First off, it really is a mentality that you have to get into and not just something that is easy to do. People hold onto things for different reasons and downsizing can be almost traumatic for some people. So take baby steps.
One of the things that I like about Marie Kondo’s method is that in a way, it is spiritual. When we are giving away things, she says to thank them for the time that they were of use. As a horticulturist, this makes a lot of sense to me as everything that we use at one point came from nature which we should respect.
So being that some people have a hard time of understanding this method, I have some other suggestions.
- Clothing: Go through your closet and dressers and if you haven’t worn an article of clothing for more than 6 months, put it in the giving away pile. Now, admittedly when going through things, you are more than likely going to find clothes that you thought you had lost. Don’t feel bad about keeping things like that, but then go back in another six months and do it again. You will also have warm weather clothes and cold weather clothes. For those, get one of those vacuum sealed garment bags, reduce their size to minimal and have a rolling bin that is long but not tall and store those items away.
- Kitchen: You do the same thing here. If you haven’t used it in six months, get rid of it. Only get tupperware that stacks, you don’t need 10 coffee cups, or plates etc. And if you find something that you like at the store or thrift shop and bring it home, choose one item to give away in its place. Crock pots, Insta pots, and a toaster oven is a tiny home owner’s best friend. Don’t keep the good china out, tuck it safely in a tub with a secure lid, make sure you have paper, or paper towels separating the pieces and tuck it away. This is why a lot of tiny homeowners have either a loft for storage or storage under the bed.
- Miscellaneous Items: Toys for example, even for our furry friends. If it is not for furry friends, then have the child or children choose some of their favorite toys. Things like books are amazing and easy to store. Store the toys in bins, this also makes it easier for kids to put toys back. For other items decide what is most important to you. The best items are those that have multiple purposes or are keepsakes. Other items like blankets are important but have out what you need, and store the rest in the same kind of vacuum sealed packages.
- Tools/Craft Items: This can be hard, and as a tiny homeowner, my husband and I have learned that we keep most of our tools in our vehicles in a toolbox and only keep tools in the house that are used within the house. This usually consists of a hammer, screwdrivers, and even a Dremel tool with all of the additional heads for multiple projects. I even have a caddy for my cleaning, my tools for fixing small projects or hanging up decorations. That way the cleaning supplies are not all over the place and my tools are all in one place.
I will say, that Marie Kondo’s idea for folding clothes is very efficient and allows you to be able to see all of the clothes and it looks very uniform. And tubs or cubby boxes are always useful.
So there are some ideas on how you can downsize just because you need to, or to prepare you for moving into a new tiny home.
Wendy Hopping
