Having moved three times in my first three years of marriage, I began to expect it as a way of life for my hubby and me.
In fact, when we moved from New York City to Nashville, I was certain we’d be headed back “home” within a couple of years.
And now over ten years later, we’re still here – in the same house we started in. What an unexpected place to break the cycle.
Moving is hard, isn’t it?
Even when you’re really looking forward to your new home or city, it’s a pain in the rear to rummage through, organize, and pack up years worth of stuff only to go through the tiresome process of unpacking and rearranging it all again, shortly thereafter.
I’m not gonna lie. Moving’s not fun.
But, there is a silver lining. (There always is, isn’t there?) 😉
It gives you the opportunity to plan your new space on a clean slate.
If a room swap, renovation or full-on move is on the horizon for you in 2016, today’s video will give you three tips to make it less cringe-worthy.
And when you’re done watching, here’s what I’d love to know from you.
What room could you benefit the most from asking yourself: “does this really need to live in my space?”
Hint: You can answer this whether or not you’re moving. And going through this exercise will help you get ready for the holidays too!
Okey dokey, sweet friend. I can’t thank you enough for your time, support and kindness. I’ll be waiting for you to shine your brilliance over in the comments. 😉
Sprinkling extra happiness on you this week,
Xo,
Mridu
I’ve gotten my living spaces under control and we know we’ll have a move somewhere in the next 6-12 months so we’ve already gone through and decided on the major things that need to come with us or don’t. The one area on the house we haven’t tackled is the attic. Ugh!
Tracy, good for you! Way to plan! Ugh is right. The attic and/or basement is usually the toughest. SO much stuff lands up in there. But the longer I’ve been going through my simplification journey, the more I realized that things that end up in our attic (that are not seasonal – like decorations) – usually have no business coming back into my house. 😉 We’ve either outgrown them, upgraded, or no longer use or like. Be ruthless girl!! You’ll so thank yourself when moving time comes around! xo, mridu
Ruthless is a good way to describe the thinking we have to be to purge in a major way. I moved 11 years ago and I got rid of quite a few things (donate or sell) while the house is the same size as the prev house, the spaces were different. I have so many things (big or small) that are home decors or collections that I used to be able to display which I had not unpack in the new house because I simply did not have the space to display them like I used to. The mistake was to let kids and new stuff grow in the new house in an uncontrollable fashion so now we have to work backwards to purge what we have outgrown or not needed anymore. The lesson is that we shall not make the same mistake again in the future. Being lean is good.
Love it Tiffany! And you’re so right. If you’re ready for significant change, it means you sometimes have to be ruthless. And you know that if you haven’t unpacked some items, they’re either not your priority or they simply don’t fit in your new space, so time to…Let Go! Awesome job. I’m so excited for your simplification journey. You are doing amazing!! with love, mridu
We are hoping to downsize within the next 4-6 months, I’ve decluttered quite a lot, including the attic, but it’s still got boxes of my grown up kids stuff up there. So while she is home for Christmas from uni, I am hoping my youngest daughter will help me by bringing all her siblings ‘stuff’ down so I can deliver it to their houses! Hers will have to stay for a few years. I also have a few things up there I could sell. My other big areas to tackle are my youngest son’s toys and my files of paperwork, I’m sure I don’t need to keep it all, however tidily!
Great plan to have deliver all your kids stuff to THEIR houses Sue. They’re adults now and should be able to decide what they what to do with it and where to store it. You’ve done your job! 😉 I bet you’re going to feel so light after all those boxes have been cleared. What a great holiday it will be! Can’t wait to hear about it. xo, mridu
We have an out of state move coming up. With two children, the toys and stuff just accumulate so fast! I think I have that under control though. The hardest part will be that my husband will pack a LOT of unnecessary things, tools and other things in the garage. Tips for that? I love your tip to decluttering before the move and then to only unpack what you need. I will definitely implement this 🙂
Darci, moving is hard, period. But exciting too, so I wish you so much happiness in your new home. ohhhh, the hubby stuff. Don’t get me started. 😉 LOL! One thing I know that motivates my husband is knowing how much it costs for us to move his things. Moving costs are usually based on weight, so the more stuff you have the more you will pay. Sometimes people don’t associate the relationship until it’s pointed out to them. Also, remind him how difficult it will be to unpack, if he holds on to everything. You could also find a charity you think will resonate with him and let him know how much he could help them by donating to them…like Habit for Humanity. Lastly, declutter WITH him. Many times we just don’t want to go through the process ourselves or even know how. But with someone guiding us along, asking questions about each item – that really helps us take action and make decision we otherwise wouldn’t. Hope that was helpful! And good luck again with the move! xo, mridu
Here’s an interesting twist to the topic: my parents are moving after being in the same house for 46+ years. I have a large collection of items that I amassed growing up that they’ve stored for me that will finally come to live with me across the country. Thing is, I’m not attached to it any more, yet I’d hate to contribute it to the trash pile. Any ideas of organizations that might want or other ways I could unload 400+ panda bear-themed items?
Our place is up for sale, no bites yet but a still good time to work at this.