Preparing for the move - part 1

This move is going to be a little more involved than any of my previous ones because we have to coordinate my move and my mother's move. We're not sure yet if her new place will be ready by mid-September or October 1st. It's still under construction. And as I've mentioned, I've found a place that I've agreed to rent as of September 1st. I didn't want to miss out on it.

What I've done so far
On Wednesday, I notified my current landlord. I will be paying rent for both places for the month of September. Although this is a little hard on the bank account, it definitely makes for a less stressful move. I'll have 30 days to complete the transition.

I've also booked the moving company for September 17th. I got an estimate that it should take 2 guys 4.5 hours maximum to move my things. I'm planning on making sure that it'll be less than that.

I'm so glad I started decluttering even when moving was just a far away fantasy plan. Once I'd made my decision to become a minimalist, I was then inspired to take action after reading Miss Minimalist and The Minimalists. Their books got the ball rolling. Then when I took on The Minimalists' 30-day minimalism challenge, I was able to get rid of so many more things!

After that I applied the KonMari method and I was able to be even more ruthless with what I decided to let go of! How? By considering what I truly wanted to keep instead of what I wanted to let go of. It's a little shift in thought, but it makes a big difference.

I recommend the 30-day minimalism challenge and the KonMari method to anyone, whether you're planning on moving or not. It's good to reassess what you own and get rid of the excess stuff that manages to creep in.

So with those two exercises under my belt, I'm sure that I can rid myself of more things before the move. Those things that managed to slip under the radar during my first decluttering rounds.

Saturday - 55 days before the move
I ordered a sofa-bed. It should be ready by the time I move. I'm obviously going to have it delivered directly to the new place.

I also started working on repairing the mid-century modern dressers I have in the basement. They need a little refurbishing. I need to change out all of the drawer bottoms on one of them and fix a pull and a latch on the other. I plan on using them in my bedroom. I want to make sure they're in good condition before the move. Otherwise, I'd get rid of them.

And I boxed up the video games and their consoles, and my daughter's father picked up a couple of big Cerwin Vega speaker pairs I had gathering dust in the basement.

Sunday - 54 days before the move
My mom and I cleaned out the garage. It was mostly her stuff that we brought over last minute on the last day she still had her old apartment. Before starting I asked her "do you really want to pay to have those things moved to your new apartment?" I'm happy to report that she got rid of most of it!

I brought shovels and a tile-saw over to my brother-in-law. I'm sure he'll be able to use them. I surely don't need them anymore!

I went through my kitchen cabinets and got rid of many of my plastic containers. Everything that was stained or damaged - gone.

In defence of the new sofa-bed
My friend Paul thinks that getting rid of the couch I currently have and buying a new one is not very minimalist of me. I don't think it's relevant at all. I don't believe that minimalism equals suffering or deprivation. Not that my current couch is making me suffer. I bought it second-hand from my parents. I never really liked it, but I needed a new one at the time and my parents wanted to get rid of it because it didn't fit their new apartment - I was in a house. It's a big couch that's not my style at all. I made due with it for about 5 years.

A sofa-bed will be practical. Since we'll be living in a 2-bedroom apartment, having a sofa-bed will give me that extra sleeping space I need for when I have over-night guests, like my adorable 8-year-old nephew who loves sleeping over at tante Dodo's.

I don't feel the need to justify my decision. It's my decision. I'm explaining it because I want people who are not familiar with minimalism to get a better understanding.

I think that the point of minimalism is owning just what you need and love and not letting your things own you. It's about regularly evaluating your possessions and figuring out if they still serve you. Minimalism looks different for different people. I also think that if you can get to a point where things are just things, I believe that it'll make life that much easier. If anything were to happen where you end up losing all of your belongings, it wouldn't be AS devastating. You'd just learn to live without or replace what you can and want.

So there you have it. I think it was a productive weekend and I feel that I'm on track for a smooth move.

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