Category Archives: Laneway House

Our laneway is being built with maximum storage.  Under the bed.  Under the stairs.  In the walls.  Shelves and cupboards everywhere. But we will still have to get rid of a lot of our stuff.  From one hall closet full of clothes and one linen closet full of sheets and towels we are going down to…..nothing.  A few essentials stashed under the bed.

Junk must roll!

So far, in our winnowing process, I realize that I have belongings in “keep” and “toss” categories — but also in a third category — “stuff I know I should toss but just can’t bring myself to”.  Because darn it, it’s the sort of thing that makes you want to end a sentence in a preposition!

I look at this as a process, a journey as it were, to a tidy small home.  And that journey is made up of small steps.

Because we have to keep the place clutter-free for the viewings for potential buyers, I’m getting used to seeing my kitchen counters clear of small appliances.  I had to clear out a cupboard to make room for those appliances to be stored, and that meant tossing or giving away about 8 cubic feet of “precious” belongings.  They were some of the first things to go, and I can’t even remember what they were. I just thought they were important to me. But I realize that having a detritus-free counter is more important to me than those things I tossed.

We are going to live a much more minimal life.  If there is one thing the design process has taught me is that there has to be a reason for everything we have — our belongings have to earn their keep.

I’ve got some on-line support from houzz.com along the way to that minimalist life.

To me, the biggest obstacle to overcome is

4. “I paid a lot of money for it.”

Boy, truer words were seldom spoken.  I have an Australian oilcloth raincoat hanging in my hall closet, as it has hung in various closets over the past 20 years.  It’s not my style, but I paid a lot of money for it, and I just figured that someday someONE would want it.  But no one ever has.  I thought I should sell it, but it seems like such a hassle.  And who would want it?

That coat is destined for Big Brothers.

BTW, Big Brothers and other charities are friends to the de-clutterer.  Whenever they call to ask for donations say yes.  You will then have a commitment to remove some stuff from your life.

So I will continue to throw things away and give things away.  No more hiding things away.  To quote the above article

Life, like art, is all about removing and editing to make room for what you truly want and need.