Ah the joys of moving! We recently moved for the first time in 9 years! And though I constantly reassess our belongings through regular decluttering, 10 minute Tuesdays, and even the occasional garage sale; I still found items to let go of.
Have you ever heard the decluttering strategy to imagine you are moving as you sort through your home? Moving lets you look at your possessions with a fresh perspective. As you imagine trekking each item with you to your new home, you can really get to the heart of what to keep and what to toss.
I was pleased that the packing was relatively painless. However, once we got to our new home, I was surprised at how much from our old place wasn’t needed or just no longer worked for us. One big surprise was the beloved Expedit bookshelf from Ikea that I used to store toys in my daughters room.
In our first home we were blessed with a large bedroom and so the two large furniture pieces, the Expedit bookshelf and the girls bunk beds were across the room from each other and seemed to balance each other.
In the new, much smaller room the only place the Expedit worked was right next to the bunk bed and so the tall combo side by side towered over you and felt visually overwhelming.
Thanks to craigslist, I was able to sell the tall Expedit for only $10 less than what I originally paid for it used on craigslist. I love the idea that I “rented” it for 3 years for only $10.
For weeks I was on the look-out for a craigslist-ed half size Expedit (2×4) bookshelf. I knew that smaller size would work perfectly in the new room. Apparently white is not as popular as the brown Expedit because that is all I found for sale. Finally, after a month of fruitless craigslist hunting, I splurged for a new one at Ikea for $69 and used the money from selling the tall Expedit.
The half-size was a perfect fit under the window.
Of course a smaller bookshelf meant rethinking which toys stay in the room. I already pare down toys quite often. We rotate our toys so that as toys lose their allure, long forgotten toys are brought out to freshen up the options. This happens every month or two so it is easy to reassess what is still enjoyed and what is no longer enjoyed as much or used at all.
Luckily, I just happen to be in the middle of a fabulous book, Simplicity Parenting
, that was cheering me on to rethink the toys I kept. Without getting into too much detail, the book discusses research that points to the importance of focusing on toys that allow children to use their imaginations.
Toys like the cash register, tea set, blocks and figures won the coveted spots in the new bookshelf.
I donated a few more toys and packed up some to put in the garage. It is funny how the girls haven’t said one thing about them . The packed up ones in the garage may even be donated
I now had room to create a more dedicated craft space with supplies kept close at hand.
On the other side of the room there are a few more toys hidden away on the upper shelf similar to a toy library, as Young House Love dubbed it.
We took off the closet doors when we got new carpet and so far I am loving the openness. I hung up curtains from Ikea, the simple Vivan with a sheer tulle (to make it fancy), with tension rods in case we need to cover up a huge mess. Thankfully there hasn’t been any emergency curtain closures yet.
Even with the toy purge, the closet still needed a pinch more room. We were spoiled with a lovely walk-in closet at our old place. A few hooks behind the bedroom door gave a touch more function that the closet was missing.
Despite the fact that everything from the girls’ old room would technically fit in their new, much smaller room, I have found that a stuffed room is overwhelming both literally and visually. Having less “stuff” definitely makes a difference and keeps things simplified. No matter how organized the toys are, too much stuff will still be overwhelming.
It is like what I once heard Peter Walsh say, “Have you noticed once a room is emptied, kids will start running around and spinning?” Note: I am paraphrasing with an Australian accent of course. I need to give my girls more room to spin around and use their own imagination.
My girls are happier and actually use a wider variety of their items since they can easily see and find what they have. Plus the bunk bed has more room to breathe.
Believe me, the room is not often this clean, but when it does need a pick up, less stuff is more. A quicker, easier pick up equals happy girls and less stressed mom.
Where have you found less is more in your own home? Are there items you have been internally arguing with you yourself about what to get rid of?
