Bang!Zoom! Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Tomorrow should be it for the move. I'm sore, tired, cranky and it finally got to me today when I opened up our storage cabinet. All this *stuff* to deal with. I have no idea how in the world I ended up with this much *stuff*. I'm tired of *stuff*. I came out here with with 1 kid and 2 suitcases. Where did all this come from? I want to go back to something more simple. I really thought I had very little; but it's more than I thought. If you had to move, how long would it take you? I'm doing a massive donation next week. Seriously, this is nuts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5LittleMonkeys Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 You know, years ago we traveled with dh while he was working for the FAA. We were in a small 32 foot 5th wheel travel trailer. We had 7 sets of clothing for each of us. 1 towel and washcloth for each of us. A couple dish rags and dish towels, 1 plate, glass and set of utensils for each, one set of 3 different sizes of pans, a large skillet, a larger pot, a crockpot, a whisk, 3 serving spoons, a spatula, a turner, a can opener a coffee maker, toaster and a small travel grill. We had personal hygiene products and medicine but only what we absolutely had to have. The dc (only 3 at that time) had 3 'sets' of toys and a few special, personal toys that were very small. We had a handful of books, a laptop, a few board games and a deck of uno cards and regular cards. That's about it. We lived like that traveling across the west and west coast for about 3 months and I loved it. It was so liberating not to be tied down with stuff and it took me like 20 minutes to thoroughly clean our 'house'. I vowed that never again would I accumulate stuff. Well, fast forward many years and a couple more kids and you wouldn't believe the stuff we have now. We've been in this house going on 5 years and I have stuff I haven't unpacked yet. It's ridiculous. I've purged twice since the beginning of the year and I still have way to much stuff. I'm right there with you! It is soooo hard to get rid of stuff though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 When I moved a year ago, I rented a dumpster TWICE leading up to the move, gave tons away on freecycle and kijiji, and made a ton of trips to the goodwill. And even then I still had too much stuff. I ended up filling my moving van, my mini van and my folks SUV and had to make 2 more trips during the following week to bring the rest from my old place with my minivan. Since then I have culled even more and have a long way to go. The good news is I am making a huge dent in it. If I can get my book collection down to 2 bookcases and stop buying any more curriculum until I have used every item I have ever bought I will be down to a fraction of what I have around here. I am taking the first step in that next week, I have an appt with the homeschool store in my old city to sell a bunch of my old books/curriculum. I have another box of fiction/nonfiction to sell the the used book store the same day. My goal by this coming New Year is to be down 1/3 of my stuff. I am well on my way, I am just having trouble with the books. Hopefully after next week it will be much easier for me to part with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrogMom5 Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I grew up in the military, so I purge regularly. Still, with 3 kids and homeschooling, we filled almost 2 PODS to move here to FL.:tongue_smilie: That included the lawn mower, yard tools and so forth. Once I'm done homeschooling, it all goes. Ok, most of it goes.:D But I will ruthlessly get rid of stuff. Moving is hard. I hope it goes smoothly. Denise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloversandlions Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Way too much....not sure how I'd quantify it! Not that I can't get around my house - I'm not a hoarder (except for books, but that's a different thread - but I do know I have too much. The problem I'm trying to resolve is how to get rid of it: how to move it quickly. My dh wants to have a yard sale, and I understand that, but honestly? It would be "worth" more to me to clear it out, than any amount I'd earn on a Saturday selling it by the curb. I just wish someone else would make the decisions about what goes! (When we moved here four years ago, the movers packed us up; I didn't help at all. Not that I was complaining, but it's unfortunate that I didn't go through it before that happened.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bang!Zoom! Posted July 31, 2011 Author Share Posted July 31, 2011 Stuff I will never ever buy again: cookbooks cd player blank cds bobby pins paper clips post it notes makeup wands/tools of any kind shampoo/conditioner. Use it up before new comes in. Wow, that was pretty bad.... tweezers scissors These are a few things I kept finding over and over again, and when I gathered them all up in ONE spot I was horrified to see the bulk of it. I mean seriously, how did ONE girl end up with ten pairs of scissors? And readers? Holy cow, nine pairs? NINE? I've been put on notice for the thrift shop for the rest of the year too. lol..no going in there..not even to peek... I did do alright on my clothes, a very reasonable and minimal amount of those. Just one suitcase full. