Some of you may be in the downsizing phase and will be ready to go full time in just a few short months or weeks even!
Here are some tips to help you get started and to finish up the daunting task of getting rid of all that stuff!
Sentimentals
Yes, you have sentimental items too and little Tom’s handprint from Kindergarten back in 1987 is adorable! Pack it up and let him store it for a while. I mean, really, when is the last time you looked at it? I’m just being real here. 😊 Or, you can have it scanned and added to a USB drive or your computer and you can look at it anytime you want on the road.
It’s so cute!
Give those sentimental items to family members and close friends. If they don’t want them and you just can’t see yourself getting rid of them, go ahead and store them. It’s not wrong to have a storage area. I, personally, will have one too. I actually already have a storage building full of “stuff”. It’s the joke among the kids that when I pass, they have a huge job ahead of them. It is what it is.
But what about Auntie’s china set? I could never sell it or just give it away. Sure, you can. Where is it right now? Sitting in a cabinet that never gets opened? Stored in a box? Or better yet, stored in a box in a storage building that you haven’t been in since 2005? If there are family members that do not want it, consider a friend of the family that would take great care of it and showcase it. Still no takers? List them on eBay or the Marketplace and you can get some gas money out of it, or enough to start that emergency fund that you WILL need.
Auntie would be proud. 🙂
Boxes
For the rest of your stuff – start 3 boxes:
- Donate
- Trash
- Sell
That shirt from 1995? Throw it in the donate box. There are so many uses for old clothing that people go to thrift stores specifically for those old threads. Those parachute pants from the 80s? Trash ‘em. No one will buy them, and no one will even want them for free.
What sells? Tools, dishes, toys, kitchen appliances, furniture, and those extra set of golf clubs that’s collecting dust in the garage – maybe not for a lot, but it’s more than you had!
These old things? $20 is $20 more than you had!
Notice I didn’t list a KEEP box. It’s not that you don’t need one, it’s easier to start out without one. You’d be surprised what you get rid of without a KEEP box – at least in the beginning. Trust me on this one!
Books
I have a soft spot for books. I love them and I collect them – all kinds from Dr. Seuss to Stephen King. I instilled in my children to never throw a book away. Guess where the majority of my books are? Yep. Storage.
What are we supposed to do with our precious collections??? DONATE them or give them to people you know will appreciate them. Places you could donate those books to are daycares, nursing homes, home school families, shelters, and libraries. You can take some of them with you because you will want something to read at times. Just don’t take 150 books. You won’t have the room and you don’t need the extra weight.
This new lifestyle you are embarking on will be the motivation you need to fill those boxes! Getting started is the hard part but you can do it! After you fill one box…it will get easier to fill the rest.
Happy downsizing and safe travels!
-Workamper News Team
Thanks for reading the Gone Workamping blog from Workamper News. Join Workamper.com today to see all the new job opportunities for RVers, as well as the training and resources to confidently find the right Workamping job for you – easily and securely.
