We just sold our vacation home on Vancouver Island in an attempt to simplify our lives.
We had an estate sale this past weekend which was hilarious…and a lot of hard work. It’s pretty unnerving creepy to have strangers prowl your home, pawing through and critiquing your things.
Seriously??? “You don’t like my taste in lamps? Put it down and move on”!We don’t need two of everything, so we decided to sell everything that had no sentimental feelings attached to it.
By the end of the day, we were even selling some of them!
We still have another group of things to sell…a second Kayak, a Sailboat, a buffet, some paintings, a few rugs, a second patio set and a few more chairs.
My husband just came home from the post office and asked what happened to our front door mat. He laughed when I told him I sold it!
We did manage to get rid of the pool table, Murphy Wall bed, dining room table, chairs, mirrors, lamps, plates, pots and pans (I’m no dummy… packing and cooking on the same day is not my idea of fun) and lots of extraneous junk.
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During this process, I had to excavate some pretty scary things from my wardrobe. I howled over a few items and wondered where the fashion police were when I bought them. I can date my career in the fashion industry, based on the types of clothes I owned. For some reason, they all (I hope) ended up being stored here. An excavation is in order when I get back to California.
Patent Leather Spats with silver leather and faux Leopard spots…does it get worse than this? Yep, it did.
I won’t can’t say for sure if I ever wore these horrific boots, more than once, but I am guilty of purchasing them…many years ago. Someone else is guilty of buying them last Saturday 🙂
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Towards the end of the day on Sunday, the Mounties came to our rescue.
That’s a cordless drill in Joanne’s hand and a cup of Whiskey in Doug’s. Without their help, we wouldn’t have been able to dismantle the Murphy Bed and get it out of here without taking down a wall.
Doug is a Mountie, so of course, we all had to try on his official hat later :-)) We will sure miss them.
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As I write this my husband just came up from the garage with a stack of cash in hand. The other Kayak is now gone. This is a strictly cash and carry sale. It appears the sale didn’t stop at the weekend!
Selling this home is very bittersweet. We know we’ll miss our relaxing times, the roaring fires, fabulous friends, and outstanding views, but are looking forward to a new chapter in our lives.
I decided to keep this big fella. Even plopped under my palm trees in California, he’ll remind me of all the Bald Eagles I watched from my deck and living room windows.
This is ridiculous, my husband just brought two men upstairs to look at the chairs…I’m now hiding in the bedroom in my pj’s lounging attire!
We drove Finn and Lucy up with us for this extravaganza… just to add some extra fun.
I wonder, where in the Murphy’s Rulebook it states that your geriatric dog will become incontinent, once you sell your house and are packing it up to leave.
Does simplifying your life appeal to you?
It appeals to me…I just hope the process doesn’t kill me.
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Your account of the process is hilarious, but I can only imagine how bittersweet it is for you to part with a great place where you’ve spent so many fun times. Well, packing up and moving on it is. Same as you, I hope that the whole process of selling this property wouldn’t be too difficult for you. Thankfully, there are good people willing to help you through it. Best of luck!
–Scott Sauer @ ScottSauer.ca
Do you know, as long as we’ve had that home, we’ve never gotten over to see Whistler!! Stupid and shameful of us. And my daughter lives in downtown Vancouver!
It was interesting how quickly I was willing to drop the prices (just to move them) on items that felt so important last month.
I’m loving this de cluttering.
I know how beautiful Vancouver Island is, as we took our boat up there on vacation when our children were small. We sold the boat when the kids started having sports activities that consumed the weekends. Now my husband and I relax at Whistler, once or twice a year.
I have been dedicating my weekends to cleaning and purging before the holiday season. I too, have held onto way too many things, way too long. Isn’t it interesting how parting with what was once sentimental becomes so liberating once it is out of the house?
It’s so amazing how many of us “Boomer Bloggers” have retail and fashion in our blood!
Wishing you and your husband comfort and joy!
w/L
Ooh.. I loved reading your article.. thanks Jennifer for bearing all – brave souls you are.. letting go is the hardest but once decision has been made, there’ll be no looking back ever! I wish you well in your strive to simplify your lives.. this after all is what this wonderful phase in our lives is all about now.. Simply living and enjoying every day to the max! Enjoy.. go for it! .. x j
Our home is on a river with a view we love. We raised our children here but I keep seeing all the ‘stuff” that we don’t need. My husband is still bringing boats, and snowblowers in the front door while I take old lamps and clothes out the back. I am hoping we will meet in the middle in the next few years and start simplifying our material possessions. Your summer place looks lovely. Must have been somewhat difficult to let all those things go!!
That is hilarious Mary. In the front as you take things out the back. I’ve had to sneak quite a few thing onto the sale tables here while my husband was “manning” the garage:-)
Awww, we were practically neighbors as I live close to the ferry terminal on the mainland. Your place is gorgeous but I’m happy for you and hubby to start a new chapter. It always feels good to let go. Selling all your stuff must have been bittersweet. Congrats!