Several months ago, and after the 6th time of moving in just two years, I realized that material possession were only tying me down and living with stuff had become a pain in the butt. So I decided to lighten the load and downsize from owning a household of stuff into just having a few suitcases of clothing, books, photos and a laptop. After having my first garage sale, I felt a major relief and then got addicted to purging and getting rid of anything that I couldn't fit in a suitcase.
I was happy to come across this website with tips on lightening the load. Here are a few good ones:
Start with a clean slate. Travelers start with an empty suitcase, and select each item that goes into it. Take a similar approach when decluttering: empty the entire contents of the drawer, closet, or room you’re working on. Then carefully consider each item, and decide whether to return it to the space. Choose what to keep, rather than what to toss.
Set limits. To keep his bag light, a traveler might limit his pants to two, his shirts to three, and his socks to four. Use a similar strategy to keep your stuff under control: decide, for example, to own only five sweaters, fifty books, or the amount of craft supplies that’ll fit into one storage box.
Live on the edge. The light traveler addresses her needs as they arise; if she runs out of toothpaste in Tokyo, she simply buys some more. Adopt a similar philosophy at home: instead of stockpiling stuff or holding on to “just in cases,” acquire things on an as-needed basis.
