Part of the stress of moving is making sure that my household goods will come in under the volume that the company will pay to move. When in the military, it was always based on pounds. As you went up in rank, you rated more pounds moved at government expense. This move will not be based on weight, but on volume. We will be allowed to have a 40 ft shipping container filled to the max, weight is no object. We could opt to have only a 20 ft shipping container and company paid long term storage. We're opting to take all our stuff with us.
So, as I look at my stuff, I'm driven to get the most for my volume.
First, we won't have a garage, or a yard to take care of. So I want to eliminate the tools and all the yard stuff. DH is home for a short visit, so I've put him to work. Three piles. One for each child. Stuff we are giving to them. Stuff we are hoping they will store for us until we return to the States.
It takes hours and hours to go through all the stuff. We have a 1200 square foot storage building and a two car garage attached to the house. I don't know about you guys, but we always expand to fill the space we're allotted. Now, we're moving into a house of equivalent size, but no garages.
We are trying to go through all our stuff and make a decision: does it go overseas, or not?
We spent hours and hours loading the truck and trailer today.
First load of many to be delivered to the kids... it's a beginning--on decluttering my life. What is the minimum amount of stuff that you need in order to feel comfortable in your home? I've given it a lot of thought lately. I need my family photos and my books. That's what it takes for me. The rest is gravy. So I'm culling through everything else and trying to decide if I need it or not.
Since I'm of the firm belief that if I can live without it for two years, I don't need it anyway, I'm not driven to take advantage of the offered long term storage. However, it's very hard to look at things and make a decision about keeping or getting rid of stuff forever. What if I need it later? So stressful.
Thank goodness DH is here to help out. We're just about a third of the way through the process. Probably, we'll be at this for months.
--Sandee Wagner
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7 comments:
I do NOT envy you!
Hey! We've got a big stack of stuff for you. All the camping gear and car liquids (paints and oils) are coming your way!! spw
Look at it this way, Sandee: you're cutting back on all the culling your kids will have to do when you die. LOL.
I was on my way to decluttering, then we cleaned out my mom's house and I brought home boxes and boxes of her stuff that I wanted to keep. Now I have to start over on the thinning.
Anything you agonized over leaving versus taking? Besides the pooches? And, of course, critique. :-)
Decluttering is my kryptonite. The more mess I have to focus on the less time I spend worrying about the stuff I well and truly can't change. I'm too busy stressing out about all the things I need to clean. :-)
Emmylee,
It's true! Now I know that Anon has never been to the Tulsa house... who can it be?? spw
Marilyn,
Why does your comment not make me feel better? Could it be that you are now talking about my death??
My mother was a keeper of all things. It really made me one to throw stuff out. My kids will have some stuff to go through, but nothing like the years of paperwork and junk that the GP's have stored up.
My MIL had to go through all her parent's stuff and has been diligent about clearing out her stuff so we won't have to. Now, her daughter is worried about her getting rid of stuff that she should keep! Like the dining room table. spw
theanvilsings--just invite me over. I'll keep you company and FORCE you to go through your stuff and get rid of things. I'll even bring you a really good book on how to approach decluttering. spw
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