Minimalist packing to move
Minimalist Moving - Benefits and Strategies| written by Chris 0 comments Most people wouldnt put the process of moving from one home to the next very high on their list of favorite activities. For most, its an expensive, stressful process that requires weeks of planning. Our family is about to be a part of the millions of people that will move this year, but were hoping our minimalist lifestyle provides for a very different experience. Show Our Last Move - What We BroughtWhen we moved into this house, we were two recent college graduates. My wife had just graduated and I had been out for two years. For both of us, our possessions were very much college gear - the furniture, place settings, etc that we had carried around with us over our time in school. At a high level, heres what we brought when we moved in 10 years ago:
Not included here was the endless boxes and bins of paperwork, books, sentimental items, andjunk. Despite the length of the list, our 1900 square-foot house felt woefully unfurnished when we moved in.
It quickly became obvious that we needed to buy more stuff but we didnt have the money to buy everything right away. Thankfully, we were disciplined enough to avoid financing furniture, but that didnt stop us from dedicating time and money to fill the voids in our home. Over the next several years, we furnished each room, buying new couches, desks, coffee tables, beds, and so on. Throw in clothes, kitchen items, and toys for our growing family and we had very quickly solved our empty house problem. Fast Forward to TodayOver the years, we learned that a full house doesnt necessarily mean a full life and we did pulled a 180 with our finances and our focus on stuff. We parted with half of our possessions, and in other cases, even more. Its been an incredible journey. With our moving day just a week away, heres our packing list:
Thats it. Were moving less stuff out as a family of five than we moved in as a young couple. (Tweet this ) Moving as a MinimalistWhile the benefits of having less stuff to move may be obvious, its worth taking a look at just how different moving as a minimalist can be. A Cheaper MoveEven if we hadnt minimized, we wouldnt have planned on paying a moving service. That said, with how much stuff we had (and how big some of the items were), we certainly would have needed to rent a moving truck - our minivan wouldnt cut it. Based on a quick search, the smallest truck we could get for our move date after taxes, fees, and making multiple trips would have cost $150. With our downsized lifestyle, Im estimating well be able to make the full move in 2-4 trips with our minivan - no moving truck required. The same number of trips and $150 cheaper is nice, but theres an even bigger financial impact from our minimalist lifestyle - the reduced cost of our new living space. A Cheaper PlaceBecause weve practiced living smaller, were able to drop from four bedrooms to two, from two living rooms to one, and from three bathrooms to two. Looking at comparable rentals, were saving $550 a month if we hadnt been able to make that change. In addition, by being a one car family, we were able to get an apartment with a one-car garage instead of a two-car garage. For comparable units, this is saving us $175 a month. Put those two together and our housing cost is roughly half of what it had been. Instead of a $1700/month lease, we were able to lock in at $975/month, saving us $8,700 in rent next year. Way Less StressWe dont have a ton of items to take apart and reassemble. We dont have boxes upon boxes of unknown items that were hauling, hoping that its worth the effort get them into to our new place. Were already going to have enough going on with moving our family of five. Knowing that we can do the move ourselves in one day takes a lot of the stress out. Moving if Youre Not a Minimalist (yet)I wouldnt recommend minimizing your stuff only for the sake of having an easy move. That said, the benefits of downsizing your things reach far and wide - from the financial to the mental and spiritual. If you are going to be moving, you have the perfect opportunity to assess what you really need in your life. Here are some tips as you get ready for moving day:
Consider a Packing PartyFinally, remember that minimizing your stuff doesnt end once youve moved in. Im a big fan of the packing party concept from The Minimalists. Once youve moved in, resist the urge to unpack everything. Only pull items out when you are ready to use them. After a few months, take note of how much stuff is still sitting in those boxes and start thinking about what you can part with. Even with how little we own, we plan to follow the packing party mentality with this move as a way to measure where were at. Moving DayWhile you may not have a move planned on the same timeline, youre almost certain to have one in the coming years. Consider how you can start minimizing your stuff now - itll help make your move a whole lot easier and youll see the benefits of living with less for years to come. If youre interested in learning more about minimalism, I highly recommend you check out these resources:
How was your last move? Do you still have boxes in your basement that you havent opened? If youve got plans to move in the future, how stressed are you about the concept of moving all your stuff? Keep Reading Prev NextTrack your money your wayUse our app, Thrifty, to track and understand your finances so you can create your freedom. We've designed Thrifty so you can customize your experience. Personalize your income, tax, expense and savings categories to track your money your way. Track Your Spending Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.
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