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I hear ya'! We've been cleaning a house out on weekends for almost 2 months now. Well...there are some outbuildings included in that and we could not go every weekend...but it seems as if it will never end. As i am typing, the pick-up is parked outside, filled to the brim with more stuff we hauled out today. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bang!Zoom! Posted July 31, 2011 Author Share Posted July 31, 2011 (edited) I cannot.cannot.cannot. believe what just happened. I'm out in the living room by myself, in the dark. I hear this sound..::crunch...scratch...crunch:::omg, there are mice (very LARGE ones) in the wall. This is a brand new building, half this place is still under construction. What the heck are rats doing up on the third floor walls? Maybe I won't even unpack. :( So do I tell my old man or just keep this to myself. I'm positive that is what it was. Rats. Oh brother. Edited July 31, 2011 by one*mom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 WHen dh and I settled down after travelling, pre kids, we had c car full of camping gear- nothing else. Now, its a sure bet, no matter how much stuff you have, we have a LOT more! Last time we moved house it took the largest sized truck two full loads. The friends who generously helped us move (along with the 2 moving truck guys) were amazed anyone could have this much stuff and I think they regretted the offer. However since that move I have become a decluttering maniac...still, I am only one of us and the other 3 like their stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 We downsized a bit when moving almost 2 years ago. We had a huge yardsale before we moved and donated everything that did not sell. We had kept quite a bit still because we weren't sure what would fit and what would not so we already need to have another yard sale. I have bins in the basement full of stuff to get rid of and will feel so much better when it is gone. Maybe there will be time this fall to have a yardsale and donate whatever does not sell. I long for a simpler life without so much stuff. I would love to live in an RV with only what will fit in there, travelling to different places. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I cannot.cannot.cannot. believe what just happened. I'm out in the living room by myself, in the dark. I hear this sound..::crunch...scratch...crunch:::omg, there are mice (very LARGE ones) in the wall. This is a brand new building, half this place is still under construction. What the heck are rats doing up on the third floor walls? Maybe I won't even unpack. :( So do I tell my old man or just keep this to myself. I'm positive that is what it was. Rats. Oh brother. Oh, that's not good! :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margo out of lurking Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Way too much stuff. When we moved four years ago, we literally gave away enough to furnish another home: two beds, dining table/chairs, sofa, loveseat, end tables, tv and tv stand. We sold a couple of dressers, along with oodles of other things at a 3 day garage sale. The only thing we bought for the new house was yet another tv and stand, and barstools. It's a good thing we have a large unfinished basement. All of this crap that we still have would never fit in my garage. We moved last year. We have started a "sell" pile: those nice bar stools and tv stand, and piles of more crap. On the plus side, we are again using the sofa and two chairs that have been unused for the past three years. We donate (mostly) clothing to Goodwill frequently, and I took about 6 boxes of books and curriculum to the used sale this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Our big problem is books. I have four bookcases full of books, and books on the floor because I need another bookcase. Next is the garage. There is an over abundance of large stuff out there. It is large and awkward so it is difficult to get into the moving van. Then the furniture. I have a lot of furniture. After that stuff comes the kitchen stuff, and the bathroom stuff. Then dd's stuff. My personal stuff wouldn't fill one large box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Too much. Don't even know what it is. Want to purge before insanity sets in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tutor Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 For our move here, we pared down our 3br house worth of stuff down to a 17' moving truck. We actually had some free space on the truck! We are moving Monday and hope we can get everything into the 24' we rented. We got rid of quite a bit already, but dh and I have already decided we need to purge even more as we unpack. The kids are completely on board after realizing how much we have to move tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nevergiveup Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Well...my son alone owns 2 tractors, 2 trucks, a gooseneck trailer, a 4 bottom plow, a bush hog, a riding mower, a pushmower, 2 weed whackers, several engines and motors, and tons of tools, and he just turned 18. We have 3 barns full. It would take several semi trucks to move us. Feel better now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela H in Texas Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Well, last summer, we sold almost everything we owned. We had a 1/3 filled storage unit and a car-full of stuff when the kids and I went to join hubby in Virginia. We got a couple more things along the way, of course, but didn't really go haywire. Then we moved into this house which was mostly furnished and we already had necessities. Of course, if we move, we're going to have to get some stuff. