Downsizing

I have come to realize that I have too much stuff.  This has been a pretty slow realization, and even once I began to realize it a little over a year ago, I still kept on accumulating more and more stuff - I just felt better about it because I was getting rid of so much too (does not make sense, but that psychology worked for me for a bit).  

Being in the preparation stage of my first big move has made me realize it now more than ever. I am seriously a consumer and, for a very long time, I was an advertiser’s dream.  But not anymore!  I have cut back on my accumulation of stuff substantially and I have been trying to be extremely real with myself when evaluating the place of each of my belongings in my current lifestyle. 

I have had it pretty great at my parents’ house; I have a large room with a large closet completely to myself, but I have also been able to spread out all over the house. The laundry room, which is neighbouring my own room, has a full closet that has housed all of my “future home” items (the things my mother and father purchased for and gifted to me, starting with Christmas in Grade Twelve, for when I move out - talk about hinting! ;) ) and the rest of the room houses much of my office-type furniture and belongings alongside the washer and dryer. The space outside my bathroom has a whole dresser full of my makeup, towels, hair products, and hair tools, and I even have a closet in the front entryway that is filled with my coats and shoes.  It never seemed like much over the years, but listing it here, I realize I have been completely spoiled with space. I certainly cannot fit all of this in my small room once I move.

So, I am still downsizing. Thankfully I have a month before I need to actually move the items that make the cut.  I do have the added benefit of living in the same city as my parents, so I do have the option of storing a few things with them. Out of season clothing, extra luggage, and not-frequently-used household items will probably make a home in the laundry room closet as we have pretty much no storage space in our place. 

Any tips on how to be brutally honest with yourself when downsizing? I am trying, but I think I need to be a little more tough!

Big Steps

In a little over a month I will be moving out for the first time! I guess it’s not technically the first time, because I moved to Muenster for my first year of university and I moved to Halifax for summer 2012 - but this will be the first time that doesn’t have an end date. My first legit moving out. It’s pretty exciting!  This certainly could have come much earlier, but there were many reasons why I chose to wait and save and spend a bit more time at home.  

As I prepare to move I have to hold myself back from going crazy purchasing items for my new home.  I’ll be sharing with two other women in their early twenties, and none of us have anything other than what goes in our bedrooms, the rest of our place is completely unfurnished and it is both exciting and daunting to think about.  

What’s nice is we don’t have any large pieces of furniture that we need to think about or work around when decorating, so we can really go any route.  This is a rental, so we won’t be able to change anything about the paint (our landlord is taking the month of June to freshen up the place - but it is pretty much perfect already as is!), but it’s going to be a light tan, so that’s about as neutral as it goes.  

I have a few ideas that I’ll share as time goes on, but I would love to hear some suggestions. Our living room and dining room are one long room, so we have a nice open concept, and there is room for a substantial dining set along with a full living room set. Any suggestions for colours, themes, textures, or perfect pieces that are on your wishlist?  Please share!