Every Monday I post Real Life Minimalists, a profile of one of my readers in their own words. If you’d like to participate, click here for details.
This week, I’m happy to introduce you to Agilborder. She decluttered a tremendous amount of stuff in a very short time, trading a house full of possessions for the freedom of early retirement. Wonderful!
Agilborder writes:
A year ago my husband and I found our dream retirement location, but we really had not considered retiring. House prices in that area were low and “live lightly on the land” was the motto of the place we chose. We decided that if we super-downsized, became more cognizant about what we really needed, sold our stuff and big houses, we could afford to retire now.
I began researching and The Joy of Less became my model for our future. We put our 8000 sq ft (yes it is embarrassing) on the market and although our agent told us it might take 6 to 8 months to sell the whopper house, it sold to the first people who looked at it for the price we wanted. The catch…30 day closing. This is where Miss Minimalist gets my sincere thanks. By using The Joy of Less as my road map, I navigated the mountain of stuff we had accumulated. For years, I had been the keeper of all my and our extended family memorabilia because I had the big house with lots of storage. We had moved 3 times, always to larger homes and just carried all the stuff with with us. DONT EVER DO THIS! Go through every box before a move and be honest about what you really want and need!
I called up my siblings and told them that I wasn’t keeping any furniture, limited memorabilia and just what we need in retirement. They were shocked (one even suggested I might have a brain tumor that was causing this shocking change) came and tagged what they wanted, got storage units (mistake in my book, but got it out of my realm) and I had movers pack and move their stuff. Ahhh! First layer of lightening done.
Next, I had to deal with everything else. With my college aged kids who are spread around the US, I used FaceTime. It was great. My kids started out saying, just keep my stuff, but with FaceTime I was able to open a box, ask them if they really wanted to keep “squiggly bear”. When faced with the picture and a yes or no or why? prompt from me, we whittled it down to a couple of memorabilia boxes each and a mountain of clothes, electronics, and stuff for goodwill. Second layer of lightening, done.
I found it much easier to make my own decisions about my stuff after watching how ruthless my kids became. But I still had a house full of antiques and contemporary furniture that I had filled the corners of my McMansion with; most had come from my family or our weekend antiquing habit. We weren’t allowed to have a garage sale or estate sale in my snooty McMansion neighborhood (what a crock) and there was just too much and too little time to Craigslist so I called in an antique auction house and a contemporary furniture auctioneer. This was great!!!! They came in, packed and moved everything offsite to auction. And I made a lot of money on all my “stuff”. I have to tell you how wonderful my house started to look as all these layers were removed. Any remorse? Absolutely none! Layers 3&4 done!
Finally I found a great company that would take everything else on the day before closing. They are called GoneForGood. Again, if they could sell it, they give you some money for it , but mostly they took stuff like mattresses, washer/dryer (mine weren’t snooty enough for my buyer ha ha) and stuff that I just ran out of time getting rid of. I personally hauled 15 pickup truckloads of stuff to Goodwill. Hoarder? Didn’t think so… I just bought a house with giant storage in each room and a huge basement storage where we had neatly boxed and labelled 30 years of “stuff”. Never again!!!!
We closed last Friday and got the big check. It feels wonderful! We moved clothes, books, some kitchen items to our retirement home and vowed to live with the minimal amount of furniture the previous owner left until we decide what we really want and need. There is no basement or attic and little room for storage thankfully. We immediately moved to our Ski house (I know- it is 3000sqft) and we are starting the process there–thankfully, no basement or memorabilia. It goes on the market once my husband retires which will be soon with the new 1:15 hour commute.
I just wanted to let everyone know what a help the book and Miss Minimalist blog was to inspire me. Over-stuffing comes to most everyone and the process (particularly my 30-day timeline) seemed daunting, but I got it done and I feel wonderful.
I will never, ever let myself get in this position again, and I know that we just got caught up in the “we can afford more so we should have and keep more” mentality. I know there will be some judgment here about someone who owns 3 houses but over-stuffing happens to everyone, and because of all your great stories, examples, and The Joy of Less book, we will sell the second house (furnished down to the dishes) as well and will be able to retire 5 years earlier than we dreamed. We are trading stuff for lifestyle, and it feels great living more lightly. We have a long way to go, but the big albatross is gone and the plan for albatross2 is in place. The weekly feed from Miss Minimalist has been so inspiring and I really do appreciate this community. I will continue to look for ways to reduce and I have to admit I really don’t miss a thing!
