It seemed a little backwards, we knew we were going tiny, so we had to start buying things that would fit that lifestyle. As we were shifting to live tiny we were accumulating stuff while trying to eliminate it before going tiny, but going from city life to mountain life full time requires a lot of "different stuff".
Things we bought before moving in full time:
1. A generator - the power goes out when you live on the side of a mountain, but if we don't have power we don't have heat, this was really important!
2. New to us fire pit - the old one just wasn't working for us and we knew we would be having a ton of fires outside.
3. A food processor. My old one was garbage - and I just knew I wouldn't be able to find one easily in Golden ASAP.
So how did we get rid of "all of our stuff"?:
1. We started to make a list of what we would NEED to live at the tiny, example - outdoor space. A gazebo is a must, an outdoor sofa / sitting area is a must, a snow blower = probably important given all the snow we get in Golden, a permanent space to house records & of course slippers. And not the cheap kind - the really really good kind.
2. We looked through what we had in the home currently, what is stupid (aka the 24 margarita glasses you've been saving because you MAY have a party someday), get rid of said ridiculous glasses and look for mason jar glasses with lids because - you'll actually use them to store your spices.
3. We made piles in our dining room of stuff to "donate"/ "sell" and "uhhh I'm not sure I kinda wanna keep it", these piles stayed in the dining room until eventually the fore sale piles became donate piles...but at least we tried to sell them!
4. We did do a little bit of panic shopping on amazon. We ordered things because we knew we wouldn't have access to Amazon Prime (sounds silly but we were so used to having things within a day). I felt like I need to organize my spices before, because there is no Bulk Barn in Golden - and you never know when you need 1 cup of turmeric (...again #panichoardingalittlebit). This is my fear based way of thinking and is NOT real. (But seriously my spices look so good now! Here's the link to order them!
5. We tried to figure out "special storage". Art. Family keepsakes, baby books etc.They mean a lot to us but we won't have room directly in the tiny to keep them safe without taking up space for food/ current clothing needs. We ended up keeping most of these in a friends spare bedroom (thanks) because although selling and purging everything was our plan - how do you really get rid of your grade 12 pictures from grad??
How did the kids feel about selling, purging:
Rhett was excited, he seemed to enjoy breaking things more than keeping them - and his love for sciences experiments allow us to teach him that at the tiny on the property he will have SO many things to experience.
Kinsley, just wants to keep some of her Archies and her phone, and computer. Since Covid all of her friendships are online, I mean on Saturdays they play games on the computer instead of play dates - this frustrates me to the core but also I see it as a positive as we transition 2.5 hours away! Shell be able to maintain those relationships because of her phone and computer.
Neil, he lives like a minimalist already - so the purging isn't too much. His main goal right now is to make sure the family is setup for success when we live there - so ordering the things our family MUST have in order to have water, heat etc during the winter months. When I first met Neil - his apartment was the cleanest place with a spot for EVERYTHING. I knew I liked him ASAP because of his simple lifestyle lol.
Click on the image to watch our most recent YouTube Video:
Mom (that's me!):
I sorted through jewelry - do I really need the hoops I wore to the bar during my college days in London, Ontario?
Do I really need the ring my first boyfriend gave me in grade 9 with a "B&M" on it? Probably not - but they all hold memories.
It is no secret that I love nice things, and when choosing things to go inside the tiny I want to make sure every single piece is something we LOVE & use. Also knowing that one day (3 years is the goal) we will build a home and be able to put a lot of these beautiful things into our home that we've built together.
Rhett & I show you some of the PILES of stuff we have, and this is just a glimpse, it feels crazy to think I've been in this rental for 15 months and have become a "Costco" family. Meaning storing shelves of paper towels, toilet paper and corn (randomly). That may have been a result of covid-19 panic moments, and a few moments of I want to make sure I'm prepared for ...life.
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Spice jar transformation:
Spice jar labels, the perfect blend of simplicity & modern farmhouse style.
Small spice jars that are perfect for EVERYTHING.
This food process is $70 OFF right now: Kitchenaid Food Processor with safety latch:
- Megan, Rhett, Kins & Neil.
