Minimizing material possessions as part of moving into a new home.

Recently I have been trying to find myself a new place to live. Between some personal changes that have taken place over the last few months and the possibility of earning/saving more money by living closer to work, I decided it would be a good idea. Last night I was making a list of things that I wanted to move to my new apartment. While looking at that list I realized I was making a list of categories of things and not particular things to move. Seeing my possessions split into about thirty different categories I thought it would be a good time to go through and see what I actually need to have and what is not necessary.

We all have clutter in our lives, but what clutter is useless clutter? What things can we put neatly away for the handful of days we actually need those things in the course of the year? There is so much in our lives that collects dust but it can be hard to come to terms with getting rid of it. So how do we get rid of it? I can't tell you how to shed the things that you don't need or use but want, but I can tell you how I'm going to do it!

First thing is first, determining those things that need to go. It can be hard to determine what is clutter and what is needed. Is my dictionary more or less needed or useful than my backpacking tent? Well really my dictionary might be more handy than my backpacking tent on a day to day basis, but I can't camp to comfortably if I don't have a tent! Which one can be consolidated? That dictionary can easily be substituted for the dictionary on my phone, my Kindle, or the internet, the only qualm I have with that is the loss of a hard copy of the dictionary. I can live without it. Consolidation, dual or multi purposing of items, and necessity of an item are keys to a items importance in your life and thus if you really need to keep it.

Another strategy I use for more mundane things like books, movies, and household item is whether or not I can remember the last time I used it. If I haven't used something in over half a year then I'm pretty sure I don't NEED to have it around. It might be a handy thing to have for that one situation, but is it really necessary to keep a large bulky item for something that might come once every two years? For me no, I can live without it, or borrow it from a friend, or rent it if I REALLY need it.

Now that we have decided on the things we can discard, what should we do with our newly shed articles? Well there are many options for you, some can make you a little money, some wont, and mostly they will be helping out local charities. My first option, for those of you concerned with making a buck on your old stuff, is selling your things online. I suggest venues like Amazon.com or Craigslist for most things. Amazon.com is particularly useful for books, CD's, games and movies, there are usually standard ads/listings you can add your item to. Craigslist for everything else, because you can name your own price and are selling locally so you don't have to worry about shipping. If all else fails DONATE TO CHARITY! The Salvation Army, Goodwill, Church Charities and the like, are always accepting things that people don't want. This is a great option for your karma to benefit from as you will be helping the poor and some really awesome organizations.

So I challenge you, my friends and readers, to start looking around your space. Do you see those things you might not need, the things you can live without? See if you can simplify a little. The simpler you live the less you have to worry about!