Major challenge - Preparing to Move

[HarryHawk]

Facing a major challenge. My wife and I have decided to move to a small town located in western Michigan on the shores of Lake Michigan. We are having a home built in a brand-new senior community, it is still a soybean field, house won't be ready for at least another year. That is actually good news, I will need that much time to move.

I need to deal with a 40-year accumulation of some treasures, and alot of things probably most accurately described as junk. We've started selling, donating and pitching stuff; but have yet to make a major dent.

Hopefully we get better at it as we go along.

 

[RobbieB]

Good luck!

 

[FlaGator]

It's hard, you have my sympathy.

Cleaned out a 17 year residence to move 600 miles away. Donated 80+%, of what we didn't move, the rest to friends. Life today is easier without the overhang of so much stuff that wasn't being used, and never would be.

 

[Bamaman]

We moved 2 years ago, and still have not got everything unpacked. When I look at my triple car garage, there's no way our 3 children can deal with all that "stuff."

It's just not fair to the children to burden them with so many possessions. The younger generation doesn't appreciate china, silver, antiques, fine furniture and two big oriental rugs. Time to start a long term project of simplification.

 

[COcheesehead]

It’s a process. We sold stuff before we moved, during the move and after we moved and we still have stuff to get rid of.
We used eBay, FB Marketplace and a local resale shop. We thought it was all worth the effort, pocketing a few thousand. Everyone will have to decide for themselves if the effort is worth it, but it is a process.

 

[seraphim]

We just sold our house and moved to be with son and his new family. Posted stuff on FB for family to come and get if they wanted it. Donated what no one wanted. Threw out the rest.

Living in an apartment unti the house is built. Have a storage unit for things we’re not using now.

Be vicious in what you get rid of, is my advice. Keep what you have to have, plus a few sentimental items. It will make life easier.

 

[Marita40]

Just so you know--there are services that will help you do this. A friend of mine used one with great success. It can help ease the process.
Myself, I'm a neat-nik who values simplicity. I go through every single thing I own in a spring cleaning once a year and always have huge bags for Goodwill at the end. But I'm ruthless and not nostalgic about my stuff, so it is a cathartic experience for me.

 

[DrRoy]

Should be nice there, but you'll get a fair bit of snow.

 

[freedomatlast]

Just keep doing a little every day and commit to having your trash cans filled each week. We moved a couple of years ago. We had a large house, huge barn and a 40' x 40' garage to empty. We sold many thousands of dollars worth of stuff on Craigslist and ebay, put other stuff at the end of the driveway for free, took many truck loads to Goodwill, and had massive bonfires (this was a country location) every so often to get rid of the rest.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

Congratulations, HarryHawk! Since you're having the house built in a senior community, I assume the builder knows how to build for universal access, to make aging in place easier. For example, wider doorways (>=32"), grab bars and low/no step in for showers (or at least making sure the studs are in a good place for a grab bar), etc. I used to do this for w*rk, so message me if you want to discuss it, I don't want to derail the thread.


You don't mention family, but if you have kids I would ask them if there is anything they want. Although younger generations often don't want our crap, I can tell you from experience I would have liked to look through the attic of the house I grew up in before my father trashed everything we had accumulated there throughout my childhood and teen years! After that, Craigslist/Nextdoor/Freecycle etc. are good places to get rid of stuff quickly, although if you want it gone, you very well might have to give it away rather than sell it (see linked article above), as others have said.

 

[brett]

It took us 3 or 4 passes. Books were the hardest.

We gave away a lot of furniture to friends and relatives. Everything else went to women in need. One thing we learned was to tell people that they could have whatever BUT it had to be picked up by a firm date because Women in Need were coming to pick p on a certain day.

The other thing. Crystal has no value. No one wants it, No one buys it. Use it for day to day. Silver has value but only as a metal value. No demand for silver place settings.

It was a bit different for us. We were storing things in an 8X8X16 container for a year. We only kept what we could fit in the container. This forced us to prioritize. We still gave away things from that container that we did not want or need a year or so later after moving.

Good luck.

 

[VanWinkle]

I sold my house in Summer of 2021 and moved in with my SO. I kept a bed and living room furniture(they were better than hers) along with about 10 boxes of personal effects. She couldn't believe how little I brought with me. I was able to sell some on FB Marketplace, gave much away to needy young couples, and threw away the rest(thanks to my contractor nephew with a large dumpster).
Now we are preparing to sell her house this summer to make a move to Tennessee. She has 100 times more stuff than I had, so I am very interested in this thread to get some tips to help her streamline her belongings. We have started taking weekly(12 item limit) lots to the resale shop. At this rate, we will be able to move in 2036......

VW

 

[skyking1]

Congrats on the move and brand new digs, Harryhawk. Your timeline is similar to ours so I will be experiencing many of the same things.
I have had a cold the last week and staying inside, so I have done some inside deep dives into the closet and also virtual cleaning in my computer files. It feels good to get started about 16 months away from retirement.