{If you’d like to learn more about minimalist living, please consider reading my book, The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide, or subscribing to my RSS feed.}
Wow! I am completely amazed and stunned by your story. I can’t imagine clearing out an 8000 sqft home. In fact I can’t imagine a home that large to begin with, but never mind that. What and how you undertook it is very impressive. Your family must have been flabbergasted. Ha Ha Ha. I’m very impressed with you and your husband’s decision and follow through. Well planned out and executed. What a way to “stick it to the man” as Francine would say. Whooooooeeeeeeee!!!
I’m always so impressed with what we can do when properly “motivated!” Great job on clearing and planning for more! Isn’t it a shock to find out that the things we “had to have” are gotten rid of so easily? Why that doesn’t strike us as we’re stocking up on all that I’d like to know… You go, girl!! :-)
Absolutely AWESOME!
It took me and my siblings a year and half of weekends to clear out and prepare for sale my parents 2,000 sq ft home. I am absolutely amazed you did so much in so little time! In my on-going quest to minimalize my own possessions, it makes my small condo seem much more manageable. Thanks for sharing your story and best of luck as you finish your transition.
Wow! Thank you for sharing your incredible feat – with the how-to’s! That is inspiring!! It really can be done!!
Inspiring!
I am impressed! It took us nearly three months to clear my father’s four bedroom house so we could get it on the market. It was the going through everything that was so time consuming. A large-ish house but nothing like 8000 square feet. I have cleared most of my clutter and now just try and keep on top of it. I am never going to leave that job to my family that’s for sure. Good luck for the future and your new life! Keep us updated.
Thank you for showing us it can be done – and quickly.
Your story is such an inspiration to me!
Good for you! I had to laugh at your family questioning if you have a brain tumor. So many in our society can’t get their head around less consumerism and simple living.
I also thought the brain tumor remark was hilarious. But they’d all been getting free storage for years, so I’m sure it was shocking. What a lot of work that sounds like, but so satisfying. You are an inspiration. If I had to clear out in one month I don’t think I’d be able to do what you did, I would just collapse in a whimpering, overwhelmed puddle!
That is so impressive! What a brilliant job you did there. Thank you for sharing.
No judgment here — I’m impressed! You have made a big life transition and I wish you much peace in the new chapter you’ve begun.
Thank for sharing your inspiring story…I thought it was awesome that you went in levels….siblings stuff, grown children’s stuff, your big items that you knew you didn’t want to move, then got to work on minimizing what was left…very smart and efficiently executed plan….in a MONTH!!
Funny how your family thought something was wrong with you just because you are sick of “stuff”, hope you will inspire them to let go of their storage units-good luck in your endeavour to continue simplifying to an earlier retirement.
I am always surprised when those who got free storage think they are entitled to it also… I have a brother in the same situation at the moment. He allowed another brother who moved out of state 9-10 years ago put a ‘few’ things in his basement that our mother had been storing when she moved. I warned him… (Been there, done that on a smaller scale with that particular brother. lol) They just gave him an ultimatum and he thinks they are so unfair for it. (Mind you, he is in his mid-50s. Ridiculous.)
Fantastic job, so inspiring!
Congratulations – I’m jealous! Can you reveal your dream retirement location? Would love to hear where others can live for less…
Wow, what an inspiration. We are moving in a couple of months, I have just been moving boxes around the loft and not going through things that have been shoved up there and things that have never been unpacked since we moved here. I will now open all of these boxes, go through the junk (!) and have a good clear out. What is the point of moving again with boxes of things I haven’t needed or used or wanted for months and years. Thank you for reminding me and inspiring me.
