2017

Back to top

Get the latest news straight to your inbox.
SUBSCRIBE!
Give it a try; you can unsubscribe anytime.