 

[HarryHawk]

Folks,

Thanks for all the advice and encouragement. It is surprising how hard it is to get rid of books. Use to give them to the libraries, they don't want them anymore. Also it is difficult to donate to the local Goodwills/Salvation Army in our area. They are only open for donation for a few hours, then the lines are a few blocks long. Fortunately it seems like the small town charities are much more receptive, so we tend to take car loads of stuff when we are out for a drive.

Junior took what little he wanted. He had alot of toys, didn't want any of them. After giving him several warnings, started to sell them. They sell fairly fast and it is sometimes surprising how much they are worth.

Wife and I have vowed to have at filled trash cans every week.

When I need motivation, I realize it is my stuff and up to me to take care of it. Would hate to think what would happen if I just left it for Junior to have to clean up after we were gone.

thanks again! Happy Holidays!

 

[HarryHawk]

Should be nice there, but you'll get a fair bit of snow.

I don't mind snow as long as I have no where particular to go and have someone else do the shoveling.

 

[athena53]

I highly recommend a book called "Rightsize your life" by Ciji Ware- very practical but it also addresses some of the emotional issues of getting rid of things. Good luck- it's best done over a long period of time, as you will be doing, and it's a good feeling to pare down.

It helps me to think of things as having lived their useful life for me so its time to pitch/recycle/sell/donate without any regret. I got rid of a lot of things as Free Stuff on Craigslist- just put it out at the end of the driveway, list the address and say the first to arrive gets it. Just beware of "could you please hold the item for me because I really want it and I'll be by after work" requests. Half will be no-shows.

 

[rk911]

the only way to get rid of stuff is to get rid of the stuff....a little at a time or rip off the scab all at once...it matters not. like Nike says...just do it! when my bachelor BIL passed away last March it took us 6.5 weeks to clear out his 2BR townhouse. 6-dumptruck loads, 20-SUV loads to Goodwill and 9-bankers boxes of paper to shred. nothing...nothing was organized. paper everywhere. if you don't toss it someone else will have to...likely a relative. don't do that to them.

 

[MC Rider]

Dad gave us the fine china. We said we'll have to store it for special occasions. He said just use it daily it won't wear out, so we do. It's nice to have that sandwich or dinner on a gold rimmed plate. Just don't put it in the microwave, LOL.

 

[RobbieB]

It's just not fair to the children to burden them with so many possessions. The younger generation doesn't appreciate china, silver, antiques, fine furniture and two big oriental rugs.

Yeah, especially the silver. I just sold off the last of it for melt. Can't run it through the dishwasher, gotta hand clean and polish. Who needs that in their old age?

But I do like the furniture.

Spent $700 and 4 hours my labor moving this beauty from my aunt's house.

 

[MC Rider]

Nice, but now you need curios and knick knacks to put inside.

Maybe you got those.

 

[ERD50]

We had good success with many trips to goodwill, giving away furniture (some to younger generation in the family, some to local charities), having a weekend "give-away" (promoted on Facebook and NextDoor - everything free, didn't want to hassle with pricing), and a large dumpster for the rest.

And things of sentimental value - take several pictures, and maybe a video with some commentary. Then get rid of it. This gives you the memories, and that's all you really need.

One tip when you get to packing, that I wish I would have thought of: Use your phone to make a short video of the contents of every box you pack, number the box, and label the video with the box number. It won't take long, and you'll have a record of the contents of every box in an easy to find format.

-ERD50

 

[ERD50]

Yeah, especially the silver. I just sold off the last of it for melt. Can't run it through the dishwasher, gotta hand clean and polish. Who needs that in their old age? ...

I learned that the family silver is generally worth the melt weight, which might be several hundred dollars for a typical set. Apparently only the specific collector silverware is worth more than the silver spot prices.

Y ...

But I do like the furniture.

Spent $700 and 4 hours my labor moving this beauty from my aunt's house.

FIL/MIL had a nice piece almost as nice as that, and I was happy that one of the nieces wanted it. The top/bottom came apart (I think it was called a 'break-front'?), and was not too bad to move in a full sized van.

-ERD50

 

[wannabe]

Actually, an outfit called Replacements, Ltd (google them) will buy silver. I sold quite a bit this year and made a bit of mad money.

 

[pacergal]

When you think you have gone through everything, start again.
Rinse, Repeat. Several times. Be brutal.
If you don't use it, re-read it, love it/enjoy it on a daily basis, get rid of it.
Take a picture if it is sentimental.
Your kids will thank you.

We are not moving, but cleaned out when we first retired. We go through the house at least once a year now and still find things to sell/donate/toss.
Kids don't want it. The few knick knacks they do want, I still use occasionally, so store it here on display.(Grandmothers crystal, a few china pieces, a couple quilts made by Ggma)

 

[Major Tom]

Take a picture if it is sentimental.

I have found this to be a very useful technique for getting rid of items with sentimental value. The ones with extreme sentimental value, you keep, but there's an awful lot of stuff in the tier below, that you have an attachment to, but which really needs to be shed. You don't really need the item, just the memory - and a photo helps with that.