Moving Update: This Isn’t for Sissies
I’m laying with a heating pad on my back and wondering if 3:30 is too early for a glass of wine šĀ Every muscle in my body hurts and I haven’t lifted anything heavier than an empty box for days. We’ve been packing nonstop for weeks and I’ve been getting more stressed by the day.
There have been moments of levity which always keep things fun. I howled when my husbandĀ covered our couch cushions to keep them clean during the move. For a week we sat on black plastic bags which kept sliding off the couch and making the rudest noises when we sat down.
Our storage container arrived last Friday and was shoehorned onto our driveway. We thought it looked huge but managed to fill it and still have a lot of stuff left in our garage. One of us has a hard time tossing things out.Ā 
The name on the side of the container might give you a small indication of who. Iāve been calling my husband a packrat for the last few weeks. He packed everything and decided he’d declutter when we unpack.Ā I’d rather toss out now and move less junk but each to his own.
I number each box and keep a detailed list of what’s inside. That way we can reuse the boxes without crossing outĀ tons of words…been there,Ā done that before.
Sunday we hired 2 young professional packers to load the container. The more things that left the house the lighter and freer I felt. At this point, I don’tĀ care if I ever see 3/4 of that stuff again. I’ve collected many things throughout my life but what’s most important for me to collect now are memories. People and memories are priceless, things are just stuff.
We’veĀ still gotĀ lots to do before our house hits the market and things are getting pretty crazy around here. We’ll decide later ifĀ we unpackĀ that container orĀ live sparsely while we rent and explore where we want to buy.
Is your husband a pack rat? Are you?
Thanks for reading ladies and have a great day!
I read your blog at 5:00 am so I thought you meant wine at 3:30 am. Either way, no judgement here! I last moved 15 years ago and hired movers. I still managed to lock my neck for 3 days. We are editing and renovating our home in the hopes of selling and I am going out of my mind doing this while working long hours. I am cringing at another move since I managed to gather far more things in this house than I intended. My husband is a packrat and I’m not altogether innocent of holding on to things myself. This makes for some lively ‘discussions’ from time to time! Not looking forward to the next move!
Our conversations are “lively” too š Hang in there
We moved back to California last Fall and it was such a hard move for us even though my husband and I have moved three times together. Each time, we have gotten rid of so much āstuff.ā This last move, we did not bring most of our furniture and we still had two PODs full. I guess we are pack rats in denial! We are in a 5th Wheel, while we wait for our home to be built. I have vowed that I am only putting things that work into the new house and getting rid of the rest. Once it is gone, I am sure that I wonāt even miss it! (I hope!) Best of luck on your move and new adventure!
Best of luck Arell! Living in a 5th wheel isn’t easy but reminds us of how little we need to live well.
No packrats in my house,thank God!I am sentimental about knickknacks though,as they bring back fond memories and I find it hard to get rid of them.My Mum was a hoarder and I never want to be like that.You are right that people and memories are more important than things.
Keep packing well and remain patient or have a glass of wine!
My Mom collected everything which brought her joy but was a pain to deal with after she passed.
Hang in there…moving stinks no matter how you look at it. I am more ready to clean things out than ever before…I guess I need to seize the moment…and purge!
I encourage you to purge purge purge:)
Good luck with your move. I am in the process of moving my parents into a senior community with a lot less square footage than they are used to. I have been slowly downsizing them since August, and they are doing a great job getting rid of clutter. They are practically minimalist now!
