Do you ever watch Tiny House Nation and Tiny House Hunters and all those other tiny living shows? I’m kind of obsessed.
That’s probably because my husband and I are working on our own version of this. We’re currently building a garage with an apartment on top that we will move into while we rent out our house. The new place clocks in at 680 square feet.
You should see some of the looks I get when I break this news to people. From sarcastic comments like, “Good luck with that,” to squinty-eyed confusion, it hasn’t always been the most popular news. Of course many others have said, “That’s awesome! You guys are so smart! I wish I was married to a contractor who could build things.”
While I look forward to this change, I’m never going to be mistaken for a minimalist. I like getting new things. I am actively fighting off a wave of spring shopping fever pushing me to get in my car and drive to Target because I KNOW they have a cute dress on the rack just WAITING for me to give it a home.
This temptation wins a lot. And when I get home, do you think I feel guilty? Well, I don’t. Not even after my husband reminds me, “We are downsizing …” when I walk through the door with my shopping bags. I only experience excitement when I have a reason to use my new limited edition Method all-purpose cleaner. Whatever gets you out of bed, right?
OK, I enjoy my stuff. But here’s the part I struggle with: I’m afraid I’m more attached to my stuff than I really want to admit. So who am I to tell you how to downsize?
While the idea of downsizing is romantic, the reality is decidedly more complicated. I want to declutter my life, my heart, and my mind. I want to spring clean until my countertops are clear and everything has a place. I want to be free from things so I can live a bigger life. How do I get there?
To start with, I am meditating on Philippians 4:11-12:
I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know both how to have a little, and I know how to have a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need.
Our American culture is hard-wired to want bigger, better, more, newest. But I want to be content with less. Don’t you? While it may be tough, let’s not shy away from the task. Let’s use spring—a time of renewal—to tackle this simplifying thing together! Because as verse 13 says, “I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me.” And I believe that can even apply to cleaning out my closet.
Four Downsizing Tips from the Delinquent
- Choose one drawer, one closet, or one cabinet a week to declutter. This is my goal in anticipation of our move. My hope is that tackling one small area a week will feel less stressful than taking on too much at once. Plus, I know if I wait until the move, I will end up just moving all the stuff into the new place.
- Be ruthless. That stack of papers you haven’t looked through in three years? Shred it. Those cords you have no idea what they do or what they attach to? Toss ‘em. That book you bought four years ago but still haven’t read? Sell it. (Yes, I went there. Books.) But do not start with things that are sentimental. You will never get anywhere if you begin with a stack of family photos.
- More storage is not an option. Of course we all need to store things like Christmas decorations or off-season clothing, but do not go out and buy those giant plastic bins to store things. If you’re not sure what to do with it, figure it out or get rid of it. Putting it in the attic does not mean it goes away. (I have learned this the hard way.) It may be out of sight and out of mind, but it is not out of your life.
- Watch an episode of Hoarders. This will propel you to declutter like nothing else will.
Larissa Arnault Roach is the marketing strategist for Lifeway Women. She loves to read books on her Kindle which has really helped with her book hoarding problem.
