The

Undeniable

Ruth

®

…and the Ruth shall set you free!

  • Minimalism in 90 Days Update – What Got Unpacked the First Week

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    Ruth Carter

    When I read about Ryan Nicodemus’ “packing party” and 21-day minimalism project, I was curious to know what got unpacked during those 21 days. In case anyone is curious about what I’ve unpacked since moving into the condo, I thought I’d share what I unpacked in the first week.

    The number of boxes has remained unchanged but the amount in each box is dropping.
    The number of boxes has remained unchanged but the amount in each box is slowly dropping.

    Day 1 – October 11th

    • Nail kit (I broke a nail unloading groceries)
    • Bath towel, hand towel, wash cloth, bathmat
    • Mattress pad, sheets, comforter, pillows
    • Phone charger and extension cord
    • Rosie’s bowls, Kong toy, scoop, and food
    • My prescription pills and check sheet
    • Paper towels
    • Swiss Army knife (This is stored in my utility box under my bed so everything that was in that box is under my bed now)
    • My dirty laundry and laundry basket
    • Keychain for my mailbox key
    • 3-hole punch (I had to file a receipt. I treat my file cabinets and files like furniture so they were already in place)
    • Reusable water bottle
    • Laptop, cool pad, power strip
    • Measuring cup, spoon, soup mug, food storage containers, cutting board, knife, cup
    • T-shirt, sandals, hoodie, pajamas
    • “If you’re not fucking up, you’re not in the game” sign and 2 magnets
    • Sponge, hand soap
    • Coffee pot
    • Library book
    • Everyday toiletries
    • Night guard

    Day 2 – October 12th

    • Sugar bowl and canister
    • Coffee mug, 2 spoons, cup, knives, bowl, baking sheet, plate, fork, pot holders, glasses,
    • Blender
    • Camelbak and bike lock
    • Rosie’s travel bag, car harness, ear wash, and nail trimmer
    • Bear figurine (dust collector but I like it)
    • Scanner
    • Mug to keep pens in
    • Sunglasses, shorts, t-shirt, cycling clothes
    • Family photo
    • Boombox and cassette (b/c I’m old-school like that)

    Day 3 – October 13th

    • Knife, bowl, 3 spoons, measuring cup, food storage container, and sandwich bags
    • Zippy, t-shirt, socks, and underwear
    • iPod, headphones, and webcam
    • Backpack
    • Highlighter
    • 10-pound weights and resistance band

    Day 4 – October 14th

    • Running clothes, zippy, t-shirt, underwear, socks, jeans, Converse sneakers, and tank top
    • Knife
    • Stapler and scissors

    Day 5 – October 15th

    • Mug, 2 spoons, bowl, plate, salt and pepper, fork, can opener
    • Running clothes, pants, tank top
    • Painters tape, printer ink, shredder

    Day 6 – October 16th

    • Spoon, food storage container, plate, fork, kitchen towel, and cup
    • Safety pin
    • Running clothes, pants, 2 tank tops, dress shirt, underwear, heels, bra, and jacket
    • Hand lotion, eyeliner, and lipstick

    Day 7 – October 17th

    • Spoon, knife, plate, fork
    • T-shirt, socks, underwear
    • Calculator, stamps, and file folders
    • Gift certificate for trapeze lessons
    • Swiffer
    • Toothpaste
    • Rosie’s extra blanket
    • Hand towel

    So basically at this point most of what I unpack day-to-day is related to food consumption and clothes. I’m getting better at remembering where each box is and what’s in it (thankfully they’re well-labeled) but I still feel like a fumbling idiot when I’m in that corner of the condo looking for something.

    I did laundry and ran the dishwasher last weekend so now the closet and cupboards are starting to look like a person lives here.

  • Minimalism in 90 Days Update – First Days in the Condo

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    Ruth Carter

    My minimalism project has been in full swing for the past five days since I moved in to my new condo.  When I moved, with the exception of a few pieces of furniture and my bike, all my stuff fit in to 27 banker boxes, a handful of other plastic bins and boxes, three suitcases, and a backpack. I told the movers just to leave them stacked up in what’s supposed to be the dining area of the condo. They said it was the fastest move they’ve ever done.

    I’m sticking with the program of only taking things out of boxes as I need them. Living this way reminds me of the scene from Mrs. Doubtfire where Robin Williams’ character is talking about his new apartment: “I was going kind of a refugee motif. You know, ‘fleeing my homeland’ kind of thing.” It was very unsettling at first because following the rules meant I couldn’t make the place feel like a home by unpacking everything. On the flip side, it’s made me think about what makes me feel comfortable in space.

