Back in 2020, we made a big decision: sell our house in a neighborhood and buy a smaller house with land. A little space, a little dirt under our nails, and hopefully a little less chaos.

Sounds simple, right? Except for one tiny problem… we had way too much stuff.

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The Great Decluttering (Round One)

As we prepped the house for the market, I was determined. We were NOT hauling all of our junk into a new place. I had been on a relaxed journey towards minimalism for years — you know the drill. Declutter, buy more. Declutter, buy more. Wash, rinse, repeat. I was basically running my own Olympic sport of clutter cycling.

But this time, I was serious. We started strong. Bags of donations left the house. Trash bags got filled. Closets breathed again.

Did we get rid of enough? Nope. Not even close.

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The New House, New Hope

When we finally moved into our smaller house with land, I swore I wasn’t going to let clutter creep back in. And for a while, we did okay. Less space meant less room to pile things up, which worked in our favor.

But you know how life is. Packages show up. Kids grow. Business supplies sneak in when you’re not looking. Suddenly, I found myself back in the familiar place of “we need to go through this house again.”

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What I’ve Learned So Far

Here’s the surprising part: even though we’re not “done” (is anyone ever really done?), the house feels different. Lighter. Better. There’s just something about not being surrounded by stuff that makes me breathe easier.

I’ve realized that clutter doesn’t just take up space — it takes up time. Time spent cleaning it, moving it, organizing it, and stressing about it. Time I’d rather use for laughing with my kids, planting something new in the garden, or planning the adventures we want to take once my husband retires.

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The Journey Continues

Am I a minimalist expert? Nope. I’m just someone in the trenches, figuring it out one drawer, one shelf, and one “why did we keep this?” at a time.

But today, we’re closer than we’ve ever been. Our home feels more peaceful. Our lives feel less weighed down. And even though the cycle still tries to creep back in, I’m choosing to keep going.

Because every bag out the door feels like we’re not just unpacking stuff — we’re unpacking freedom.

Practical Tips

3 Things I Wish I Knew Before Decluttering

• Don’t wait until you move. Start now. Otherwise, you’ll just end up packing boxes of regret.
• Clutter is sneaky. It creeps back in through “just one more” purchase, kids’ stuff, and business supplies. Keep watch.
• Less stuff = more peace. It’s not just about space. Every bag out the door gives you back time, energy, and sanity.