Guest Blog by Suzanne Beaver: Around the World with One and a Half Suitcases

I know this article is about living out of one and a half pieces of luggage, however, I have to go back to where it all started in order to identify the strict criterion used to get to this state of lightness.

What's Yours and What's Mine

In June 2000 my mother passed away. My sister and I were left the task of finalizing her estate which basically meant splitting everything down the middle. Even then I wasn’t a hoarder and was happy to give my sister more than my share so we set about divvying up her belongings.

The interesting part of the exercise was to acknowledge what Mum found important possessions. Having been born and brought up in the years after WW1, it was most apparent how those years had affected her by going through her wardrobe. 

 She didn’t have a lot of clothes but the ones she did have were of good quality and each item could be worn with the others giving her multiple choice when it came to picking an outfit for the day.

Our biggest challenge came when we focussed on the rest of the household. This is where Mum’s vanity – if you could call it that – became obvious. She had worked for Grace Bros for many years and consequently she had Manchester; Dinner Sets; Crystal glassware; and Lladro porcelain figurines en masse. This is what people saw when they came to visit – this was Mum on ‘show’ to how others would perceive her ‘standing’ in life.

Well, we emptied her house and filled our own with more than enough.

After a year or two or more, I finally gathered the jumpers and cardigans, skirts and blouses and all the other items of clothing belonging to Mum and took them to St Vinnies. It had finally dawned on me (as I moved from one rental property to the next) that I kept bringing all these things with me that I never wore! I mean who wants to look like a well-dressed 75 year old when you’re only 50.

That’s where it all started. From that moment on I began to separate out what belonged to me. It was no use hanging on to someone else’s memories of their good times; or favourite moments; or their choice of what they wanted to surround themselves with and what they thought was valuable. For me it was a burden (from a logistic point of view) until I clarified that I would not be being disloyal to my mother’s memory if I got rid of her stuff.

Travels of Miz Beaver

So when it came to ‘leaving home’ last year my most important criteria was:
Can it be replaced? If not, it stays. (Small confession – my son is holding a few boxes for me but they are mainly irreplaceable moments of my life and his baby years)
Is it something that I value irretrievably? (i.e., would I miss not having it? A small amount of possessions that I want to have around me someday)
Does it still fit? Am I still the same person now as the one I was when I bought it?

Especially with this last criterion I started to see myself and what I really needed to be me. It doesn’t really take a lot when you get down to the nitty gritty of what shows your true value since most people are looking at you – not in your drawers – well at least I hope not… hehe. 
 

And do you know what I managed to stuff into that last little pocket in my suitcase? My paint brushes!


Loving you all

Suzanne

Notes from Deb

My questions would be:

(1) How many shoes did you need?
(2) How big are those bags?
(3) Do you regret any decisions made in the de-clutter?