Thanks for voting!This is Susan’s 3rd post in our Customer Blogger series. Read her previous post here.
Moving makes you realize just how much stuff you have. Especially if you have way too much of it. After paying for hundreds of cardboard boxes and packing materials ($210), professional movers (four separate visits! $2,200 total!), storage unit rental ($280) and junk removal ($450), not to mention spending countless hours packing and unpacking (time = money), I also realized how expensive it is to have all that stuff.
Yes, we just moved out of the house we sold and into the bigger, nicer, newer house we bought. Happy day! The whole thing was ridiculously exhausting and pretty much wiped out a week of our lives, but we’re awfully glad we did it. It’s lovely to have more than one “real” bathroom. I adore the quiet, tree-filled neighborhood and our park-like backyard with a deck to enjoy the view.
And all that extra space! A girl could get used to this.
But coming to grips with our overabundance of crap—not so happy. How did we accumulate so many things? And what are we going to do with it all?
Before we moved, we cleared out quite a bit of clutter—or so we thought. We sold most of our books, CDs and DVDs. We donated boxes filled with unwanted stuff to local charities. Trash bags (or recycling bins, when possible) went away with the garbage truck.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time to thoroughly de-clutter before moving day. So a lot of junk ended up getting moved along with the good stuff. (Hello, hubby’s super-ninja sword collection? My inherited 70s pinball machine? The ancient-but-definitely-not-antique coffee table?)
After the movers left and the dust settled, we faced stacks of boxes in every room of our new home. Of course, lots of them contained things we actually wanted and needed—you know, plates and bowls, diapers and bibs for the baby, bath towels, clothes.
But what about all those other ones? The ones that—if they mysteriously disappeared without a trace—we would probably never miss? I’m pretty sure I have about 20 boxes full of random stuff from my childhood. My husband has boxes he hasn’t even opened since he moved out of his college apartment in 2000!
Now, we’re on a mission to simplify as we unpack and settle in. Every box is being opened and scrutinized. The two-car garage that we can’t wait to start parking in is currently a staging area for trash and donations. Every single thing we keep must be something we need, want and use, with a specific destination (NOT another box in the basement).
And from here on out, I pledge to be uber-vigilant about the things we bring into our home. If something new comes in, something old must go. Before I buy something, I’ll ask myself if it’s worth the price—not only to get it, but to maintain, keep, store, and eventually (in the faaaaaar-distant future), move it.
Our new motto: Simplify and save!
Check out our other Customer Bloggers: Alicia, Matt, T.J., Nancy and Alison.
Tags: Customer Bloggers, Susan
Loading ...
Susan,
Why not take some of the nicer things that you don’t want anymore and have a quick yard sale? This could help introduce you to some of your new neighbors and establish a presence in the neighborhood. If you wanted you could then save or donate the proceeds from the sale.
Congratulations on the move!
Congrats on the move! It’s a chore but so worth it. Enjoy!
Congrats on the new house!
I completely agree with Brendan that you should try a yard sale. Meet some neighbors, possibly make a few bucks to add to your savings or have some funds to donate to a good cause.
Sounds like you’re already on a good path towards decluttering- it’s the stuff with sentimental value that’s tough to deal with.
Good luck with everything!
We moved cross country 3 yrs ago after having been in the same house for 20+ years. We got rid of EVERYTHING….it was such a great feeling to be unburdened of the STUFF. This society of owning so many belongings has gotten out of control. My husband is a great collector of the “what if’s” He had a shop loaded with old electric cords…what if I might need it.. After we got here…he swore he would never do it again….but after 3 years I am starting to see a bit of the old collector again….but those black garbage bags are such a help!! When he is gone I clean house. The sentimental things are difficult to get rid of…but if you never use them…take a photo of it and move on.
Life is good….and so much happier with out the burden of clutter!!
Bravo!
For a few years, it seemed like I moved once a year. I know exactly what you mean about thinking “How did all this STUFF accumulate?” I stopped and thought, “I worked so many hours to pay for all of this stuff, I carried it all in here . . . why?” Then for one move, I had to be prepared suddenly to spend the night in the new place to accommodate a pet without time to actually move everything. I packed a few things I actually needed to make life work, drove across town to the new place, and realized that I had everything I actually needed in one car load! I’ve been reducing my possessions ever since. I read a blog by one guy who owned only 100 personal items. He didn’t count cooking and eating utensils, but he did count everything else, CDs, fingernail clippers, t-shirts, everything. I envy that guy! I’m not there yet, but moving in that direction . . .
Great post, Susan! My wife and I have always been collectors of useless stuff, but now that we have kids, it seems like our collection has gone into overdrive! It’s good to know that pairing down can be done!
This is such a good post. I am terrified to move and see all the stuff I collected. Good luck cleaning it out. Yes, do have a yard sale. It’ll recoup some of the costs of moving.
Congratulations on the move! That is a huge accomplishment - very far from my own mindset, but I am always excited to read about such a big step from other people!
I am going to jump on the bandwagon with the yard sale. People are always on the search for a good buy, so if you post a few signs, and take out a small ad in the classifieds section of your local newspaper, you could make a little bit of money while clearing out the clutter of your house.
Best of luck!
[...] Goodbye, useless junk. June 5, 2010 by susanwennerjackson Check out my latest post on ING Direct’s We, the Savers blog: Moving makes you realize just how much stuff you have. Especially if you have way too much of it. [...]
Congratulations on the new house. We tried to de-clutter before we moved but still managed to take move quite a bit of useless stuff. Two years later I am still opening boxes and getting rid of junk. I couldnt agree more that time = money. We moved ourselves in an attempt to save money which I will never ever try to do again. That $2200 you spent on movers was WELL worth it and I wish I had done the same.