Friday, June 13, 2014

Starting the Downsizing

I know I haven't posted in a while, but another person at work quit and a second got very ill and my hours went crazy; I was busy, hiring and training the new person, covering for the one that was out ill and I was hoping that this summer I would finally, get to work on the vardo.

But with the death of a family member, I am having to move cross country, to be closer to my mother.

This family emergency has actually been a kick in the butt to start the downsizing processes.  


All the furniture that I have gathered over the last 11 year is gone. I sold it to a used furniture store this morning, saving me the hassle of trying to have a moving sale to deal with it.

All the wood is gone too, I can't take it with me, and will have to restart stockpiling it there. 

I took the door back to Habitat for Humanity, so they could sell it again. I'm keeping the half circle windows, I still want those in the vardo and I'll never get them for such great price.

Then I looked at the rest of my material possessions and started to choose what gets packed and what gets pitched. More pitched than packed, which is really a freeing sensation actually.

I went through my books and took a huge stack into Half Price Books, keeping only those I could not bare to part with. I bought a 288 disc holder and spent an hour moving all my CD's from their individual cases to the new holder. Lost 20 pounds of plastic and save myself another Uhaul box to pack.

If I haven't worn something in a year, it's been purged, and gave away all but two of my towels to the local area Kitten Rescue. I'm looking at all my kitchen wares with the view of, what is the level of kitchen I want in the vardo, or a camping kitchen.

Before I started the purge I created a list of 10 items that won't fit in a box, (My quilting frame, and my bike, the ladder, that sort of thing.) If an item isn't on that list, the item will get taking to Goodwill in the next week or two.  I can't decide on my futon bed, which is on the list...it's a queen and I'll only need a full for the vardo, but I will need it at my Mom's, but I could get another there and not worry about packing it... 

I keep thinking to myself as I look at each item that I'm about to pack, 'Do I want that in the vardo?' 'Do I have room for it in the vardo?' Without the furniture weighing down the house, looking at the rest of the materials that I have, has become much easier. Paperwork for the last couple of years seems to be taking up so much space, so many boxes, more than my books. And there are a few things that I will be giving away to family and mailing off, creating still more freedom from stuff.

Now I'm glad I haven't been able to start on the vardo, because I need the trailer to move.

Now I'm sad I haven't been able to start on the vardo, because I wouldn't need to move in with family when I get there.

Catch 22..

But hopefully, once I am there, I will finally have the time to start working on the vardo. No job that I love, but that I was clocking a 55 hr a week working at.

I've kept all my tools, and I've packed the welding helmet. :)

Now a to find a job even a part time job when I get there to pay for materials.  

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