The Great Basement Renovation
We are in the middle of the Great Basement Renovation.
The baby stuff is done. Mostly. There are probably still boxes in there underneath other boxes, but the vast majority of the baby stuff is out of the house. The stuff we kept is going to be here for the long-haul; the most special toys that the twins wanted the ability to revisit ironically during their teen years, a few outfits that mean a lot to me, a few odds and ends to have around when people bring babies over to our house (such as toys and a clip-on high chair for dinner parties).
We’re currently in the middle of culling the bookcases and redoing the main hang-out area; putting in a new sofa and moving down a gaming system. We’re calling it the “teen” room, and I keep clapping my hands and saying things like, “Oh, isn’t it swell? You’ll be able to have your little friends over for punch and cookies in the teen room!” And then the twins roll their eyes at me and return to giving away their childhood.
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This is the problem with organizing; I want it to happen faster. I want it to be done, now. I want the old sofa out, immediately. I want the new sofa chosen and in-place, two seconds after the old sofa is gone. I want the piles to magically disappear, the books instantly donated, the whole project behind us.
I will say that it has helped to tackle it backwards in order of difficulty vs. importance. The sofa situation is so much larger and important to deal with so the room is usable. But the baby stuff was the most difficult to part with, so it helped to have it behind us instead of looming large.
Soon we will be down to just random boxes of tchotchkes and papers, and then we’ll start tackling all the other living spaces. It’s a little addictive getting rid of stuff. I’m not going lie; as much as I dreaded giving away even one book at first, after I broke the seal and dropped the first few in the bin, I became obsessed with tossing everything. And after I saw the neat shelves, I started thinking about everything else in the house that I wanted gone.
It’s about gaining breathing space.
9 comments
It feels really good to purge stuff from your house. Makes you feel a little lighter.
Oh this sounds fantastic. I love purging. I mean, except for baby stuff. As I commented on another post, that stuff has to go to someone I love or I can’t do it. But everything else? Donate, donate, donate. And then breathe…. Enjoy this project!
Loved your post on The Great Basement Renovation. It must have been very emotional to revisit all the baby items. I understand those feelings. I still keep a little pink stuffed duck I received in 1965 during my only pregnancy, which ended in a miscarriage. I’m too sentimental to let it go.
I’m moving on to books and old DVDs next. Four bookcases full. This will be hard because, well it’s mainly books. I’m thinking if you can do it so can I. Thanks for the push!
I agree with you about both wanting purging done and how addictive it can be. Even now as we are in unpacking mode, I look at the last of the boxes and wonder about just taking them to donation just to have this over with. And the thrill from clearing out the space truly feels like being able to breathe.
May the rest of this transition be a smoother process.
It does feel good to declutter. Right now we’re taking apart the foam mats we’ve had on the floor for 7 years…time to say goodbye to them and hello to our wood floor again.
Oh yes, it is a really powerful feeling to purge. And definitely addictive. We haven’t gone after our DVDs yet, but I think the writing is on the wall there. Most of them we never watch.
Congrats on the baby stuff purge. I know it was really difficult, but your whole house will feel so much lighter now.
I love the feeling I get when I’ve done a good purge! I feel so much lighter. I often lament the fact that I don’t have enough time and energy for de-cluttering these days.
It does get easier once you get started and get those first things out of the way. I have to admit, we threw out a lot of stuff before our move… and I honestly don’t miss 95% of it. (And most of that extra 5% would be books that I owned but never looked at, lol.) I promised myself that if I really, really missed something (especially a book), I could buy a replacement, , and so far, I haven’t had to do that. I definitely have packrat tendencies, but I have to admit, a house/condo that’s clutter-free (or at least less cluttered 😉 ) is pretty nice. Easier to keep clean, too.
Gaining breathing space can be so refreshing. I’m glad for you.