I'm moving and because of the circumstances I have to downsize. I mean a major downsize, from a 3 bedroom house to one room.
If you have never had to downsize like this before, let me tell you it puts a whole new spin on the moving process.
Before you ever get to the packing stage you have to look at each thing and ask yourself if you really NEED it and how much do you really LOVE it.
Will you kick yourself later for deciding not to keep it?
Do you think you might be able to replace it one day should you have more space?
These are very hard questions to ask and answer honestly without your emotions getting in the way.
All my things are vintage, bought at a resale or thrift shops or given to me by friends.
Each piece is special in its own way.
Only a couple of furniture pieces are family items and I will be keeping them.
But the rest have to find new homes, someone else to love them.
The money I receive is helpful, no doubt about it, but knowing the item is going to someone who will care for it helps to make this process a lot easier.
Some would wonder why some old furniture with nicks and scratches is so hard to get rid of when a shiny new piece is ... well, shiny & new.
But new pieces have no stories to tell. They have no character. And they won't last nearly so long.
And don't let these photos fool you, its not just the furniture you have to go through and ask questions of.
Oh no, its every little things down to how many headbands do I need to take and where will I be able to store those pictures.
Craft supplies, tools, boxes of screws, cleaning supplies, extra towels, pillows and the books ... loads of books .... they all have to be thought about seriously, knowing there is very little storage space.
Things are slowly finding their new homes but it takes an inordinate amount of time. It really needs to go faster because I don't want to still be packing on the very last day as the guys are loading the trailer.
So if you ever need to downsize and move my advice is to give yourself lots of time to get it all done. I had 26 days and 5 of those are already gone. I have taken 6 loads to my favorite charity shop knowing it will do good there. 3 neighbors have chosen things and that makes me feel better too.
Now I have multiple trips to Half-Price Books to make even though they don't pay as well as they used to. It used to be 1/4 of the retail price on a newish book. I don't know how they figure it now but it seems like pennies. Ah well, someone who needs that book will buy it and it will keep someone else employed to sell it so its all good.
I have more things to sort through now and I'm cleaning as I go. I can almost see the living room floor again.
4 comments:
It's a tough job. It really is but I think you are doing it well.
I appreciate all the fabric you gave me. Thank you!
Yes it is a tough job.
The people at the charity shop must be singing your praises by now, and thanking you for your donations to a good cause.
I hope you can feel good about that part too.
I feel for you!
We downsized last year (to an RV) and getting rid of the stuff was the hard part. A month was not enough time.
Books? The one used book store in the town was not interested in my collection & advised me to take them to the Goodwill.
Money spent on a storage locker for things you don't need is money gone but I had to do it.
My advice? Take what you will need, things that will fit and put them some place away from everything else. Either the new place or a closed off room.
Then have a moving sale, with everything else.
"Everything goes". All of it.
What doesn't get sold gets taken to a charity or the land fill... or the storage locker you just rented, get a good lock for it.
This is hard, it does take some time & you don't really have much of that left.
Good luck!
ON THE OTHER HAND: After 60 years in the same house, I moved in THREE DAYS, on purpose. When the moving boxes came in, I packed everything, then put EIGHT of those boxes on a truck and drove them to GOODWILL. I didn't know what was in those boxes, but I knew I couldn't take 56% of what I had.
Three years later, I have only remembered TWO THINGS I no longer have.
It's the difference between ripping off the bandaid or pulling it off slowly, along every hair on your arm.
Post a Comment