( Joodie Shy )

I’m still miles away from the lists of these simple travel gurus, but I’m chugging along.

This is my own list of items I’m currently living with. This is everything! The rest is in storage and only appropriate for someone with an apartment to furnish. It may look like a lot to you, but simplicity is different for everyone. Example: my 9 nail polishes is WAY simple for me; I usually have 40+ to choose from whenever I feel like it. That being said, I packed my clothing last minute and didn’t pay much attention, so things got a bit out of proportion in that department. I’m proud of where I am and feel I am getting more use out of each object because of the simplicity and lack of choice-paralysis I usually encounter.

Toiletries:

• toothbrush/toothpaste
• hairbrush
• lotion
• OTC medicine kit
• prescription medications
• Q-Tips
• shaving cream/razor
• hair ties & accessories
• Kleenex
• 3 types of perfume
• Chi hair oil
• BioSilk
• hair straightener
• deodorant
• basic kit (tweezers, scissors, mirror, chapstick, nail file, Rx lotions, nail clippers, cuticle butter, calming mask, spare nail file)
• bag of cotton balls
• nail polish remover
• 9 nail polishes
• makeup remover

= 29 items

General

• Watercolor kit
• 2 journals
• a gazillion books (oops, not counted)
• sketching kit
• guide books & maps
• GPS
• cellphone
• 1 teddy bear (yeah!)
• MacBook Pro
• Panasonic digital camera
• water bottle
• fleece blanket
• external hard drive
• projection clock (love it!)
• noise cancelling headphones
• 3 spot surge protector
• computer mouse
• 2 Netflix movies
• 2 tripods (one is for irregular surfaces)
• 1 small jewelry case
• 1 backpack

= 23 (plus chargers and books left uncounted) items

Wardrobe

• 1 pair flats
• 1 pair sandals
• 1 pair boots
• 1 pair sneakers
• 1 pair of Keen sandal/walking shoes
• 1 pair cargo pants
• 1 wind/rain jacket
• 1 pink skirt
• 2 hip-Ts (genius BTW)
• 4 pairs of jeans
• 1 hoodie
• 6 sweater/cardigans
• underthings
• 2 belts
• 3 purses
• 1 pair of lounge pants
• 12 shirts
• 1 dress/coverup
• 1 swimsuit
• 1 pair of leggings

= 42 items (underthings not included)

In my day bag/purse

• 2 lip products
• sunglasses
• wallet
• cases for GPS and camera
• keys
• tampons
• 1 granola bar
• gum
• 1 chupa chup lollipop
• 1 pen
• card holder

= 13 items

Daisy Stuff

• 1 food bowl/ 1 water bowl
• container for food
• box of training pads
• brush
• bags of treats
• harness & leash
• spare poo bags
• special car blanket
• monthly Heartguard supply
• sweater she will never wear
• toys she never plays with
• moist wipes to keep her clean
• carrying bag (just in case)
• extra leash (the extendo kind the rolls up on its own)

= 16 items

Mistakes (not counted, as if I could!)

• the amount of cosmetics I brought. I cannot even list to you the magnitude of what I own (2 train cases plus 2 bags of brushes plus 1 smaller bag)
• should have tried on ALL the pairs of jeans I brought… (one pair does not even fit, what a waste of space!)
• memory card reader/storage hard drive – turns out it’s not compatible with my Eye-Fi memory card
• travel sheets (turns out they’re not comfy or smooth) – I will try to wash them a few times to increase softness

Misc. (not counted)

• I brought granola bars with me and bought food along the way
• dog gate I never used (nowhere to set it up)
• my shampoo exploded in transit so I’m just using the stuff this B&B has provided
• SHOULD HAVE BROUGHT: sticky roller, small amount of allergen free detergent & new bottle of Nasacort (my allergies are driving me crazy!)
• considering buying an air purifier because I cannot pinpoint my allergies here

Conclusion

That’s an estimated 123 items, not including the junk to tedious to count.

From going to suitcase living straight from a large two-bedroom apartment I’d say I did pretty well. And I’m always keeping more than I need to for Daisy because I never want her to be without something she needs at a moments notice. For the next reduction I will work on clothing (mainly tops), books, and my toiletries.

In counting up my posessions I was a bit nervous about how it would turn out. However, I feel really good about the amount of stuff I left back home. As far as technology goes this is the simplest system I’ve ever had, one cellphone, one computer for everything, and one camera (with no accessories either)! I’ve always kept a ton of gadgets around me but this is working out really well. I still feel very connected and I don’t feel like I’m missing a single thing.

The whole point is to find the place of enough.

And I’m much closer to enough than I ever have been in my entire life. It’s more rewarding than it is difficult, but I do struggle with the urge to shop often.

If you had to itemize an area of your life, which would you least want to do? … Purge!

Tags: change, list, organization