Welcome to our very first Q&R episode. And this is not a Q&A episode. So we're not saying that we've got all the answers about world-schooling, but we definitely have a response. It's a bit like saying, "I'm not necessarily an expert, but I am an expert in my opinion."
Episode one was about ways that simplification led us to world-schooling freedom. Jane from Texas asked if we can go into more detail on how we actually scaled down. The first phase was about finding items that we could sell, and the idea was to get rid of things that we didn't need, but use the proceeds to help us pay down debt, because that was the phase we were in at that time.
The second phase of tidying up was about selling everything that we owned and getting down to a handful of carry-on items that we were going to take with us on our full-time travels. As with everything in life, you're going to get mediocre results unless you have a clear picture in your mind of where you're trying to head. If you don't know where you're going, it doesn't really matter which path you're taking.
For us, it was about getting rid of a bunch of stuff that we didn't need and using the money to pay off debt. As we read Marie Kondo's book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, these ideas and concepts of minimal living, organization, and a clean aesthetic really resonated with us. Over time, this secondary goal became our primary goal because it brought a lot of peace and contentment with the things that we have.
So after you've got a clear picture of where you want to go, there are a few things you want to apply to really make this work well. One is you discard first, and then you organize. You don't want to get distracted by starting to organize your stuff as you're going through. No, no, no. You are discarding. Once you've got the things that you're going to keep, the things that you love, then you organize. But do not, and I repeat, do not discard other people's stuff.
It was just Jen and I at the time. We both read the same book but had very different ideas on what to do with each other's stuff. I could have emptied her closet more than she did, and she could have dumped all of my pictures from college and high school. We talked to each other about some of our decisions on what to discard. In the end, it's about keeping the things that you love and need.
The reason for that is this has got to be a sustainable lifestyle. This is not about a one-time activity. This is a commitment to a lifestyle. If you hate the outcome, you're not going to keep doing it. Have patience. Your views on some of these things will change over time. If you're not ready to pull the trigger, don't shoot yourself in the foot.
In the end, we counted something like 40 trash bags full of stuff. We gave to the church, the Salvation Army, and disadvantaged children. The next thing that will help you way more than you know is to fight the temptation to do this by location. You've got to tidy by category, not by location.
Take your clothes as an example. You realize you only have one body. You can't wear three pairs of shoes at the same time. You go through your work shirts, lay them all out, and pull up each one. You ask yourself if you really love this shirt. If you love it, put it in the keep pile. Make another pass until you pare this down to the ones you really care about. This is not about having backup shirts. Most of us aren't in a situation where we can't find another shirt if we need one. There are only five days in the week. There's no reason to have 30 shirts.
Do the same with your books. Go through all those books you have that you will never read. If there are some books you want to keep but don't need in physical form, send them off to a service that scans 100 pages for a dollar. Those 500-page books can be digitized for five bucks.
For dishes, get rid of the extras. Pull out five plates, five cups, five bowls, five spoons, and five forks. This saves a lot of time because rather than stack up a pile of dishes, you wash them as you go. We didn't get rid of all the other dishes but tucked them away for when we had company.
After going through mundane stuff, move on to sentimental things. This can be hard. Give yourself time. You may not be ready to part with everything yet. Over time, you'll realize that some stuff is just stuff. Digitize photos and keep only the ones that matter. Go through your junk drawer honestly. How many paperclips do you really need?
Marie Kondo talks about thanking items for the part they played in your life and letting them go. Jen had a rabbit from childhood she couldn't donate, so she burned it in a small ceremony. This gave her peace.
No stacking of items. Instead, fold clothes to see everything at a glance. Color coding clothes can also bring joy. Clearing surfaces, even in the kitchen, can create peace.
The next phase was prepping for full-time travel. We had to get everything down to a few carry-ons. We used garage sales, Nextdoor, Facebook Marketplace, and OfferUp to sell our things. We also gave items to friends, family, and our church.
We covered high points from Marie Kondo's book. If you're thinking about this lifestyle, check out the book. For questions about this episode or any other, send an email or audio question for a future Q&R episode.