Mortality can be motivating!

I'm the only one who knows what in my flat has real value (most of it doesn’t) and who might treasure it when I'm gone. So I made a decision: I'm getting rid of it now. I'm 64, seem to be fit, but have threatening health problems. I might go to the Last Hunting Grounds anytime and I never want someone else to have to go through my stuff and decide what to do with it, like my poor brother did in my Mom’s last room. I want to be the boss while I can.

This process started last year and has been a major undertaking—and an exercise in humility, gratitude and even embarrassment. I've seen and experienced so many things, achieved quite a bit for a Kentucky girl and I want to make sure my kids don’t have to come to grips with too much stuff when I pass on. 

My load already feels lighter. I've unearthed my office table and can even see spots of flat, free surface on my shelves.  The other day I dropped into a store in Milan and left with - nothing. I'm too busy getting rid of things to be interested in accumulating any more.

Considering one's own mortality is a great reminder that today's all we've got. There's nothing wrong with stuff. But I want to spend less time cleaning, organizing and thinking about mine. I have too many other things still to do.

But before tossing, know what it's worth!

In 2007, a ceramic bowl sold for $3 at a tag sale in New York state. The bowl's new owners then discovered it was a 1,000-year-old relic from China's Northern Song Dynasty; it was sold at an auction for more than $2 million.

Here's how to determine whether that gilded birdcage bequeathed to you has hidden value — before you part with it. 

Google and Ebay: If an item has no identifying mark, search descriptive words (for example, "green glazed pitcher, grapes on side") to find images or websites that could provide key information. Or browse through eBay's Collectibles & Art section for similar items to determine current market value.

GoAntiques.com: If you know the name, designer, or manufacturer of your collectible—and if it's worth something—there's a good chance you'll find an identical or similar one here. 

AbeBooks.com: Curious about whether your yellowing copy of To Kill a Mockingbird has any value? Type in the title, author and date of publication, and this site will search thousands of booksellers to find any offering the same or a similar edition.

I sold a book the other day for 72€ through Amazon. Much more than I paid because it is now rare.

You Need No More Than 33 Items in Your Closet

In 2006, Courtney Carver, then an advertising executive in Salt Lake City, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. After learning that stress could worsen her symptoms, she set about ridding her life of things that made her anxious, from her debt to her clutter. Carver had habitually stopped by the mall and also enjoyed shopping online. The result: a closet stuffed with items she barely wore—which made getting dressed time-consuming and overwhelming.

Carver had read that most of us wear only 20 percent of our clothes 80 percent of the time, so she decided to try making do with only 33 items—a number she chose just because it "sounded challenging." First she selected her sunglasses, purse and trenchcoat; next, a few staples that were easy to mix and match, including jeans, a black tank and a gray blazer. Carver wondered whether colleagues would notice her limited wardrobe—but she forged ahead and boxed up the rest of her clothes, planning to rotate them every three months to accommodate the changing seasons. She chronicled her efforts on a blog, Project 333, laying out parameters for those who wanted to try their own experiments: shoes, accessories (even jewelry) and outerwear count toward the 33 items; underwear and exercise clothes do not. ("But those yoga pants have to be going to yoga!" she cautions.) 

Carver now says a simpler closet is the gateway to a simpler life. Not only is getting dressed a breeze, but since she sticks to well-fitting basics rather than buying trendy styles, "I get more compliments than ever before." She has donated much of her excess clothing to charity. In 2011, she quit her day job to focus on her website, BeMoreWithLess.com, which offers advice and e-courses to others hoping to pare down. Says Carver, "Not one of my happiest memories is tied to anything I own."

Carver has a list of Simplifying Starters:

1. Write it down. Make a list of all the reasons you want to live more simply. If you are sick of debt collectors, write it down. Mad that you never get any time with your kids? Write it down. To stressed out to sleep at night? Put it on paper. Want to fire your boss? Yep, write that down too. These are your whys and your whys will provide great leverage when you think it’s too hard to keep going. Your whys will help you remember what matters.

2. Discard the duplicates. Walk through your home with a box and fill it with duplicates. If you have two sets of measuring cups, put them in the box. Copies of the same book or DVD? Put one in the box. Doubles on place mat sets? You only need one. Once you fill the box, label it “Duplicates” and put it out of sight for 30 days. If you don’t need anything or don’t remember what was in the box, donate it.

3. Declare a clutter-free zone. This area could be a kitchen table, your nightstand, a countertop or a drawer in your kitchen. Use that clutter-free zone as inspiration to live with less. If you enjoy that clean, clear environment, expand the zone a little bit each day. A clutter-free countertop can become a clutter-free room and a clutter free room can become the clutter-free, minimalist home you’ve been thinking about.

4. Travel lightly. Travel always renews my love of minimalism and living simply. The next time you take a trip, pack for 1/2 the time. If you are traveling for 4 days, pack for 2. You can wash and hang clothes if you need to or wear the same things twice. See how it feels to carry less baggage.

5. Dress with Less. If you haven’t considered Project 333, dressing with only 33 items for 3 months (clothes, shoes, jewelry, accessories) sounds extreme, but thousands of people know that it actually makes life easier instead of more challenging.

6. Eat similar meals. When you think about how much time you spend thinking about what you are going to eat for lunch, make your family for dinner, or what you need to pick up at the grocery store, it’s clear that food is not always simple. Try eating the same breakfast and lunch all week and have 2 or 3 dinner choices that rotate throughout the week. If your family complains, let them know it’s an experiment and then talk about it at the end of the week.

7. Save $1000. An emergency fund simplifies everything. If you are paying off debt, only pay your minimum payments until you can save $1000. If you aren’t in debt, but still spend what you have, set aside money every day or every week until you reach $1000. Try the 52 week money challenge and in 45 weeks, you’ll save more than $1000 without ever contributing more than $45 in a week. Money for emergencies reduces stress and emergencies.

Try these one at a time and continue to take tiny steps and lean into the life you crave. Even if it takes 10 years to get to where you think you want to be, the benefits begin immediately.

The beauty of being a beginner minimalist is that you can be curious, and daring. You can ask for help, get back up if you fall, and look forward to new adventures in a life with less stuff, drama, debt, and obligation.