Began Phase 1 of our 1 Year Plan today.......or rather PP did, by wading into our 'downsizing clearout' and tackling one of our garden sheds.
It is now noticeably emptier, and after all the recyclable stuff has been sorted and binned we are left three piles of 'stuff'.
Pile one - burnable rubbish which will go towards a chimenea night......possibly tonight.
Pile two - non-flammable rubbish which will be heading tipwards on Monday.
Pile three - good stuff which we just don't need or want anymore, and which is hitting Freecycle as I speak. Or at least some of it is as bits will be offered to kith and kin in the first instance.
At least the garden sheds are distinct entities.....it's the spare rooms I'm dreading tackling. Although if I take it a square metre at a time, rather than attempting whole rooms it might be easier.
Also over the coming months we'll be trying to recoup some cash by selling off bigger stuff which is too expensive to just give away.
I'm personally dealing with the trauma of listing the bulk of my work-related books, collected over a quarter of a century. Amongst other things they cover the history of costume, all aspects doll's houses & miniatures, miniature dollmaking, social history, reference works on period architecture and features and much more.
They're currently in various piles on the floor of the workroom and I'm working through them all methodically with the aim of offering them for sale as soon as I've got a definitive list. Many are now long out of print and I feel as if I'm planning to sell my children.
By the end of the year I have an image in my head of a pared-down, minimalist house and lifestyle which will then be ready for Phase 2.
Of course there is still the small matter of trying to run a business and keep the wolf from the door during this time of tumult, while simultaneously trying to prune away all the work-related stuff I no longer enjoy, and developing the stuff I do enjoy, so that it hopefully fills the gap.
Tall order or what.........?
Still, at least now we have a de-cluttered shed
6 comments:
I wish you every success with your mammoth clear out. I bet your find it hard to say goodbye to your books..
You'll get there, I am sure.
Is this going to be total retirement or will you still be making your fantastic dolls and toys?
Joyce
Debbie - selling my books will be a real wrench :-(
Joyce - sadly I can't afford total retirement at this point, so the next 14 years will have to be working ones. Just aiming to prune out all the work stuff I no longer enjoy and develop the stuff I do....ie the tiny toy dolls and toys.
Do you really have to sell your books? it is a pity. Good luck with your cleaning mission.
Personally I would keep the books. As you say yourself they are almost irreplaceable and you will so regret getting rid of them. Box them up and keep them at the moment. If when the time comes to move you haven't looked at them then think again whether you want to sell them or not.
A big move like this is traumatic enough without feeling you have to get rid of treasured items.
Joyce
I had the same quandary when I sold my gothic baronial mansion and contents a few years back. The hardest thing is letting the first few go...it then gets easier.
To be honest, many of the books I haven't even opened in 5 years so they would be better off with a more appreciative owner.
I'll be keeping all the ones I refer to regularly :-)
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