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodgollycr Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I feel ya. I am in the process of an international move so I am limited on space. No just throwing stuff in a box and dealing with it later. The upside it I can start all over again when we get there. Life really is simpler with less 'stuff'! But I don't think I could commit to not buying any more post-its. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Tomorrow should be it for the move. I'm sore, tired, cranky and it finally got to me today when I opened up our storage cabinet. All this *stuff* to deal with. I have no idea how in the world I ended up with this much *stuff*. I'm tired of *stuff*. . my friend commented we spend the first five years of marriage acquiring "stuff", and the rest of our lives trying to get rid of it. It's worse if you don't move and are not forced to thin it on a regular basis. I keep a donation pile going at all times. we also have a dump pile forming. (too big to put in the trash.) good luck with your move. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AHASRADA Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 We put all of our belongings in storage a few years ago in order to spend a year overseas. When choosing a unit size, we selected the largest, which the storage manager claimed could hold the contents of a 5-bedroom house (ours was a small 3-bedroom). Guess what? It didn't fit. We had to rent an additional small storage unit for the overflow. :tongue_smilie: Needless to say, we spent about 3K that year to store our "stuff". We then moved to our current home, a 3-bedroom townhouse, and had to cram all that "stuff" in this small space. Our furniture barely fit, not to mention all the "stuff" in the kids' rooms and in the basement. I periodically attempt to declutter, since we definitely have too much stuff. Some days I wish I could just start over. I wish we had gotten rid of stuff rather than spending all that $$ to store it. Of course, when we were overseas for that year with our bare-minimum belongings, we were so content, not to be surrounded by clutter. Everything had a place, it was easy to pick up the mess, easy to clean. Ahh. But still, there are things each of us can't bare to part with... So, I just watch "Hoarders" and feel encouraged that at least my house isn't *that* bad. ;). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeannie in NJ Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 our house is up for sale after living here for 18 years. We have 2 attics, an overhead one that is difficult to get to and a large walk in one plus a large garage. They were crammed full when I started de-junking. I decided that once something went into the attic it is never to be seen again so I would have been better off just tossing it instead of putting it in the attic as in bread machine from many years ago that does not work (I tossed it now), BETA vcr and tapes (had to convince dh to toss those lol, told him that Beta is never coming back) and other such junk. I have been de=junking in a major way and have decided that even if our new house has an unfinished basement, large attic and garage, we are taking nothing that would be in storage at the new house except for Christmas (pared down) decorations. I will keep saying "nothing in storage as it will never be seen again so just toss"until I have brainwashed my family to agree with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginevra Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Tomorrow should be it for the move. I'm sore, tired, cranky and it finally got to me today when I opened up our storage cabinet. All this *stuff* to deal with. I have no idea how in the world I ended up with this much *stuff*. I'm tired of *stuff*. I came out here with with 1 kid and 2 suitcases. Where did all this come from? I want to go back to something more simple. I really thought I had very little; but it's more than I thought. If you had to move, how long would it take you? I'm doing a massive donation next week. Seriously, this is nuts. *sigh* I'm tired of stuff, too. I don't think of myself as a "collector" or "keeper" (except books), but here I am, surrounded by so MUCH stuff! Our house is large and dh has a large detached garage and it is also full of *his* stuff. As I said, I don't think of myself as a "keeper" of things, but every room has furnishings, picture frames, plants, magazines, baskets, artwork, photo albums more than necessary. Every child's room has dozens upon dozens of books and stuffed animals and more clothing than necessary. Every closet has shoes, old electronics that are totally worthless and several years worth of coats and winter gear. All this is true and I purge things with great regularity! I can't even imagine what the situation would be if I truly had difficulty parting with things. I can't even talk about the homeschool graveyard in the basement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I have an issue with school and office supplies. I love them. I love to shop for them. I love to smell new notebooks and new crayons (isn't that right, Renthead Mommy?) I hoard them. Now they are suffocating me. But how do you declutter something so innocent as a manila folder? I have 500. How many should I keep? 10? 