How Did You Downsize Before Moving Aboard?

[cdennyb]

I have 40 years worth of parents stuff at this place I've lived at for the past 5 decades! I have my crap added to that! and... since I've been with my significant other for the past 25 yrs, I have HER stuff too... where will it all end?
I've been doing the dump, landfill, salvation army trips, yard sales and it seems like the pile just keeps getting bigger or staying the same. What gives?

I feel like that little robot on the Disnery cartoon movie, WALLI-E.
LoL

I've even been guilty of wishing for a tornado or hurricane so I could just wait for the dumpsters and front end loaders and insurance check! LoL

Well, got to go... no rest for the wicked you know.

good luck.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by aboutgone

. How did you go about the final down sizing?......Ed

After Ebay we tried to give all our friends our crap.

2 diferent couples had given us Christmas presents 2 months previously so we thought we should offer the presents back......................... One said straigh out "Nah!".
The ohter wanted her vase back saying she really had wa=nted it for herself when she was shopping for our present! So we gave that back! LOL

Then there was 13 FULL garbage bags thrown out on th last day!!!!!!!!!!! No time for the chartiy shop, just heaved them into the trash.

We got on the plane with 2 suitcases full of sailing stuff and out hand held luggage had our ONLY personal stuff!!!!

Our advice: Get RID OF IT! Start afresh


Mark

[cantxsailor]

My wife went on vacation without me once way back when we were first together. While she was gone I took 28 big black bags of catalogs, years old magazines, boxes of years old check stubs, unopened junk mail and manuals for machines that had been thrown out years before. She got back and commented on how tidy the house was. I don't think she ever noticed all the missing junk.

She however, is never allowed in my workshop for fear she might decide I need to "tidy up" a bit too(Says he stepping over ANOTHER box of parts to get to the pile he calls a work bench)..........m

[Biffa]

Amazing how many of us are in the same boat (no pun intended). We lived on a canal boat for about 3 years before moving to the US and went through the whole downsizing ritual. It was very satisfying and made us think about what we really needed in life. We've been in the US for the last 3 years and have managed not to accumulate too much stuff by following the rules we had when we lived on the canal boat. Now we're selling up & moving aboard our Snowgoose. We have managed to sell most of our big things through friends & work. Everything else is off to the yard sale or goodwill. Good luck with getting rid.

[CaptForce]

I do admire the successful ability of so many to shed all these accumulations. We skipped this task by moving abord from a college apartment back when everything we owned could still fit in the back of our car. I guess we "cheated"! 'take care and joy, Aythya crew

[Cheechako]

hmmmm... wish my honey would go on vacation.... how much junk do you need? Me to I guess.. just different stuff! After the yard sales, then the last yard sale with ridiculous prices. (35mm cameras with 3 lenses and flash $20 etc..), then Salvation Army, then one 10 x10 storage unit. When back from cruising...we realized we could have got rid of 80% of the storage unit also!

[GeoPowers]

We used a simple formula: Get rid of everything you can, then get rid of 1/2 of what's left!

I also think a week-long road trip helps- only keep what you can pack in your vehicle!

[TritonSailor]

My Ex-wife helped out considerably. After 22 month's in Iraq, I came home and couldn't even get in my own home, the mortgage hadn't been paid in 5 months, banks changed the locks. She basically emptied the house, so all I had left to my life was my own clothes, laptop, and some memorabilia. Since most of the work was done for me, I just used the addage, what use would this item be to me on my boat. What I couldn't sell, I gave away. Now when I move aboard, I will also have room for provisions on a 28'6" boat. Trust me you will get there. Last piece of advice, don't bring items to the boat and then get rid of them from there, because you never will. You will always be able to find a spot for something you don't need.

Jeff

[aboutgone]

Alright.................did 500 $ at the garage sale today!............The pile is getting smaller ......................Ed

[s/v Geneve]

My wife and I are starting this same process beginning next weekend when we will hopefully be done revarnishing the cabin sole and be ready to start organizing.

We have given ourselves until the 1st of November to have begged, bartered, or sold all of our possessions and be ready to move onboard. We are going to try a couple of estate sales and see if we can't sell off entire rooms at a time before we start the individual stuff.

Here is where I'm hoping that friends and family will start to help out. I'm thinking of sending out emails saying "Please don't spend money on cards and bottles of champagne, buy our stuff instead!" If they buy our stuff I'll buy the champagne and take them out on the boat.

[aboutgone]

The way it is right now...we have sold most everything except the 1959 Harley Davidson ,one bed room suite ,,,and things we need on the boat....the rest ....we are having a going away party,but you must bring a truck or car,no bikes...and you must take at least one or two things (for free).........we would rather give the last of the things to our dear friends than get a dollar or two for them at the yard sale............we are on our way. we ain't dreaming about it no more............ed & Yvonne

[getlostonpurpose]

I found that stuff I paid a lot of money for wasn't worth near as much as I thought when I was trying to sell it. However, everyone seemed game for trading alcohol for that stuff! Got rid of the crap that way and filled the boat with the important stuff.

Regardless, you eventually end up with a pile of stuff that just won't go. Take it to Goodwill and start your life again. You'll appreciate it later.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by aboutgone

we are having a going away party,but you must bring a truck or car,no bikes...and you must take at least one or two things (for free).........we would rather give the last of the things to our dear friends

Ed and Yvonne,

Please don't get upset when your friends turn up their noses at some of your great, expensive homewears.

We were a little upset that so many things had to be thrown out in the trash.

Our last day we had builders renovating our house and we just didnt have time to take the last stuff to the charities. We threw 13 rubbish bags into the builders trash skip - even had to pay a higher dumping rate as it wasn't builders waste - probably threw out $10,000 worth (if bought new) of small kitchen and house accumulated 'stuff'.

After our friends took what they wanted and eBay took a few things we even put it on an internet forum and only had about 5 people turn up.... and the post said FREE!

Even the charities won't accept a lot of things that have value!

So be prepared to dump a lot of stuff. Just don't be hurt by it.

As soon as we got on the plane sans a life time of junk we had an amazing feeling of freedom and impending adventure

Mark
PS Don't stack the boat full, either!

[aboutgone]

Mark: thanks for the reassurance ...Yvonne's mom and dad spent 17 years on the hook. her father has been compiling a book for us,that i am sure will come in handy when we finally get aboard. the task of down sizing seems so large,but the pile is getting smaller. and no we don't have any regrets about losing or giving the things away,we think it's a good trade for a dream that's about to happen..........Ed
P.S. we had way to much crap any way..........LOL

[forsailbyowner]

I took anything of value and put it on ebay with a one cent starting bid. Some stuff really surprised me how much it went for. A good unloading spot for all the leftovers is at the local fleamarket. If you show up real early and talk to venders someone is bound to make you an offer for what you have left. Even if its a pittance it beats throwing the stuff away.