I was horrified.
My husband had rented the largest U-Haul truck available—and it still wasn’t enough.
After I had meticulously packed, labeled, and even tried the “joy-sparking” KonMari approach, I couldn’t believe I still had too much stuff.
Moving was a major wake-up call. I’d always thought I was good at editing our home’s extras, but this move exposed how off I’d been when it came to realistic storage and space planning.
Once we began settling into this charming interim rental, it became obvious we had far more belongings than we could comfortably manage day to day. I was also reluctant to haul everything to the next house.
The main living areas were organized and functioning, but I had a few problem zones behind closed doors: the storage room, the garage, and the under-deck shed. All of them were packed to the rafters.
I felt overwhelmed and didn’t know where to begin. Every pile held items we’d used and loved in our previous home—pieces with sentimental value or once-practical furniture that was part of our everyday life “before.”
My turning point came while reading another blogger’s review of Melissa’s new book. The writer, who designs and styles home decor, admitted that limiting decor was a constant challenge. That line hit home: if I were Superman, decor would be my kryptonite.
Her practical solution was simple: limit decor to what fits in a single closet. I read that and jumped up from my chair—determined to take action immediately.
My husband was just as happy to hear it. Down at the bottom of the stairs, around the corner, we had a small storage room that looked like this:
We’d been avoiding the room because finding anything in there felt risky—literally a hazard to life and limb.
It’s a compact space but large enough for our chest freezer and some shelving units.
How I Tackled the Clutter
I challenged myself to fit all the decor into a wardrobe beside the freezer. The process required sorting, shuffling, and purging, but it wasn’t nearly as time-consuming as I feared. After a few focused hours, the room began to breathe again. That small success set off a positive domino effect through the garage and shed.
We started posting items on our local buy-and-sell Facebook group. Gradually the garage and shed cleared out, and we even ended up with a modest pile of cash from the sales—an extra bonus for our efforts.
Since this post is all about the storage room, here’s how it began:
And here it is now:
At last you can walk in without bracing yourself for impact. While I didn’t quite manage to fit every single piece of decor into the wardrobe, most of it is stored there now and is much more visible and accessible.
The reorganization also revealed empty shelf space—something I hadn’t seen in a long time.
What I Learned
This wasn’t just an organizing project. As I sorted through former art projects and decor pieces, I realized I didn’t need to keep everything just because it had been important once. Letting go created freedom—an opportunity to refresh our style for this next stage of life.
With fewer items to manage, I’m excited about trying new decor directions and experimenting with fresh ideas. I don’t know yet what changes I’ll make, but I’m looking forward to the research and the creative process.
Small, intentional steps and realistic limits—like fitting decor to a single closet—made a huge difference. If you’re facing a moving-related pileup or just feeling overwhelmed by accumulated belongings, try setting a clear storage boundary and start sorting one area at a time. You might be surprised how empowering it feels to reclaim space and simplify.
{This post contains affiliate links.}