I love the sound of minimalist!! Good luck
Oh, WHAT A TIMELY POST. We are in the middle of downsizing again. In the past 5 years we have sold a 6,000 sq. ft. house, an 1200 sq ft. condo and now our 4,000 ft. family vacation home! We are young 75 years olds and have been married 53 years. We have owned 13 homes and you would think I was a pro at this. This lake home has been home to our kids and grand kids for 20 years. The kids no longer are able to spend much time here. They are so sad but it is too hard to take care of the property and the toys. We started with a major donating, giving away and selling program. We thought we were doing well but we when we had the move estimated we decided we could do better. Now we have eliminated half of what we thought we needed with a savings of half the total amount of the move. We have sold a lot but given away much more. The people who sponsor homeless shelters, abused women shelters and volunteer with young people in schools and churches have shown up in trucks with many helping hands. We are joyful! We will furnish our new lakeside cabins with the money we made plus the memories of how we helped others. It has been somewhat frustrating but we have had fun revisiting the past years by going through photos and cards and letters and all of the memorabilia of the years here. Tell hubby the money you save by giving up junk now will pay off in buying new junk…
Wow, Gayle, you’ve been busy! I am so looking forward to a smaller more manageable place with less stuff. If we could find one on a lake, it would be even better:) Good luck as you continue. It does feel good to donate and help less privileged.
What a timely post! My husband and I are in the midst of a self move and this is *the last time*. We moved many times in our adult years and after spending 2 years in a temporary home in our new area, we just bought a house just next to downtown Santa Rosa, where we can walk to everything. I’d use a heating pad except I might blow a fuse! Our electrician starts the upgrade as soon as the permit gets approved!
While my husband and I are not packrats, we have a beautiful restored antique player piano – which weighs double what a normal piano weighs. It doesn’t fit through most doorways so we din’t really get a choice where to put it in the new house. You can hardly give it away, let alone sell it. It has to be in a temperature controlled place or else it will get ruined. See, everyone has something to deal with!
Starting the next chapter of your life is exciting. It’s all worth it.
Love your topics – they are all relevant. I would have never guessed you have fine thinning hair – so do I. Natural henna is a good solution for us brunettes. Anything white gets a red tint and my hair is thicker for a few weeks. I loved the belt post – I hate seeing the button under a shirt!
Thanks for all your ideas and inspiration. You are the first and sometimes only email I read!
Thanks for being here Marion. We have been intrigued with the Santa Rosa area but got scared off after the fires. Will it be hard to get contractors to help with your new home?
My agent has referred us to great contractors. Until customers pay a deposit, the job is uncommitted and there are many cancellations. Itās been fine so far.
Just like Scottie mentioned, I “pretend” move…all the time! I’ll be doing a Goodwill run this week. My biggest motivator’s are my eighty + year old parents! They have the hardest time eliminating useless (junk?) stuff, especially my dad….think a garage and side yards full of tools, lumber, etc. etc.. The siblings and I know we have a long, arduous, expensive ( time, energy, dumpster fees) unpaid job in our future. Funny thing, none of us are pack rats. Good luck with the move….and yes, wine is a great thing :)!!!
I don’t want to leave a big mess for our kids to deal with so I will continue to purge every opportunity I get. We are looking forward to being renters for a while and seeing how that feels.
We’re not moving but I’m packing up stuff. Yeah. Don’t want to deal with it when I’m 80 = 11 years from now.
Found a charity that takes furniture – they came this morning. Didn’t need the oak dining room set anymore and some other chairs etc. Now I’m going thru China/crystal that was mostly my mother’s sitting in the basement in boxes. A senior’s centre will take it for their gift shop – stuff there really sells and money goes back into programming.
The old saying less is best holds true at times.
It is totally true!!
We’ve always lived a fairly minimalist lifestyle, but after over 35 years in the same house we have certainly accumulated more than we need. It’s definitely time to do a major clean out! If and when we move, I’d like to have some of that done in advance. Thank you for inspiring me to get started!
PS. Have that glass of wine!
Good for you, I’m sure it will be a really great experience once the “work” is done. As your title says packing and moving are definitely not for sissies!
I am not sure if you have read anything about the Swedish Death Cleaning? I am trying to follow that….trying….here’s a link describing it:
https://www.nbcnews.com/better/health/what-swedish-death-cleaning-should-you-be-doing-it-ncna816511
Suz from Vancouver (had some trouble so this may be a repeat comment)
I need to read this book!!
