downsizing...

The big move looms at the year and many things go through my mind. I have some work left to do the the house in efforts to ready it for the market. Some windows need replacing, some touch up painting and we planned to spruce up the basement to make it look a little less creepy.

The next home will be SMALLER and have a larger yard. The exact opposite of what we have now. We will be living with what we need and not swayed by character or charm that the older homes always hold. So downsizing from 4000 square feet to something in the range of 1500 to 2000 square feet. Under no circumstance will we go over 2000 square feet. I am not furnishing, cleaning and especially not heating more than 2000 square feet. I am so looking ready for the change.

I have owned four homes in my life and the homes have progressively gotten larger with each move. The first home I ever bought was 1440 sq feet and aside from the layout it suited my life fine at the time. The funny thing about that home was that I moved there from a one bedroom apartment and upon unpacking from the move I had already filled every closet in the home - a feat I still find mind boggling.

In efforts to prepare for the big move we have gone about getting rid of many things. The piano in the living room is gone, many of our clothes have been donated to the VA and we have started going through all the storage to get rid of what is not needed. It is a difficult process deciding what is a necessity and what we really do not need or use.

The basement in this house is enormous and an entire room of it is jam-packed with Christmas decor. We are huge Christmas freaks and any and everything Christmas is stuffed in that room. Including 12 trees, yard creatures, table clothes, dishes, things that make noise, things that glow, and everything that people send us to encourage our unhealthy obsession with all things Christmas. The sad part is that we have not been able to properly decorate the last two years due to being out of town for the last two Christmases. It is still unknown where we will be for this upcoming holiday.

So the process of deciding what to take and what to get rid off continues. I am debating selling my dining room furniture. Mind you, this is a BIG DEAL. I LOVE my dining room and it took me four years to locate the all time perfect dining room set. A set that garners many a gasp and quite a few oohs and awws, so parting ways with it will cause much emotional pain. However, it is very large furniture and that is fine for this size of a home, but not that practical for where we are going. In the next few months I will either decide to sell it or be damned and take it with me.
Downsizing is not without pain and sacrifice.

I am trying to see the bright side of the move and the new way of living. Fewer things to pack, shopping for new furniture and having maybe a reasonable heating bill. One thing I am hell bent on having with the next home is a working fireplace. This old home was built with four, but now they are all non-working and that just ticks me off! I also want a nice porch, a finished basement and a little larger yard - I see gardening in my future.

We will not know for sure when the move will take place until July. Until then we move from room to room and decide what furniture we like and what needs to go. It amazes me how much stuff we have accumulated over the years. The kitchen alone has so many gadgets and items that all seem so needed at times, but take up so much space.

It is time to attempt to live a life a little less cluttered.