“Are you prepared to relinquish what you possess for what you truly desire?” This question echoed in my mind in the months leading up to our relocation to Portugal. Moving to a new country offers an unparalleled opportunity to declutter your life. Often, this means opting for rented accommodation for a period or, as we did, embracing a rustic life amidst a field while renovating a barn. Confession time: I’m a self-proclaimed hoarder, a trait I’ve carried for as long as I can remember.
After the initial euphoria of acquiring our own piece of Portuguese paradise, the crushing realization dawned upon me: I couldn’t possibly bring all my accumulated possessions.
I am not driven by materialism or desire for possessions, I simply collect things. Surveying our four-bedroom home, overflowing with mementos, artwork, books and various other items, I felt dread at the thought of parting with any of it. The stark truth was that we could only transport one sizable van load of belongings, encompassing everything required for our new, off-grid existence. We relocated to an olive grove armed with just a large tent and a caravan, so it was either downsizing or downsizing regardless of my feelings!
With trepidation I sorted through belongings separating rubbish from items that needed selling, donating, recycling or keeping. With a touch of sickness, after a while, I became increasingly harsh knowing what had to go.
The wonderful feeling I felt by downsizing I could breathe. It created space within my thoughts and house, and within a week I felt free. It was one of many self development lessons I learnt from Portugal!
As Ghandi (or someone) said, “There is no path to simplicity. Simplicity is the path.”
Whether you are making a move or planning to in life, clear out your things and you will never regret it. So free up your space and follow the steps below and clear up your life.
Measure Up
Moving country can be stressful and worrying, buy big furniture. If your property is smaller, work out what you need and what can go. Furniture can get good money and use this money towards good items which you need. That sofa you have had for years may not be suitable for your new place. See if friends or relatives can hold it until a later date. Or donate or recycle the sofa.
Divide And Conquer
Separating items you don’t want can work and find out what to keep. Each time I got more comfortable I got more brutal about what had to go.
Be Ruthless (but realistic)
Sort out what cant go and what you need. You will end up transferring boxes that you dont want. A house for many years can clutter your life and you always need to sort out your belongings. You will need to throw away things you don’t need. Things can be sentimental but it creates unwanted clutter in our lives.
Do a 30 Day Declutter
Even if you have lots of items, you need to create a keep and donate items. And after 30 days you should remove and bin, recycle and donate more than 500 items! Even if you have small notelets for gifts, add and create bulk from your pile.
Beware Of ‘Just In Case’ Items
We are moving for a simple life. Self sufficient means have what you need. Cost of these items is not worth it and dont be afraid to throw away unneeded items. We got rid of hundreds of books, I even had a box full of music books ‘just in case’ I decided to learn the clarinet again one day, most of which I would nostalgically flick through once every few years (or house moves) and would then replace safely back in the ‘just in case’ box. I gave them to a small orchestra group who desperately needed music and they will no doubt have given them more love and use than I could in several more lifetimes.
So there you have it, it’s not easy. You have to start decluttering to make a difference, you need to change lives each year. The freedom of creating spaces and moving towards your journey is great, better than keeping old socks.
Need a removal service? Check out the two brilliant companies we work with in our Services Directory
If you have already moved and have a spare, dry and secure space or building which could be used as storage, you could make some extra money with little effort by contacting us to advertise this space to our community to use as storage (for those who couldn’t face downsizing!) We need people located all over Portugal – send us an email today to find out more advertise@pureportugal.co.uk
If you have successfully simplified and/or downsized your life, what has worked for you? Let us know in our comments section below.