50? 250? Where should they go? Who will love them like me? Yes, I know they are very inexpensive and I can get them at Walmart at 3am if I have a folder emergency. But it just seems so wasteful to get rid of something so practical... Jennifer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSmomNY Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 way too much stuff. I need to declutter in a mayor way, but it takes time and energy. At present I am short on both. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrogMom5 Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Rats in the walls?! That can't be good. Can you call an exterminator? Today. I hate rats. We almost had to buy a house with a rat infestation. Luckily, we got out of the contract. I still have nightmares about them. Rats and aligators - I hate them. I hope you are wrong. Maybe it was armadillos that you heard. Or a trapped bird. I hope you are wrong. Good luck with whatever it is. Denise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ma23peas Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 We are going to make this 'stuff' disappear, the American way, we're going to try and sell it! At one time, I dreamed of having all these great books to keep forever, now, not so much, I still have my faves in hardback that I will keep, but I can narrow those down to about 50...what about the other 500 I have!! Not to mention horse boots that were never worn (good 'ol tennis shoes were easier to put on!) or the pairs of house shoes I got from Sierra Trading Post for Christmas gifts that my kids never wore, they just go barefoot...so, we are dedicating our 'music/treadmill' room to a holding center for items. Kids will learn how to open up our own store for homeschool/household items online...we'll start with all our old curricula/books first then consider moving on to ebay or something (just don't like the fees)...I am hoping it will teach them some responsibility and inspire them to be 'clutter' free people... :) They get 50% of the price of the item it sells for, the rest goes into our Christmas fund...it will be interesting to see which child is motivated the most...I have already bought the mailers and scale to determine postage...why not make this clutter pay you back? :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMe Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 We own way, way too much stuff. If we had to move....um.....it would be almost impossible. As the saying goes..... We spend the first half of our lives trying to acquire stuff, only to spend the last half trying to get rid of it. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalicoKat Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 According to one moving company 18,000 lbs and another one said 15,000 lbs. :D So we've been craigslisting crap like crazy. But we're still probably in the "whole lotta crap" category. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaKinVA Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 We are getting ready to move. Most of our "stuff" is either books or tools. The kids do have quite a few toys, and I keep culling and putting into the Goodwill boxes, and kids keep grabbing the stuff I've culled, because I don't get it to Goodwill fast enough. :tongue_smilie: I cull regularly. We probably do have too many clothes (at least the kiddos, I don't), but I'm working on it. We have a ton of LEGO, and toys for every age (then, I have childern from 2-12). More will go as we move. But, once I get things put away, we will have LOTS of room to spare. It will be so nice not to squeeze past DH tools to get to the closet! Now, if I can just keep the toys in the one room downstairs... I'll be a happy woman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Well, we pulled 6 large trashbags of clothes and shoes out of our closet to go to Goodwill today, so that's a start. I'm working on purging the homeschool stuff (really, is one child going to read 15 books on Vikings in addition to the textbook in the two weeks we study them this year, if that?). Overall, we have too much stuff as well. We'll never get to minimalist, but we can get better (minimalists do not have over 2000 books not counting any of the homeschool books or my daughter's books, so add in at least 5 6ft bookcases stuffed full to that number---that's after major purging). My husband wants to turn our garage into a mini dojo for aikido practice, but that means a major decluttering. If we can make that happen, we can have the practice mats, then fold them up when we want to put one of the cars in (though it's technically a 2 car garage, both will never make it in there along with yard tools, freezer, etc). It's a constant process. I'm strongly considering contacting a cousin of mine about taking a few pieces of furniture that I have from our common ancestor (my great-grandmother). It's a china cabinet (I have 2, both inherited), dressing table