Living Simply

About 6 months ago we put our house up for sale.  Upon preparing for the market, our realtor told us we needed to de-clutter, among other things.  De-cluttering consisted of taking things off the walls, taking things off shelves, removing shelves from rooms, finding space to put things away, and packing up boxes of stuff we didn't "need" until we sold our house.  A lot of stuff in our basement got packed away and sent to my parents' basement, along with random items from the kitchen, bathroom, and other areas of the house.  In October, we figured it would only be for a month or two, but here we are at the end of April.  Thankfully, we are now close to moving and the SOLD sign sure looks great! 

What I've discovered is that I didn't miss any of that stuff that has collected dust in my parents' basement for 6 months.  In fact, I couldn't really tell you what was there.  Plus, I have been packing a box here and there for the past month, so there are plenty of boxes in our own basement of stuff I haven't needed.  So, the big question is why take it to the new house?  I have really enjoyed a more simple life.  First of all, it is less to dust!  I've never been one to have fancy decorations or trendy accents. I'm not worried about fitting in with the popular trends or having a Parade of Homes style house.  I like things that are practical or have special meaning.  That being said, I also get a bit nostalgic and keep a little more than necessary.  Sure, some of the boxes are scrapbooks and keepsakes that I really don't want to (and probably won't) get rid of.  But what do you do with that stuff besides keep it in a box or on a shelf and occasionally get it out to look at?

I'm really glad I was (by choice) forced to de-clutter and live with less.  I will be moving all of the boxes to our new house, but when I do unpack them, I plan to have a large donation pile and maybe even a trash pile.  I'm excited to really think about how to "decorate" and where to put away all of our possessions.  We will have so much more room that it will be easy to find a space for things and then forget about them.  It is my goal to not do that. 

I am so very thankful for how abundantly God has blessed our family!  I enjoy a lot of our material possessions, but I also realize so many of them are unnecessary.  I hope going forward I can continue to live simply and take pride in the much more important things in life!