    The Boxes in my Condo - 10-15-2014
    The Boxes in my Condo – 10-15-2014

    I will say that everything takes a bit longer when what you need isn’t in a drawer or on a shelf. My first meal at the condo was soup out of a can. Just to make this simple meal, I had to locate a glass measuring cup, my soup mug, and a spoon. Even with well-labeled boxes, this was a disorienting experience.

    Over the last five days, I’m managed to empty four of my banker boxes. There is a notebook that lives on the kitchen counter and I’m diligently recording each item as I unpack and use it. On the first day, the number of things I unpacked filled the front and back side of a page. It included things like my bedding, some towels, Rosie’s (my basset hound’s) bowls, my Swiss Army knife, my coffeepot, my laptop, and my pajamas. On the second day, the things I unpacked only filled one side of a page. For the last three days, I’ve only filled about half a page and it’s mostly items related to food preparation and consumption, clothing, and office supplies.

    I’ve also done a bit of shopping for the condo – mostly cleaning supplies and food storage items like ziploc bags and tin foil and food. I’m not limiting any of my activities in an attempt to limit the number of items I use. It is surprising how little I need to be comfortable and to start to feel settled.

    To be nice to myself this week, I laid out clothes on top of my dresser that I know I’ll need this week – 5 pairs of underwear and 4 sets of workout clothes. I get up early in the morning and it seemed like a form of torture to make myself fumble around when I’m half-awake to get dressed.

    I also created a rule that if I unpack something that is part of a set, I have the option to unpack the whole set. So if I need salt, I can unpack my salt and pepper. If I want to watch one of my Star Trek: Deep Space Nine DVDs, I can put the whole box set on the shelf.

    For now, I’ve purchased all the furniture I expect to get for a while, but I might get a few more pieces during this process. If I do, it will be about creating a comfortable functional home, not about keeping up with the Joneses or getting things just to fill the space. I’m loving having so much open space to move about.

  • Minimalism in 90 Days – The Pre-Move In

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    Ruth Carter

    For those of you who missed it, I moved from a 1800 square foot furnished townhouse to a 895 square foot condo. Since my life was going into boxes, I decided to create my own variation of Ryan Nicodemus’ Packing Party. I decided to move myself to the new place but not unpack anything until I needed it to see how much stuff I actually use and what I truly need to function and feel comfortable.

    I closed on the condo on September 29th but I won’t move in until October 11th. I needed time to buy some basic furniture, pack up my life, and get it moved to the new place.

    Let me start by saying, Ryan’s Packing Party is a lot easier than mine. Moving sucks. I feel like my life for the last week has been hijacked by furniture stores, delivery people, utility people, and movers.

    I’m really glad I did a major clean-out of my life last year. I still had more to get rid of in this move, but it’s a lot less than what I’ve already parted with to date.

    I’m writing this post from new condo on the eve of the official move-in, at my new standing desk from Ikea, while I’m waiting for the furniture guys to arrive to exchange the damaged box spring they delivered earlier this week with an un-damaged one.

    The only furniture that belonged to me in the townhouse was a bookcase and my mattress so I had to go furniture shopping. Here’s what I’ve purchased so far furniture-wise for the condo: bed, box spring, 2 bedside tables, dresser, desk, desk chair, coffee table, 2 end tables, entertainment table (for the TV), and 5 lamps. The fact that I made this many selections without crying is a miracle. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m hellaciously indecisive. I have trouble ordering a sandwich. I purchased a couch too but it won’t be ready for a few more weeks so I’m sitting on a camping chair for now.

    My Living Room - October 10, 2014
    My Living Room – October 10, 2014

    Some people may be wondering if I’m a minimalist if I’m buying this much furniture. To me, minimalism isn’t about having as little as possible. It’s about limiting myself to the things that add value to my life. It’s ok to be comfortable.

    In the back and forths from the townhouse to the condo, I’ve brought over a few boxes, some oversized items that didn’t fit into a bankers box, and a few garments that I’d rather keep on hangers instead of folding them and getting them wrinkled. I brought over all my empty hangers in my laundry basket. It seemed dumb to have 3 boxes just for hangers. I cleaned out the freezer and realized the freezer at my new place is a lot smaller than the one I’m used to. I also went shopping for a few items that I knew I would need early on like a new comforter and toilet paper.

    This is supposed to be the dining area, but for now it's where the boxes are going to be.
    This is supposed to be the dining area, but for now it’s where the boxes are going to be.

    Here’s how unpacking is going to work. The movers are going to bring my things to the condo. Everything will be placed in the great room and nothing will be unpacked until I need it. (I expect this will be the fastest move they’ve ever done.) Once an item is unpacked, it can’t go back in its box. It has to be put away, given away, or thrown away. Today, I had to unpack a notebook so I could leave a friendly note on the windshield of the truck that’s been parking in my space.  Now I need to decide where notebooks are going to be stored.

    For the most part it’s been fun creating my new living space but I’m at the point now where I can’t wait to be settled in.