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Hi, I’m Ashley.

In 2016, my husband and I sold our home and most of our stuff and moved into a fifth wheel travel trailer. I’ve always been sentimental by nature, and I also hate to throw anything away that could still be useful, so letting go of even the most insignificant items was a process for me.

Over the months as we prepared to move into our RV, I researched to find the best ways to give my things a new useful life, selling them for cash when possible and doing good with them when not. I also came up with a process that helped me break the emotional attachment to things I no longer needed, and break the task into manageable chunks.

In this blog I hope to share with you tips and resources that helped me with downsizing, so you too can make your goal of downsizing a reality.

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Read what others have said:

“I had nearly all of my mother’s things in boxes and stuffed in closets because I couldn’t bring myself to let it go. I pulled it all out one day and realized I wasn’t doing her memory any favors by having it all hidden. So I decided the best gift would be to let someone else love it as much as she did.

I chose a few things to keep for myself but my rule was that it had to have a special memory to me in particular or it had to be a multi-tasking piece if I wanted to keep it just because. Letting it go for someone else to love and share keeps the memories going.”

-Selena Holder
Read what others have said:

“I started thinning things out about 3 years before I retired. I gave family items to sisters or my daughter. In the end there was still a garage full of things I could not recoup the finance or feelings from. I gritted my teeth and called the charity truck to come pick it up.

So far there have been no regrets. Discovered that the emotional attachments do not carry over to others. Once the item is gone the attachment fades. If you need to remember those things, take pictures with your phone and file the pics in a special folder.”

-Vivian Colony
Read what others have said:

“I am in the process of downsizing waaay down, too. I also have so much art stuff and tons of sentimental items that I have been dragging around with me for years and years.

Just today I forced myself to dump a ton of photos, albums, and letters…and you know what? It was okay. I did have my daughter with me and I actually asked her permission to toss…not that I needed it…but it seemed to really help me let go. I did keep a few pics and items, but no more than what fits into a small storage box.

I think that today was the hardest, and really do feel that after purging all that sentimental ‘stuff’ it will be a whole lot easier to tackle the rest. I know I (and anyone else who purges) will feel sooo much better when it is all said and done. It’s weighing us down! (And no, our kids don’t want it and shouldn’t have to deal with it.)”

-Shawn Bryan