A few friends have been reading Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing and they were sharing their progress on social media. Never one to not read a book, I grabbed a copy from the library and have been enjoying the KonMar method of tidying. Yo, it’s amazing to consider the amount of things The Bee and I have accumulated in the years we have been living in our home. The things add up…a ball (or three!) of yarn here, a few books from the booksales at work, paperwork from school and suddenly the house is overflowing!
Marie’s thoughts on releasing items that no longer bring you joy sounds like a simple way to tidy and declutter and for the most part, it is. I was raised to keep things because, well, you never know. Well I now know…it’s clutter and it has got to go. To share a few things that I kept because “you never know” the coffee maker that is missing a part that I know I won’t replace yet I cling to. The DVDs that were part of a not so carefully curating collection creation that we don’t use because no DVD player and On Demand and Netflix. Clothes that are too big but the twisted part of my mind compels me to hold on to because a small part of me thinks that this weight loss won’t keep . And there are those toys that The Bee kept because one day a collector will some and that collector WILL want a that naked, scraggly haired Barbie who is going to be worth something one day.
That’s a lot of stuff. It’s a slow process because I’m a procrastinator (shocker!) and I see going through each item as an opportunity to stroll down memory lane. There is a goal to decluttering. Not only do I not want to see me on an episode of Hoarders, The Bee and I are planning to move in the nearish future. Yeah…I love my little home but it’s time for a change.
Verizon has offered some tips to assist with people who are looking to move. You can check them out through this link. Aside from starting super early (we have not even found a new place!) I love these two tips:
- Pack a suitcase or two. Include everything you need for the first couple of nights: sheets, towels, personal supplies like shampoo, toothbrushes, and toothpaste, along with napkins, paper plates, and utensils and a couple sets of clothes for each person in your household. Live out of your suitcases for the first few days while you get settled so you don’t have to dig through dozens of boxes to find your blow dryer
- Set aside a special “cleaning supplies” box. Load it up with household cleaning items you’ll need once you get there: dish soap, cleaning supplies, rubber gloves, etc. Keep this in the car with you, also.
These seem like “duh” like common sense but when we moved before it was chaos trying to quickly unpack and settle in! In fact, we probably ran out to grab a few toiletries and cleaning supplies so that we could scrub our house as we tried to unpack.
One other tip that we will need to consider: Decide whether you’ll do it yourself or hire professionals. When we moved before we had such a small amount of things that it took a handful of people to move us. Since that time, we have way more furniture, way more books and everything in between. We just may need the services of a stronger back to assist with getting us settled.
Thinking about this move is a bit daunting. The familiar for the new, while exciting, is overwhelming. I know the creaks and squeaks in my home, I know the neighborhood and my neighbors (yes, the same neighbors I have may have groused about on Facebook). Thinking about starting over in a little scary and nerve wrecking. Not only is there the whole new house and neighborhood to get to know (gulp!) there is the idea of packing and re-packing. One last thing that will make moving less stressful…Verizon has made transferring service simple with the click of your mouse. Click here to transfer service and catch up with your favorite shows while you unpack.
I am going to keep chugging through Marie’s book and clearing things. When the time comes, The Bee and I will be ready for our new space with items that mean something instead of clutter that causes frustration. It’s been a sweet trip remembering things but I am excited about making new memories to add to these old ones.
Back to tidying!
r’s note: This post is sponsored by Verizon Fios as part of the #FIOSPhilly Campaign. Affiliate links are used in this post. If you click through and make a purchase I will receive a small commission.
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