We have been downsizing our possessions this week. Minimalism is a popular term, but we have been putting that term into action! Our last few weeks have been filled with planning. Planning for our big motorhome travel adventure around Europe. Our house sale is going ahead and will probably complete by the end of June, so we have two months to downsize.
This will be a big downsize and it’s exciting doing it. Our eBay sale is going well and we have so far made about £450 from selling stuff that we rarely used. I have sold 3 guitars from my guitar collection, bookcases, ski equipment and clothes. Having sold these things I don’t feel any worse off. I haven’t noticed that my life is any worse since selling these things. In fact, our house is looking emptier by the day and we still have piles of things to sell at car boot sale and on eBay. Very little will be going into storage.
We have made a list of all the “admin” jobs that we need to do before we leave on our trip. We have to inform the bank of our address change. We will be using our daughters address in Cheshire. Doctors and dentist is a problem. Do we give them an address or just fall off their lists? We still have to think of the best solution. Please leave a comment if you have a solution for this. We also need to cancel all the usual things such as gas and electric, TV licence, telephone, council tax and any other bills that we normally pay.
In the last few days I have bought myself a 2TB back up hard drive and copied important photos and documents from my computer to that, so I can use it with a laptop.
I have been reading about living the minimalism lifestyle such as like on this blog and all about the benefits of living without too many material possessions and I must say that the more I read about it the more I like the sound of the benefits of living a minimalist lifestyle. So, what is “minimalism”? Well, the blog I have mentioned above says the following which I think is a good definition:
“Minimalism is a lifestyle that helps people question what things add value to their lives. By clearing the clutter from life’s path, we can all make room for the most important aspects of life: health, relationships, passion, growth, and contribution”.
Owning a big house with lots of possessions costs a lot in maintenance as well as heating, lighting and council tax. We own two cars which we will be selling so that will save us the cost of insurance, road tax, servicing and MOT, and petrol. What I am saying is, that the more we own the more hassle we have, so it makes sense that the less we own the more time and money we have to spend on the more important things in life.
Minimalism in action
Here is a challenge for you! Get rid of everything that you have not used for 6 months! Happiness is a state of being and not a state of having. The marketing teams of large organisations want to make us all think that we need something to make us happier but after the initial excitement of owning something dies down do we still feel that excitement? I don’t think that we do. The thrill is in the chase!
I’m hoping that our really important personal possessions will fit into the boxes that I took a picture of below or even less and these will go with us on our trip.
Read more about minimalism
Sold house and quit jobs for touring in a motorhome
Breaking out of your comfort zone to go travelling fulltime
Resigned my job to live in a motorhome!
Inspiration for motorhome destinations
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