It has been a few weeks. Life happened, and then I thought I scheduled this post. Turns out, I didn’t. If you’d like to learn a little bit more about how we’re getting on with paring down, and some thoughts I’ve had along the way, read on.

I tried my hand at minimalism awhile back. If you’d like, you can read more about that here. As difficult as it is, I really need to get back on track. Even though I’ll never really be a minimalist, I could definitely live with less things. While I try to have less clutter because it feels less chaotic (hard to explain, but hopefully, you understand) it is hard to achieve when there is little space and you have someone else who is also a collector of sorts. For example, as I look around, there are about 8 plastic water bottles. I don’t normally buy bottled drinks unless they’re from the Japanese or Korean markets. The majority are my partner’s and it drives me nuts. I have some things that need to be put in the recycle that are mine, so not everything is my partner’s. I finally got the pile of laundry sorted and the items I plan to keep were put away. I have a box of things for an upcoming post, items to send out, and trash to put in the bin. In the beginning I had thought about selling my clothes, but small amount I’d get back wouldn’t be worth the effort–Maybe someday I’ll open a consignment store. Ah, so many dreams, so little time.

The annual “spring clean” is happening a bit early. The goal is to have less, give more, and try harder not to bring in unnecessary goods. As of now, four bags of clothes have been donated, along with a hodgepodge of miscellaneous things we have laying around. There is still much to do, like needing to clean out the storage unit, which I’m halfway done with, and going through some storage boxes that haven’t been touched in ages. All we need now is a small shed for season items, post other items in the Buy Nothing group, and see if there is anything we can sell. It will be wonderful to not have the added payment every month, especially since, we are on a fixed income as it is.

In the past I’ve talked about needs versus wants. One thing I’ve failed to mention is contentment, which can be difficult to acquire. Over time, and especially within the last few months, I’ve realized that I’m pretty content with the possessions I have. Of course there are other things we would like to change, and we are working on them. All that being said, we wanted to donate some of the excess items that are just sitting around. There is an organization nearby that collects clothes for youth transferring out of the system and one for battered individuals, which are where my donations went and will continue to go. When it comes to your own situation, you need to do what is right for you. Perhaps it’s sorting rather than letting go. Or, maybe you are already in a position where you are already content, which is wonderful. Regardless, you do you. Everyone is in a different situation, and when it comes to paring down, you should never feel like you have to keep up with, or do, as others do.

What tips and tricks do you have for decluttering and paring down? Do you have any advice for maintaining life with less? It’s so easy to accumulate items without even trying. Let us know in the comments.

Peace & Love, always!