Some Thoughts On Downsizing My Living Situation.

As many of you know already, I am moving to Denver, CO in approximately 9 days. I am moving from a 3 bedroom, 1,900 square foot house into a 2 bedroom, 1,300 square foot apartment. Do I need 1,300 square feet to live in? Absolutely not. But this was the perfect apartment in a perfect walkable area (it scores a 74 out of 100 on WalkScore.com, which calculates the walkability of an address by locating nearby stores, restaurants, schools, parks, etc) so I took it. I will definitely use more of this apartment than I do my current home, which has had 1 whole bedroom empty and closed off since I moved in last year. And as anyone who has been reading this site for a little while knows, I have been working really hard to purge my life of all non-essential items with the 10 Things Challenge. I am down to what I am taking with me now, and I am so ready to get started in Denver! While I am pretty happy with what I ended up with, I am sure that there are a few things I am dragging with me that I will purge as I unpack in Colorado, but we shall see.

apartment
The courtyard of my new apartment

As I have been going through this process of purging and packing and prioritizing, there were a few questions and ideas I had to keep in the front of my mind. And since you guys read this site for the very reason I started it, so we can call simplify our lives and get organized, I figured I would share what I have been thinking about “stuff” lately. I honestly don’t think I have had this little amount of “stuff” since I was in college, collecting used furniture off street corners so we had a place to sit. It feels nice to purge so much from my life and begin to really realize that most of it is just “stuff” and not at all important or worth keeping. If you are planning on downsizing any time soon, I suggest you go through the following questions (as I did) as you go through your belongings:

  • Why do I still have this?
  • When was the last time I used it?
  • Can I take a picture of this to remember it and give it to someone who can actually use it?
  • Do I own this to impress others or to make myself happy?
  • Will I ever use this again?
  • Could someone else benefit from this more than I can?
  • What value does this bring to my life?
  • Instead of keeping this, can I rent one for the few times I will ever need it?

The less you own, the less you have to move, store, clean, maintain, display, etc. And really, who needs all this stuff we have anyway? A few sentimental items, along with some furniture and electronics, is all I need. It took me until the last year or so to realize it, but I truly enjoy knowing exactly what I have and where it is, and I look forward to my new minimal, orderly, simple apartment life in Colorado!

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