Guest post by Sarah of The Jelly Jars
Over the course of the last year, my husband and I have completely rewritten our life plans, moved away from the city we thought we would retire in, said goodbye to our best friends, gave away 1/3 of our possessions, and downsized our living situation from a 2600 square foot home to a 900 square foot apartment as we pursue this new dream.
The biggest surprise for me in this whole journey has been how much I’ve loved downsizing!
Here is what I have learned in the process:
1. I only own what I love.
In cutting down on our possessions, we asked a lot of questions. Did the item have great value – was it of high quality, an investment that we made? Did the piece have great sentimental worth – were we tied to it because of family history or special memories? Did the item serve a specific purpose – does it serve a necessary function in our home?
If an item met certain criteria, we kept it. If not, it was donated.
2. I don’t need as much as I think I do.
Because of this process of downsizing, I realized I had accumulated so much stuff without even realizing it. Our basement was filled with boxes of decorations and extra clothes and anything I wanted to hold on to “just in case I need it one day.”
But now, without these extra items, I realize that I am still content and still can live a full and joy-filled life because life is not made full by material possessions.
3. I opened up room in my life for things that mattered.
I am no longer worried about that season’s trends or decorations or the fact that I need a better mail organizer.
My heart is less tied to material possessions and is now more available to the little gifts that I see in our moments and sprinkled throughout our days.
4. I gained perspective.
It’s so easy to compare yourself against advertisements or movies or even your neighbors and friends, thinking you need more and more to keep up. But when I looked at our possessions with a different perspective, I saw how very much we have and that we actually are very well taken care of.
Once I silenced the driving need to keep up with friends or commercials, I have been able to find contentment with what we already have rather than being discontent with what I wish my life looked like.
The process of simplifying helped me to clean out our home yes, but even more so it helped bring about a new way of thinking for us.
Now we are much less apt to buy something without truly evaluating if it is worth it to us or if it is just a purchase to satisfy a short-term desire, and we have found much more contentment through no longer buying into the belief that we always need more.
Sarah is a mountain-loving, dark chocolate-eating, Frank Sinatra-listening, owie-kissing, truth-telling, freelance writer/blogger who seeks out a passionate life with her husband and two kiddos. She writes at The Jelly Jars.
Feeling Overwhelmed With Managing Your Life & Home?
I've talked some about The Ultimate Homemaking Bundle this week and I hope you've had a chance to check it out. It's an AMAZING collection of resources — many that I've already read and benefited so much from and many more that I cannot wait to read myself!
There are so many great resources in this bundle, including:
You get all of these + many, many more ebooks, printables, ecourses, and free bonuses for just $29.97 total! That's a steal!
Grab your copy of The Ultimate Homemaking Bundle here. Or, learn more about why I'm wholeheartedly endorsing this Bundle here.
It's only available until Monday so you'll want to get it while you can!
Click here for more info or to buy now.
photo source
