One Project Done

I have officially completed one project of Operation Get Rid of Stuff, aka, clean house. It feels so great! Last night M and I went through the last of the books and now have about 3.5 book shelves full of books instead of the 6 before. Huge difference. Now we have things that matter to us on display on the bookshelves in our dining room and it makes the whole living space feel more like us.

Tonight we are going to sell a few bags of them and then try to sell the rest this weekend when we have more time. We have a lot of books to sell and I don't think they will all fit in my Bug. So tonight is stage one and this weekend will be stage two.

It is great having all this extra space and every time I get rid of something I feel a little bit more like I own my stuff instead of the other way around. I have done a few more projects around the house but the books were by far the biggest accomplishment.

All the money we get from the books will go into our savings for buying our own little plot of land. Homesteading is just one step closer.

Simpler Living

Yesterday M and I discussed about feeling disconnected from ourselves and each other. We decided to do something to get us back into feeling better and getting more refreshed. We started off by declaring that no t.v. or computer time will be allowed (besides allowing to put music on and to watch a work out video). The outcome was amazing.

So what did we do in that time? I started and defeated casting on my first toe up sock. I cleaned out the entire second bedroom closet and threw away 2 more bags of garbage (where does this junk come from?), started working on the foot of the sock, read some more about tiny living and minimalism, and made a wonderful cod dinner as well as organized most of our books.

The closet it self was a big project. We had the entire shelf above the clothes bar full of papers, half filled note books and things we just generally did not need anymore and had forgotten about. I went through every piece of paper and threw out everything we had not used in the last year (which was almost all of it). The top of the closet is now almost bare. M even asked last night what we were going to do with that space and I smiled and replied "I do not know." It is nice having the extra space.

Next was the books. I went through the book shelves and put books in order based on fantasy/fictional books and educations books and homesteading/craft books. That took a while. I am not even close to be done with it all either. Next weekend (because we have company coming over Sunday for game day!) we are going go to through the books and decide what ones we want to sell and plan on selling at least 75% of them. We have a lot. By a lot I mean 6 bookshelves, 1 closet and a few stacks hidden places as well. And these book shelves don't just have a few books on them, no. They are stuffed with books on top of books to use up as much space as possible. We love our books but it is time to let go of the ones we do not plan on reading again.

The dinner was delicious. Wild Caught Cod with olive oil, some herbs and a fresh orange made a delicious dinner and helped us relax after working so hard on trying to organize and clean.

We finished off the evening by M reading and I knitting on the couch just enjoying the quietness of the evening. Ronnie (my dog) cuddled on the couch with us and we just enjoyed being. It was a great feeling and one that I plan on recreating again tonight. A night without technology really brings bliss.

The Tiny Space

Tiny houses. It was a new concept to me until about a month ago when an acquaintance of mine showed me what they were.

Growing up I think most of us are taught that wealth and prosperity is shown by a big house. Prosperity equaling happiness in the long run. I, myself, would have never dreamed of living in a house that was under 1000 sq feet. Apartment living sure, but to buy and permanently live in something that small was beyond crazy! Who would do such a thing?

At first, paging through the images I thought this would never be right for me. I have way too much stuff. I would never be able to downsize two people's stuff into something that would fit into a shed. But I kept looking and looking. And while I still don't think I will live comfortably in a home that is under 500 sq feet it made me realize that happiness does not equal prosperity. It is the things you do in life, who you share your moments with, not the items you have. I had always known this but as spring rounded the corner it really sank in. The moment of balance came into view and I set off to start working if getting rid if the stuff that has been weighing me down and owning me to a point.

In the post before this I mentioned how I had been cleaning a lot, organizing and throwing things out left and right. And this was the cause. I figured that if I ever wanted to save up for a homestead I would have to start, most likely, with a small home and add to it when money and time became available. Start small and you cannot bring a ton if stuff with you. You only get to close the few items you need to survive and to have the sense of home.

I plan on posting more of my progress and hopefully some pictures to. I am hoping to have all of my items fit in just one closet instead of the four it is taking up now. Is it possible? I am not sure but I am going to try.