calherewecome

So I was reading an article in the New York Times this morning that hit close to home. It is an article about decluttering our lives and our homes. It reminded me of our attempt to get rid of stuff before we moved west to California.

THE amount of goods a couple can accumulate over 44 years living in the same house can be overwhelming. And that is what Wendel and Carolyn Thompson, of Columbia, Md., have been grappling with since January as they prepare to leave their split level and move to a retirement community this month.

Figuring out how to squeeze the contents of a house into a two-bedroom retirement unit nearby in Catonsville, Md., has taken most of their time in recent months. And they’ve had some help. “Declutter ladies,” or downsizing specialists, spend hours with them every week to sort through and pare down their belongings to a more manageable size.

Here’s the pointer to the complete article. We could have used the “Declutter ladies”

We had lived in our house since 1984. There was 28 years worth of stuff. The clutter was sizable. We started the project in January 2012 with the goal to have the house on the market by the beginning of April. We met with a contractor and did a walk-thru of the house as if he were a house inspector. Fix this, replace that etc. Then we got to the basement. We told him everything goes except for the stuff in the plastic bins. The stuff either goes in the 30 cu yd dumpster or the back of your pickups.  So we then had an empty basement that could be re-carpeted and painted. We asked ourselves, “Why didn’t we do this years ago?”.

So April 1 came and went. The house was on the market on time. We were shocked to have an offer by April 10. Add a couple of days to get to a signed P&S. Then the clock started ticking. We now had a move out date of June 22. Now what would we do?

We started by putting stuff on Craig’s List. Some stuff sold quickly, Some stuff we donated to our church. They have a homeless program that was in need of furniture. We gave a piano to the church. We gave some more furniture to friends. Then finally we talked with the buyers. We asked if they were interested in taking a few items.

Then three days before the closing we moved out and into a motel for the last three days. Packing completed into the POD. We probably could have filled the larger pod, but we made do. Finished loading the Jeep then off to the lawyer’s office for the closing.

We had stayed at our condo for a few weeks before our departure for LA. This allowed us to sort the stuff in the Jeep and ship it via UPS to our son Mike. Then finally we took our trip to Ireland before we left for LA. We figured that we wouldn’t be closer or have the money to do it (see earlier blog posts about Ireland),

We’re unpacking about three or four boxes a day. We’ve been concentrating on kitchen stuff and clothing.

The pod was unloaded in good time on Saturday and picked up today. I picked up the tab for lunch for the unloading crew.

Sunday we took a break from our labors. Went to church and then brunch at the Pacific Diner.

Here’s a picture of boxes left to be unpacked. We ought to be done by Christmas. The big problem we are facing is where do we put the stuff? In a sense we’re doing the same thing we did in June in our house in Billerica. Some of the stuff that we are throwing out hasn’t been touched in years.

Today’s good news is we found the coffee pot. Bad news is we can’t find the filters for it. So we’ll use the small pot that only makes four cups per cycle until I get to the store to buy the filters.

So as we unpack, we invariably find something that should not have made the journey. Why on earth did we pack that thing-a-mabob? Of course the answer was it was packed by Tom and Al, who made no decisions others than to pack it.
So it goes into the recycle box.

All of the china and crystal has survived the journey unscathed. Not a broken goblet yet.

Much of our belongings will stay in box until we find a place for them. It may take awhile. I am convinced that my mother-in-law has become incapable of throwing anything out.

So we’re sitting on the balcony in one of the few pieces of furniture to make the trip. Meanwhile, Mary K has gone off to the HOA’s Board of Directors meeting. She does love to go to meetings.

Later.

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Location:San Pedro, CA