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If you live in a traditional home, the odds are that you simply have too much stuff. Our belongings expand to fit the space we occupy, and most of it we just don’t need. So rather than wait until you’ve moved into your shipping container home, take a careful look at your belongings BEFORE you move and decide what you can live without. Get rid of anything you haven’t used in the last year, or that you don’t feel a strong emotional connection to. You could even throw a “packing party,” which is where you pack up everything you own as if you’re about to move, then only unpack items as you need them over the next, say, six months. Those items still in boxes at the end of the six month period can be sold or donated. This would, of course, exclude seasonal items, family heirlooms, et cetera.
Another method for downsizing is perhaps a little less work, and one that I’ve used myself with great results. It involves simply getting rid of one or two items every day. Whenever I start to feel like my tiny home is getting a little too cluttered, I set a daily reminder in my phone and, whenever the reminder goes off, I look around my home for something I don’t need or use that I can get rid of. It could be as big as a piece of furniture or as small as a pen that no longer works. If, in the course of cleaning house, I come across an item that’s just in the way, I get rid of it and have completed my task for the day.
Of course, all of your downsizing won’t do a lot of good if you continue to accumulate things. As you start the process of going through your possessions and getting rid of the things you don’t love or use, discipline yourself to stop bringing things in to your home unless they are things you will absolutely use or love. This can be easier said than done. You could set a strict budget for yourself, or envision the item cluttering your tiny house. Find a method that works for you.
