Simply Living, Part 1: Preparations

Shannon Buck - Columnist
Posted on Monday 30th November 2009

Think about life without all of the clutter, messiness and material possessions. I am trying to learn to live a more simple life in preparation for a move that I will be making. I do not want to take all of the things that I own with me.

Simplifying will be an interesting task for me as. I am a pack-rat by nature. Learning to simplify will be a challenge, but I believe the end result will make my efforts well worth it.

I am a list person. Nothing gets done if it is not on the list. I have written out the list of things that will need to be done in each room of my home before I can consider a move.

I will simplify one room at a time. I am not moving for another year, but doing these things now will help me get used to living a simpler life.

Step 1: Order

I chose the order in which I would clear the rooms: My bedroom, the bathroom, the hall and laundry area, the living roomand then the kitchen. Once that has all been accomplished, I plan to work in the storage room and then the shed. My daughter will do her own room.

Step 2: Clear

I will start by completely clearing the first room. Everything will be dusted or washed. This will make putting everything back quick and simple.

Step 3: Clean

I will then clean the room entirely. From sweeping the ceiling to washing the floor, closet and windows, I will clean every inch of the room.

Step 4: Choices

I will replace only the items that I intend to bring with me when I move, putting aside anything that I will not keep. This will free up much space, and it will make packing, moving and unpacking easier.

That's it! Those are the steps that I will take to simplify my home before my move. In part two, I will discuss how I will rid my home of the unwanted items without throwing them into the landfills.

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