with mirror and chest of drawers, none of which we need nor really do we have adequate room for. She loves redoing old furniture, has little from this ancestor and would value it, which means more to me than trying to sell them (plus they need refinishing to get any decent price). I'm also about ready to admit that I'm not going to use the massage table or chair that I got in massage school 11 years ago (got pregnant during school and have never actually practiced professionally). All of this would make a good bit of room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginevra Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 I have an issue with school and office supplies. I love them. I love to shop for them. I love to smell new notebooks and new crayons (isn't that right, Renthead Mommy?) I hoard them. Now they are suffocating me. But how do you declutter something so innocent as a manila folder? I have 500. How many should I keep? 10? 50? 250? Where should they go? Who will love them like me? Yes, I know they are very inexpensive and I can get them at Walmart at 3am if I have a folder emergency. But it just seems so wasteful to get rid of something so practical... Jennifer :lol::smilielol5::smilielol5::smilielol5: Hilarious!!! I wish I had written that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 We moved to New Zealand with 3 cubic yards and 2 suitcases, and have since bought a large bookshelf of books, enough toys to fit under a single bed, a large box of science supplies, a box of office supplies, a box of too-big kids' clothes, and furniture (3 beds, kitchen table and chairs, a sofa, 2 soft chairs, a desk, and 2 dressers). The 4 of us have lived in 650 sq ft for 10 years, in a uncrowded way. Less is more. Get rid of it! Ruth in NZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 According to my best friend, who is also a housekeeper, we have less then the average 4person household with young kids. Mind you when she comes to visit, and clean she will declutter. I once complained that she was purging a cute XYZ that the kids use to love...(blah blah blah, trip down memory lane). She then booted me out of the room. 3garbage bags later she was done the house. Please forgive toting, grammar... I'm on my iPad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoyfulMama Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 I was getting on to start a similar thread! We are moving again this week. Moved here almost 3 years ago. I know we moved in with more than I am moving out with, as I have pared down during those years, and have been seriously purging since March. Yet I still feel like I own WAY too much stuff. Today a girlfriend helped me pack up the kitchen. I have 20 boxes, and I'm not quite done yet. I was sitting here thinking that is a TON, when I realized that I think I had 20 boxes for my kitchen when we moved in, however those boxes were mostly 2-3 times larger than these boxes. So now I feel better. A little. Books. Yes, I have boxes upon boxes of books. I did eliminate more this time than ever before, but I still have boxes of books. Maybe, though, with the ones I'm not keeping, they might all fit on bookshelves??? Toys. I've been brutal. I've culled these multiple times. We have Brio Trains, Lincoln Logs, wooden blocks, puzzles, wooden food and china tea set, cars, Playmobile, Legos, Brio (my 5yo dd still does better with these), 2 dolls plus a few clothes, a basket of playsilks, a basket of pretend play items, and a variety of board games. Clothes - they naturally culled themselves when kids outgrew one size, and I bought less of new sizes. For me, it was pretty easy to cull what I don't wear. I see us realistically moving in another year (maybe two). Again. I'm really not looking forward to that. And each time I have to think about keeping or tossing an item, I ask myself if I will realistically use it enough to make it worth moving it now AND next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarreymere Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 We downsized a few years ago to move to our mobile home, and honestly I think the place is too big. DH and I are looking at those 'tiny houses' and very small log cabins (under 900 sq ft). We have one adult kid about to fly the nest (thirty days and yes I am counting) and there is that much more space freed up. We have two kids here all the time and two I share now with their mom (my daughter) and two more I share with their dad (my ex). Now we will have a dedicated girl's bedroom and a boy's bedroom.......it seems a waste to have all of that space. I think the most 'stuff' we have is my yarn stash...and everyone knows you can never have enough yarn, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 We downsized a few years ago to move to our mobile home, and honestly I think the place is too big. DH and I are looking at those 'tiny houses' and very small log cabins (under 900 sq ft). We have one adult kid about to fly the nest (thirty days and yes I am counting) and there is that much more space freed up. We have two kids here all the time and two I share now with their mom (my daughter) and two more I share with their dad (my ex). Now we will have a dedicated girl's bedroom and a boy's bedroom.......it seems a waste to have all of that space. I think the most 'stuff' we have is my yarn stash...and everyone knows you can never have enough yarn, right? Sorry for going off topic, but didn't you just change your pic. Aren't you a old lady in a rocking chair? