We finally managed to get all our possessions down to hand luggage. It was weeks of sorting and repacking but we paired down to absolute essentials. Okay, I may have a couple of large suitcases stored with stuff that may be essential in the future, and we have to buy a few things such as underwear pretty quickly, but it’s not bad. This is how much stuff came out of our apartment for a yard sale:
While this process was stressful and exhausting, I learnt some valuable lessons:
- Our family had way, way too much stuff! I will NEVER let it accumulate like this again.
- Stuff really isn’t that important. People, pets, doing things you enjoy, your health etc. are important.
- You shouldn’t get nostalgic about objects, just because they bring back memories. The memories are fine in your head, not cluttering up your living space.
- Only keep things that are very useful and only keep clothes that are functional AND bring you joy (thank you Marie Kondo).
- You shouldn’t have so much stuff that keeping it organized stops you from doing the activities that you love.
I now have to figure out what an ideal amount of belongings is as we move to our new island. I’m a sucker for kitchen gadgets, so I’ll have to watch that habit. I’ve also realized that I tend to hang on to things incase they will be useful in the future, and I found out from reading articles online, that this is a hoarder habit. Scary. I’m determined that we will be a minimalist household from now on, something that will be hard with two children. Relocating from a small island may be incredibly difficult, but it’s also been very liberating.
Notes from my Hammock 