We’ve been busy here around Casa de Kahuna since deciding that our big goal for 2010 is to move on from this here townhouse. We have met with a Realtor, gotten pre-approved for a mortgage, and have been touching up little things around the house every chance we get. Our biggest accomplishment so far, though, has been filling a 16′ x 8′ POD. POD, you ask? You know, those nifty storage containers that get delivered and whisked away by a special truck? That kind of POD.
Would a self-storage unit been a little cheaper? Yes.
Would I have lost my sanity in attempting to load the van one load a time to move into said storage unit? Yes.
Would it have been near impossible with all of the snow we’ve gotten this weekend? Yes.
Would I have cried when it was time to empty the storage unit and move it? Yes.
Clearly, it was worth the extra bucks to go this route. So we started packing about a month ago, and once the boxes were stacked around the garage and the house to the point that we couldn’t really do any more, we knew it was time. My parents came down for a visit and took the kids out for several hours while @bgkahuna and I worked our tails off. We pretty much filled 128 sq ft (to the 8′ ceiling) with a few feet to spare.
What’s funny is that I can’t really even tell you what’s in that POD. Oh sure there’s the double bed, the extra dresser and the kids’ stuff. But the entire box labeled “top of dresser/nightstand”? The entire box labeled “extra towels and placemats”? Is it really necessary? And the boxes of toys…sure there are toys that they will be happy to see again, but I am considering NOT unpacking a few boxes….and wrapping them up instead and re-gifting them back to the kids at Christmas.
Tonight @bgkahuna asked if I thought we could live like this at the new place–sans 128 sq ft of crap. I’m thinking it’s worth a shot. I am seriously considering NOT opening some of those “misc” boxes and just setting them aside for a few months. After a few months, I’ll just take those unopened boxes to Goodwill. And become a lot more particular about what crosses the threshold of our new home! (which by the way, we’ve not yet even started to look for yet)
My parents had a storage unit for something like THREE YEARS – when they finally got the stuff out of it, my dad was a little embarrassed – he said, “Shouldn’t we just take this stuff to Goodwill? Since by definition we’ve proven we can live without it?” unbelievable what you can cull from your house. I guess that’s one advantage of moving frequently – you don’t build up quite as many piles…
When we moved, there were a few boxes that didn’t get unpacked and, instead, got stuck in a closet. A year later, we finally tackled the closet and decided we could live without the stuff in the boxes. Getting rid of Stuff is liberating!
SO glad to hear it’s all progressing. I’ve wondered about the PODs – good to have a personal friend who can give feedback on those.
Just yesterday, husband was swearing we were ditching the old leaky, farmhouse with broken furnace and moving out of (to a warmer?) state… I don’t think he was too serious, but just in case, I’ll keep PODs in the back of my mind….
@StorkWatcher
Ha, Stork! I’ll believe it when I see it!! You know, you can actually load your POD, they’ll drive it someplace warm, and then you can unload it right there! Very, very tempting with the weather we are having….hope the furnace can be fixed!!
@Elizabeth Finney
That’s the thing…this is the longest we’ve lived anywhere in our adult lives….previous record would be under three years, so yeah, our clutter has gotten out of control. You’d think FOUR TRIPS to Goodwill already would have put a dent in it, but not so much!
@joanna
Joanna, I’m thinking we will seriously leave some boxes unopen to give away at some point. I will probably have to double check to make sure I’m not giving away my senior yearbook or anything…..but then I wonder, do I really need that?? Oh the management of it all!
The rule is…if you don’t use it for 6 months, ditch it. I try to go by that with my stuff and pretty much do. THe kids things are hard to get rid of. What if they want to play with those toys later or if I want to hand them to someone else?