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 I've been slowly decluttering over the past year. I've had a garage sale, had DH take some boxes to Goodwill several times, given things away, and listed things on Craigslist. It's going well, but it's still a work in progress. We had things stuffed in every closet, cabinet, and storage area! I used to love to collect things....but then I thought...Why?? For one, they sit on a shelf an collect dust, which makes my dusting take longer to complete. For two, they cost money. All to just sit there! I used to collect Smurfs, things with frogs on it, breakable figurines. I don't anymore. I boxed up all of my Smurfs (because I do love those....I loved them from childhood). I kept ONE curio of favorite breakables. It's a small curio that is in the corner of our bedroom. I have a few knickknacks that sit around the house, but I have chosen a more modern looking decor with cleaner lines, so I don't have a lot of stuff just sitting around anymore. Toys....I've purged and purged and purged the playroom. The kids still have a lot of toys, but it is MUCH better than it used to be. And totally organized too. We're just not buying as many toys anymore. And I will completely purge junk before it even reaches the playroom. If my kids attend a carnival and win junk toys, I allow them to play with them for a few days....but when I see they are not playing with them anymore, I toss them into the trash. They never miss them. I've purged my closet and DH's. If something does not fit, it's gone. If you lose weight, you just go buy more. If it's something that hasn't been worn in months, it's gone. My issue is with children's books....I'm not quite sure what to purge. They have lots of baskets full of children's books in the playroom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bang!Zoom! Posted August 1, 2011 Author Share Posted August 1, 2011 Went to the old apt. today, got the last load out and the cleaning done, dropped off the keys and that part is over. Now comes the unboxing and sorting here. It's way too much. It's going somewhere, but I'm NOT dragging that stuff up three stories. We have a garage downstairs and everything is stacked up in there. I took a photo of it.. lol :) You should see the dumpster here. All this "stuff" from people moving in and doing the same thing. A trash picker would have a heyday. Perfectly good rugs, microwaves, dishes, clothes, organizers up the wazoo in them filling them up. It's really amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chepyl Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Our garage is full! We have two closets that are packed and then the toys!!! I am slowly trying to clean stuff out. It took a 3 days to pack the truck when we moved from MO to OK! We filled two storage units floor to ceiling plus, what we took with us to my parents' house. When we moved out, we had added quite a bit to our collection. Now....I know I have accumulated more, but I am constantly getting rid of more. Watching Hoarders helps motivate me! ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kari C in SC Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 When we left FL three years ago, it took a 53 ft semi to haul all of our house and my mom's mobile home. I estimate our house filled 2/3 of it AND we got rid of a lot of stuff. If we moved today... we would easily need the whole 53 ft semi. And... it is my dh. He is a hobby guy and a mechanic. He has so much stuff!!! Seriously, he has at least a dozen aquariums for different pets - fish, reptiles, mice, snakes, etc. Then there are his bird cages (no, we don't have any birds now - but we still have at least 5 cages). Then there are coins, cards, books, comic books, fishing, shooting, drawing, fly making, snorkeling, rock tumbling,gardening and the list goes on and on. Seriously, my dh has so many interests. His tools alone weigh a TON. I joke about him, but these things are what make him happy. He has spent a lot of time on hobbies since our son died. I am glad he has the outlet. Do I want to move??? EVER??? HECK NO!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4wildberrys Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Tomorrow should be it for the move. I'm sore, tired, cranky and it finally got to me today when I opened up our storage cabinet. All this *stuff* to deal with. I have no idea how in the world I ended up with this much *stuff*. I'm tired of *stuff*. I came out here with with 1 kid and 2 suitcases. Where did all this come from? I want to go back to something more simple. I really thought I had very little; but it's more than I thought. If you had to move, how long would it take you? I'm doing a massive donation next week. Seriously, this is nuts. It NEVER feels like you have much until you move or have to clean to show a house for sale :glare: Yard sales before or after you have moved give a sense of closure and a bit of profit----and just donating it feels even better! I realized that we had 'Stuffitis' pretty darn bad during all those boom years :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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