Round Three Feels So Much Different

 

Since retiring in the spring of 2022 I have been steadily decluttering my home.  That first year I let go of A LOT of stuff, a lot of furniture and things that belonged to my kids, some they took with them and some we offered up for free on Facebook Buy Nothing Group.  I sold a few things, donated four various size truckloads of stuff to a nearby thrift store and even took a very full truckload to the dump.  When I was done I cleaned, reorganized with bins and labels and refurbished spaces.

 

I emptied all of these containers in my first pass

A year later I began to declutter once again as I went through every nook and cranny and gathered up an amazing amount of stuff I still did not want, need or use.  More trips to drop of donations, more full recycle bins and a bit more trash.  I took inventory of what remained.  I reorganized, consolidated, put new labels on bins and once again placed them into closets on shelves.  I felt really good about where I was at with this second trip through my entire house and the things I had chosen to keep.

 

I have debulked and used up a boatload of craft supplies

Now I’m midway through my third year of retirement and last spring I began the decluttering process once again as I was still feeling like I had way too much stuff in this house.  This time as I went through every nook and cranny in every single room of the house and the garage I felt different.  My decluttering muscles were stronger and I had more clarity regarding what I truly want my home to be.

 

I tackled the sentimental stuff and photo albums

This time I let go of a lot of the harder items I had been hanging onto.  A lot of the things from my childhood and my kid’s childhood was packed away in boxes.  They didn’t want any of this stuff and after three years they hadn’t changed their minds about that so I let it all go.  It was hard to but I was ready and I have no regrets about it.  It was time to finally close that chapter so I can begin the new ones.

 

I have downsized & streamlined my wardrobe

Along my journey this time I was more realistic about the things I was choosing to keep.  I let a quilt project go because I had an honest conversation with myself about why I hadn’t finished it after seven years.  I realized it was because I didn’t like the quilt.   Huh, how about that?  So I gathered up the topper and the backing fabric and I donated it to our senior center sewing & craft supply semiannual sale event and now someone else will get to finish it and enjoy it.

 

I got rid of boxes of boxes

I let go of things that no longer interest me, I no longer want or no longer wear.  I let go of things that belonged to other people that I had inherited and felt guilty about getting rid of for years.  I shredded documents I no longer need, I got rid of cardboard boxes (way too many boxes) that I had emptied or saved, I gave away food I knew I wouldn’t be able to eat in time before it went bad.  I used up craft and sewing supplies to make things and let go of the leftover scraps instead of saving them for a “someday” project.  It felt so good.

 

The junk drawer isn't so junky now

Decluttering my home will continue on a regular basis because I don’t want to fill my house back up and I know I currently have things that in the future I will no longer need, want or use.  I will continue to keep a bag or a box in the corner of the garage and make regular trips through the house collecting items to add to that bag or that box.  When it is full I will drop it off at the thrift store.  Papers will continue to get shredded and recycling will go to the curb as the wheelie bin gets full.  I will continue to focus on using what I already have before purchasing anything new and being really mindful about the things I do choose to buy.

 

The garage got a BIG decluttering this year

The beauty of all of this work is that my home functions so much better and, as a result, so do I.  It is much easier and more efficient to complete projects and my daily tasks and I’m saving money and time.  Instead of fearing Swedish Death Cleaning I embrace it.  I’ve been able to complete some of the more difficult projects like my end of life documents because I had a clearer understanding of what I ultimately want in that regard.  I also know that by the time I’m ready to sell my home and move I’ll actually be ready and that excites me.