I was dragged kicking and screaming, sometimes literally, into packing up the house while I was on holidays over the past two weeks. I huffed and puffed. I sooked. I wanted to be at the beach, not in the recesses of my house pulling things out of cupboards, sorting, and packing. The phrase I don’t want to was whined through the house on more than one occasion.
Such a grown up.
Don’t get me wrong. Selling our house is something I am on board with 110%. One hundred and ten percent. But this part, I hate this part! The packing, the trips to the bank and solicitors to organise the transfer and settlement. I’m self-acting, of course, doing all the running around because I don’t have anything better to do. Derrr. This part displeases me. Lots! So I pack and phone and complain and things will eventually get done. They always do, right?
We settle next week and I need to be out asap. Putting our lives for the past 6 years into boxes is an interesting thing. I’m learning a lot about us and our relationship packing those boxes. We like to keep things. We have boxes full of stuff that reminds us of something. I have show programs from every musical or show I have ever seen. Mr Suger has folders of recipes from high school. We are walking a fine line here people. We almost have too much stuff. Way too much.
I’m tempted to throw the entire lot and start again, let me tell you. Go minimal or something. Can those memories really be captured by those things? Can they be stored there for a rainy day in my distant future when I open those boxes? I wonder about that. I love to be able to hold these things up remember. But could I remember just as well without them? It would certainly make the load carry lighter.
Or is that just something that pops up its head when you are packing endless boxes? The urge to get rid of everything. The want for a clean slate? Maybe it’s moving in the New Year/fresh start for everyone crossover time of year. Who knows but the urge to dump is high, and for the most part, I’m accepting the challenge. Everything must go!
Hi! I’m Melissa Walker Horn. Around here, they call me Suger. I’m the Chief Blogger and doer of all the things here at Suger Coat It. Blogging since 1901; I love a casual ootd, taking photos, and writing about things that irk or inspire me. I love wine and cheese, long days at the beach and spending time with my family. I make stuff for the internet over at Chalkboard Digital. You know, living the sweet life.
Declutter! I have a bunch of tabs open right now on minimalism. I’m going to take the challenge, I’ll make a pin board!
Tegan xx – Permanent Procrastination
Haha. I think that, my friend, is what they call irony. Lots of tabs on minimalism. 😉
Ah nothing like moving to reveal those keeper/hoarder/sentimental hanger-on tendencies. May I suggest you #hoistthehangers? Check it out on Instagram!
The precious stuff should be on display, so you can enjoy it. If it sits in a box year upon year, is it really, truly special to you? Probably not.
Don’t take stuff just for the sake of it. There’s lots of room between too much stuff and minimalism. Good luck!!
Great advice, thank you! We culled a lot. Lots more than I’d planned to. But there still room to go tighter, I think. And I will with the next move.
I just finished packing my house up and I am never, ever going to buy another thing in my life! Packing is the worst. I’ve got to the stage where sentimental value is no reason to keep things – I’m not paying storage costs for my emotions. I’ll take a photo if I want to remember something then turf it out.
Haha. Sounds like me. It drives me bonkers this part.
Packing up 10 years this time last year was a big challenge. We decluttered first to put the house on the market and filled a 6 square meter skip with stuff we didn’t need anymore. Then the real move involved another similar size skip as well as giving away 10 cartons of craft materials. And still I ended up with a large storage unit packed to the gills with stuff I thought I would need in the future. Now a year on and I am not sure what I really need from that storage unit. The two pianos really need to go to my ex but he refuses to get a place big enough for his pianos. Not sure I will ever use the craft materials.
Even after one year in this rental I am pretty sure we have accumulated stuff we don’t need long term.
I hear you. I got rid of a lot of things like the craft stuff too. Donated them, farmed them out to family and friends, all that. The storage unit is the best thing, it forces you to see that really, a lot of that stuff is just excess. Or that’s our findings so far.
And you’re right! It comes back so quickly, it’s ridiculous.
Packing is easy… It’s the UN-packing that I hate…. Takes FOREVER!
Haha. Indeed. We have only unpacked one room at my sister’s place and it was the worst. Not looking forward to an entire house worth of stuff shoved in boxes quickly. 😉