I recently read that the average American home has 300,000 items inside.
After moving out of our house and into our camper, this number feels pretty accurate to me.
I don’t know how we accumulated so much stuff!
My wife and I have lived in small spaces for much of our relationship. We first lived together in a 700 square foot loft studio in a renovated mill building. The only door in the whole place was to the bathroom. Then apartments that were slightly bigger and bigger, until we bought our first stand-alone house in rural central New York, complete with a basement, multiple bedrooms, a two-car garage, a shed …and approximately 1 million places to store all of the things.
So, I guess it’s not a surprise that we accumulated a lot of stuff in the four years we lived there.
When you have the space, you’ll have to be very intentional and conscious if you want to keep it clear of clutter.
They say that one of the most stressful things we experience in our lives is moving.
And, still, the average American will move eleven times in their life.
I do not like moving. I like my space. I like to make my home the way I like it and I don’t like when I have to pack things up into boxes and resettle myself somewhere new.
You may be thinking to yourself, “then why would you move into a camper where you are CONSTANTLY moving???”
Because my home is the same place, it just gets picked up and moved to somewhere new every now and then!
The process of downsizing in such an extreme way was one that tested our patience, our values, and our spirits.
We started with deciding what we absolutely needed to keep.
What were the items we knew we would want when we returned from our year-long adventure?
Of course, the Christmas ornaments we’ve accumulated as souvenirs from our international travel, family heirlooms (of which there aren’t many), our good mattress, our road bikes, the casserole dishes my mother bought us, the quilt made from my late mother-in-law’s nursing scrubs, my preaching robes and other ministry items, and some other important things.
These items are all in a temperature-controlled storage unit for the time being. My wife says that if we need anything from in there we will be playing a life-sized version of Jenga to get them out!
So, with all of the valuables and important items packed away, what were we supposed to do with everything else???
If there is something I learned in the process of downsizing that I will cherish forever, it is this: If you can afford to give items away instead of selling them, it will feed you in a way you hadn’t anticipated.
We did sell some things - mostly items that we knew were worth something, and items that friends were going to be buying anyway. And, nearly all of those things we “sold” at a super low price.
Everything else we gave away.
We donated more than 15 contractor-sized trash bags worth of clothing.
We donated 5 bags of blankets and towels to our local ASPCA.
We set up tables at the end of our driveway and put other things out nearly every day for a few weeks.
Mirrors. Dishes. Kitchen items. Purses. Placemats. Picture frames.
Perhaps the most surprising things people took included used soccer cleats and shinguards, wrapping paper, and one of the tables we were using to display items (it’s fine, we were going to give it away …. Eventually!)
Our friends and neighbors took some things. We spoke with complete strangers in the process. People came back week after week to see what else was there. We explained that, yes, these things still work but we no longer need them.
And it was one of the most freeing experiences of my life.
I hadn’t realized how much stuff I had accumulated.
I hadn’t realized how many things I was carrying around with me that I never looked at or used.
I hadn’t realized how freeing it would feel to stop worrying about where to put these things and if I would miss them.
And still, when we packed up the camper, it was filled to the brim with stuff. We could barely close the door and drive out of the driveway.
The next day, we spread out what was in the camper, and ended up giving away nearly another half of it.
At this point in time, aside from our small storage unit and a few items in our friends attic, everything we own is with us on the road.
All of our stuff, two adults, and two 65 lb dogs in a ~200 square foot camper.
And, most days, when I look at the stuff we have with us I think to myself, “I could probably get rid of some of this.”
I feel lighter. I feel a sense of freedom and an ability to breathe calmly. I feel at home in a way I haven’t experienced before.
I feel more open in my being because there is more openness in my home.
This process of decluttering and downsizing taught us a lot about ourselves. Some of the things we learned in the process:
Capitalism and consumerism are gross and we should all stop buying things right now.
Why so much plastic???
There should be a way to opt out of all swag from all things (races, fundraisers, etc).
My wife apparently collects pens - we were both unaware of this.
I own(ed) an absurd number of bags - small, large, totes, purses, suitcases - So. Many. Bags.
Of all the things we cherish the most, pictures and illustrations of our relationship, travel, and family (birth and chosen) hold the most importance.
Some of the things we considered when deciding what to keep, store, or give away:
When was the last time I used this item?
Does this item spark joy or other positive emotions? (Shout out to Marie Kondo!)
Will I use this item in the next year?
If this piece of clothing does not fit me right now, in this moment, why am I keeping it?
Is there someone I care about who might want this item more than I do?
If it’s not a YES, then it’s probably a NOPE.
Invitation to Deepening: Choose one area of your home (closet, junk drawer, one corner of the basement, etc) to declutter and downsize this week. What are you holding onto that is no longer serving you?
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