Went from 5 thousand sq ft to 2200. Just the two of us. I thought I might die packing.
I gave 3 bedroom sets to family. Sold some couches and patio furniture/antiques/artwork to friends and sent some stuff to consignment and tons to Goodwill. It has been several years now and honestly I don’t miss anything however the stuff is starting to crowd in again. A good yearly purge helps.
Good luck with the move. Renting is a good idea for a bit
We moved to our vacation home. We already loved the area. But now it is getting crowded here and the search is on for the next move. š
We have been kicking “me” in the butt for selling our vacation home 9 years ago but it didn’t make sense then and doesn’t now so we continue to look. I feel so free every time I donate things.
Gosh, hoping your back feels better soon. Good job on hiring two strong men to move the boxes for you. We moved twice in one year — first our rental, then our purchased home. It will all be worth it when you sell, and get resettled. Remember to check out the central coast and valley. It’s beautiful out here, and not as expensive as the Bay Area.
Where do you recommend in the central coast? We are totally open. Having this container leave makes me feel we could easily move anywhere.
Vis a vis wine at 3:30 p.m., it is 5:00 somewhere so go for it!
I like how you think Jan
Good morning, Jennifer. Weāre doing the same thing up here in Olympia. So exhausting and physically painful ????! Iām being ruthless as I go through stuff. Our move to this house 7 years ago just about did me in (and I was still in my 50ās~so young ????) so I definitely donāt wanna take as much āstuffā with us. Youāre so right, itās all about the memories and spending time with the ones we love and care about. And Iām past the point of needing or wanting tangible items to commemorate every event. Hang in there. Apparently many of us are going through this together and remember itās never too early to put on yer jammies when youāre exhausted and hurting! ????
I totally agree it’s all about the memories and not the stuff!! Good luck Val xo
W e. Have a bigger house near Seattle wa, lived there 30 years, and a small house in palm desert for the winter months which we bought a year ago. Just came back to Seattle and couldnāt believe the clutter in the garage, the bedroom, the storage room, oh my goodness. Where did all this stuff come from. Itās overwhelming. I need help lol.
Love your method of packing w/ list/no. Feel better soon.
It sounds like you have planned your locations beautifully!! We loved Palm Dessert. Clutter chokes the life out of any location because it’s oppressive. Thanks for sharing:) We will be looking back in Palm Springs.
Yes, my husband is a packrat, and sadly, I am becoming one as well. Not good for a couple who want to downsize when I retire in just a few years!
However, for all his “packrattiness,” he manages to come up with exactly what we need when we need it, after a short trip to the basement to rummage around! Also in his defense, he has for months been clearing out boxes of old magazines and other treasures we now wonder why we kept in the first place.
Good for him! I don’t think our clutter has produced anything but dust for the last 30 years.
My husband is a huge pack rat so I feel for you. I pity our children if I pass away first. I have to sneak things into the trash. (which I do all of the time haha)
I sneak stuff into the trash all the time!!! xox
Such a lot of work!! Be careful! – Amy
We decided to move back to CA from WA a couple years ago…..and knew we would be downsizing a LOT. We ended up going from a 3600 sf house with tons of storage to a 1600 sf townhome with little storage. All our furniture was included in the sell of our house. Old furniture never seems to fit a new place….and at that time we didnāt know where we would ālandā. We had so much āstuffā accumulated because we apparently were trying to fill up all the storage space we had. We have become pretty much minimalists by necessity, and guess what? I donāt miss anything that we didnāt take with us! That was a hard move for us….from beginning to end. And when it comes to moving, it is NEVER too early for a glass of wine! Good luck….canāt wait to hear how you like your new place.
Thanks Cindy…I will have that glass of wine and toss a few more things into the donate pile!