So when you think about extreme downsizing--if you think about extreme downsizing--you probably think about sorting your stuff based on want vs. need. 2 weeks in and I think want/need is less important to me than use/have.
You can't get rid of everything you want, you would be miserable. In fact, I think of extreme downsizing as the opposite. By getting rid of everything I only kinda like, or just have lying around, I'm left with only the things I really want. Imagine a living space filled with the things you really love, the tech you touch everyday, the clothes that make you happy to wear, and the hobbies you are really passionate about. Imagine the time you would have to bake, or draw, or code, or read if you only had to clean the clothes you love, the dishes you use, and a living space just big enough to protect you, your family and a few useful things from the weather. Imagine sitting on your front porch in a wooded place, the house clean, the laundry done, and nothing to do 'til sunset but
So the question I ask myself about each article of clothing, each dish, and tool, and book is, "Do I use this? Or do I just want to have it?" If I don't use it, it doesn't go on the camper. If I just want to have it than I ask myself if I want to have it enough to take up space at one of our various storage places (Mark's family, my Mom's house, I may stash a few boxes at a friends house). The answer is usually no, and I can toss the item onto one of the 3 piles--trash,donate, or sell.
My laptop? Use - Goes in the camper
Mark's laptop? Use everyday - Goes in the camper (don't judge, Mark and I must be able to surf the web concurrently, or risk marital strife)
Kayak? Use, but rarely - Store it at the in-laws'
KitchenAid mixer? Use, love, LOVE. But we really don't have room for it in the RV - store at the in laws'
Kegerator? That's right, we have a kegerator. Actually, it's a keezer - or a converted deep freezer that can hold 3 mini kegs, has 3 taps. Mark did the conversion himself. This is one of those things that we REALLY want to have, but that we rarely use. We want to be the kind of people who have people over every few months, and so could use a few kegs on tap. But we are both kinda shy, and the prospect of entertaining sometimes gives me panic attacks. It has to go. - Sell
Dining Room table? We use it on holidays, otherwise it just collects junk - sell
My books? I love reading, and I like the way books look in a bookcase - but I don't usually re-read books and in the last 3 years I have bought most of my books in audio format or digital versions. I realized the series I really loved--The Belgariad, The Wheel of Time--were actually pretty easy to pick out from the stuff I just had lying around. - Most of them were donated, a few special books are stored at the in-laws'
Baby clothes and gear? CRY!!! Of course we don't use this stuff anymore, Jack is 2.5 years old and the size of a linebacker, so the highchair and bouncy seat were put up a long time ago. But I love them!! That's not true, I love the time in my life that they are related to. And I love the imaginary 3rd baby they could be used for. But it's unlikely we will have another kid, and storing that stuff is totally impractical. But little tiny clothes!!! Sigh. - Sell and donate.
And so on. A lot of things are pretty obvious, like the washer and dryer have to go - no room for them, and I'm not paying rent for them to sit in a storage locker. Other things I toss on the keep pile, but come back an hour later and move to the trash. A few things I have thrown away several times but Will keeps finding them in the trash and digging them out (most notably the Halloween bucket from his last Happy Meals).
I suppose one could do this exercise without moving into a smaller home, but the parameters enforced by a 30 foot camper, and the deadline provided by the ending of our lease really add a sense of
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