Wow you are one organised and motivated person! Congrats on the new chapter in your life. May you revel in your freedom. I have a small house and every time we have have a council pickup, about every four months, I go through and throw out anything I don’t need followed up with a drop off at goodwill of good stuff that can go. It’s a wonderful feeling to pass on stuff you are not using. I have to say that I also have no wish to leave a mess for others to sort one day and when I see disasters on the news, like planes disappearing, it also makes me realise stuff is so unimportant and we can’t take it with us. So, if we don’t use it or enjoy it, just get rid of it. Enjoy your new spacious life.
You’ve been blessed and I’m sure there would be those that have attitudes about that, but your story was very inspiring to me. I’m thrilled to see at the end that you don’t miss anything. And we ALL do accumulate! My hubby and I have moved many times and the houses have gotten a little bigger each time. Our current house isn’t near what you had, but it more than we need and I’m just DYING to get out it. But we’re not really in a position job-wise to go for that retirement house just yet. So we’ve been going thru all those boxes of stuff we moved from house to house to house without ever getting in them anymore and have become on first-name basis with those running Salvation Army. Our goal….to have all the downsizing done so when we DO get to move again, we can just move right into that small place we desire without worrying about all our STUFF….because its gone! :)Thanks for sharing your story. You are SUPERWOMAN to do all that in 30 days!!
What an accomplishment!! focus and determination, all I can say is BRAVO! and congrats.
Truly inspiring tale! That was a daunting task but physically and emotionally to do in just 30 days.
Thank you for your story. I feel your pain, as we have two houses, although neither is 8,000 square feet. :) Just having a basement and two car garage adds so much more room for STUFF. We have downsized to our eventual retirement home, but we still have the old home as well, and I’m slowly going through everything. Have been through many layers, but still more to go. (Some (mostly furniture) will stay until we actually sell the old house, but after that – it’s gone!) Other stuff is ‘useful’ but not ‘needed’. SO MUCH STUFF! Wrapping paper, old musical instruments, a sewing machine (useful, ever so occasionally), kids’ stuff, sports equipment…the list goes on. And on, and on, it seems. But we’re getting there and I’m very excited.
Agilborder,
It’s one thing to downsize a single home, but three? This is an amazing feat and I hope you are very proud of your hard work. Although you said you thought you were going to get a lot of hate because of your situation, I want to tell you I admire you all the MORE for it. My husband and I have lived in apartments and rental houses and it’s taken us 3.5 years of active downsizing to get where we are.
I think it’s fabulous you worked so hard and so fast, and that you are perceptive to realize de-owning items is a layer-by-layer process.
Our friends and family have thought it was odd that we’ve chosen to downsize, so I want to say you and your husband are very strong people to clearly act in such reverse of your past and to the dismay of your family and circle of friends. And that speaks volumes of your character and values.
Keep your vision of retirement in your mind as you continue to work toward your goal. If you’d like a cheerleader, I’ll be happy to email my contact info to Francine and she can pass it along to you.
May happiness and joy fill your new found space!
Jane :)
Amazing. You are really relentless & persistent. I cannot imagine how much energy & stamina needed to do all the clearing as timely as planned. What a drive you got! Highly applause.
Just goes to show, when you have the space, you tend to fill it. Thanks for your story and good luck on the next step of your journey. In a way, our latest move to a slower paced life feels kind of like retirement, even though our kids are still very young. The slow, intentional life is so good for the soul. Blessings!
Absolutely no judgment here — I think undertaking such a huge project because you are “over” the consumerism is so powerful. Awesome! I go back & forth with my minimizing. I go through extremes where I will purge truckloads of stuff, and then little by little, my house fills up again. I know I am not fixing the “leak” so to speak — not sure why I keep falling into the trap over and over when I KNOW deep down that buying stuff does not lead to happiness. It’s such a tough trap to escape. We have a fairly large living space, and I do love my space — but only when it’s open and airy without clutter…still a work in progress, but you are an inspiration! Thanks for sharing your story.
Also…coming from a place of being blessed, sometimes when you have extra money, and you realize that there is a saturation point in which spending money no longer makes you any happier, that’s a tough pill to swallow. I feel that when that happens, you go through a huge introspective change and you have to figure out what life means to you. It almost feels like why make more money in the first place if you are just going to come to a point where it doesn’t matter anymore? Does that make sense?
