You don’t realize how much "stuff" you have until you consider moving. When you decide to move out of a 1600 square foot home and downsize to a travel trailer-it is even worse! As we prepare for our journey 4 change, dealing with our belongings has become a top priority. There is only so much space in our new home and we don’t want to rent a storage unit. We have also accumulated a lot of sentimental items from older generations. We didn't know how to sort or downsize those things and it was stressful!

I began this purging and sorting process about a year ago, before the idea of living in a travel trailer or tiny home took hold.  I had stumbled upon an article about Swedish Death Cleaning shortly after my grandmother who lived with us had passed away. The article really made me look around at my belongings.

Sorting and purging items became my therapy. I could not control what was happening with losses in my family, but I could control my environment. It also was a walk down memory lane. A lot of items had been packed away and forgotten unseen for months or years. Many of those “keepsakes” were things my relatives had given me, and I had no idea what to do with them!

There is an emotional attachment to sentimental items and keepsakes. I felt I was disrespecting my relatives and friends by letting go of things they had given me. That isn’t true, but emotions were getting in my way of seeing the item. Guilt would wash over me for not wanting to keep some things. It weighed heavily on my mind.

After much thought, I started to ask myself these questions:

• Did keeping the item really show my relatives love or respect?
• How respectful was it for me just to keep items shoved in closets but not use or display them?
• If it were my own grandchildren, what would I want them to do?

Some soul searching revealed that truthfully, I usually forgot I owned certain items until it was time to clean closets or cupboards. Then I'd take the items out, rearrange them, and put them back. I never really used or even enjoyed the items-I simply owned them! I also realized that I was keeping these things to remind myself I was important and loved instead of the memory they represented.

Thinking of my own grandchildren, I knew I would want them to only keep special cherished items. I would not want them to be weighed down with guilt over disposing of something I had gifted them. Things would never replace the memories we had shared. I became sure that my own grandma would feel the same way!

The act of letting go of items is not being disloyal to the person who gifted it to you. Gifts are not lifetime commitments. Things won’t replace experiences or memories. I became sure my loved ones would laugh lovingly at me and tell me to let the items go!

Once I began letting go of items it was cleansing. Not only did my clutter start to go away, but a calm feeling began replacing the items. A feeling of pride would wash over me when I entered rooms that were now free of clutter. I began to enjoy the items that I kept. In places that used to be cluttered with many keepsakes, now the few chosen items really stood out. It made me happy to see them. I had not realized the stress of being surrounded by so much stuff!

I have since worked my way through each room in the house two times. Each time letting go of more items I initially thought I wanted to keep. It becomes easier with practice to evaluate an items value in your life.

As we plan our biggest downsize yet into a 27' travel trailer, I have many more belongings to sort through! We will continue repeating this process until we are satisfied with the number of items we save.

Letting go of items is a crucial step in our journey 4 change. We will keep you updated with our progress in future posts. In the meantime, we must get back to work after all-these items won't sort themselves!