Great post. It’s not easy for anyone trying to simplify. Best of luck in your new retirement home!
No judgment from me–we all start somewhere. We have downsized to 2 bedrooms/2 baths and no garage. There’s no place to packrat stuff in to. Isn’t it a wonderful feeling?
Wow, what a story, that must have been such an experience!! It reminds me of this movie I watched last night called Boyhood. They film the same boy over 12 years (it’s scripted) and how he grows up. But there’s a bit with his mother in it, and she says something like, I spent half my life acquiring all this stuff, now half my life having to get rid of it (after the boy moves out and she’s all alone.
I follow this blog and let a whole bunch of “real life minimalists” stack up and yours is my favorite. I am 45 and have been living in a condo. I consider myself a minimalist, but I really want a house. In the neighborhood I want to live in most of the houses are larger. :( I do want a little more room for family to visit, but you make me re-think that. I want a garden, but maybe I am just fine right here….. to be continued.
Delightful story! Loved your sense of humor! I think 3000 sq ft is too large and the commute too long but in time that will be downsized too. I raised 3 kids all in college, sold the house, sold the belongings, and moved to another city for a better job and now am interviewing for out of state jobs a year later, knowing all I have to do is pack up a pull behind uhaul and go on my way. Ahhh! Such freedom. And to be nimble and flexible and leave on a dime is awesome! I am exchanging experiences for stuff too. That is the way to go and you have found that path. Good luck and good for you to have the courage to let everyone know you are no longer a storage unit.
I love how you tackled a big life change with such gusto! It just goes to show that it is never too late to take a different path and it is possible…even in a month’s time. Bravo.
Good for you!!!
We only have 2300 square ft and I know how huge our basement seems so I can’t even picture what 8,000 square feet can hold. I’m 39, and our parents are STILL buying stuff, but they’re starting to get the downsizing bug too (unfortunately they showed up at our house with 5 huge boxes stuffed with my brother’s stuffed animals and giant plastic GI Joe toys, to my wife’s horror).
You’ve inspired me to stop filling up now – before I know it I’ll retire too.
I’ve never lived in more than 1600 sq. ft. and I can’t imagine how you did so much in such a short time. You are an inspiration.
My husband called from a clothing store and asked about buying some new shirts. I asked him what 5 shirts he was willing to give away or use for rags. He ended up not buying anything new. This is having an impact.
I giggled when you mentioned “McMansion” and “snooty Mc Mansion neighborhood”. We have acquaintances who live in one of those, and are absolutely miserable. They’re in the process of doing the same very thing you did. I’ll have to show them your story. I dare say you have elevated yourself above both of those negative things and will start the real living. Thanks for sharing your incredible story.
AWESOME! 8000 sq ft! in 30 days.. but you prevailed.. it is very inspiring. thanks for sharing your story…
I have one small closet for my clothes and a small carry on suitcase for the out of season stuff. I’ve been going through my jewelry and giving away whatever I haven’t worn in 2 years. If you can go through a huge house, I can go through a shelf.
I keep giving away a big bag every week to Goodwill or the library. I took some books to my mom at the nursing home. There is not much I need but I realize I will probably never live in a studio apt. Or a tiny house. I just want more space and less stuff.
I can’t imagine 8,000 sq ft. The house my parents had was 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms and nowhere near that big. We’ve never lived bigger than 1600 sq ft. We’ve had 3 kids and their stuff in 1400 sq ft plus basement. I am always finding things to give away or recycle. A lot of our bookshelves are full of my Mom’s books and one closet has her summer clothes. Our den is about 8′ x 8′ so my husband can’t get the big TV he wants.
Every day I find more to give away. I have another pile of books to pass on. I also have several plants to give away. I have another bag for the YMCA day camp full of art and craft materials I haven’t used. More to give away later this week.
I have 2 small bins for my craft supplies. I go through them and pass on things I haven’t used in a year or two. I gave away ribbon, jewelry making supplies, packages of needles, and a box of beads. A friend takes broken crayons, sorts them by color and using a mold makes new crayons. I told her I would do the sorting and used paper bags instead of plastic bags to sort.