Radical downsizing...

[seawitch]

Internet ate my last post but let me try a shortened version again. ;)

I had 2 weeks notice that we have to move from a 2100 sq foot home (with yard, garage, basement) PLUS the contents of another 750 sq foot apartment - to a 700-ish (possibly smaller) square foot 2 bedroom apartment 20 hours away.  With two kids, a dog, and a cat.

This is going to be fun.

Oh, and everything has to fit into one moving pod thingie.  What doesn't fit in there has to go.

I'm moving in a week.

Needing good vibes!!  :)  I'm excited but... overwhelmed!

[SomethingAnonymous]

You can do it!

[MamitaM]

Wow! What a big challenge! Of course everyone here knows you can do it though!

[lexapurple]

Wow. It is going to be tough but what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger! When you decide what things to take think if the thing you are considering can do double duty. Toaster oven can be used for making toasts and cooking in it, regular toaster can't. Can you use this shelf as pantry or it only will support light paperback books? Do I ditch the whole chest of drawers or drawers can be fit with casters and used under bed to store linens? This kind of thinking was helpful to me when we were moving from 1400sq feet to 600sq ft one bedroom apartment. I also had/have a luxury of rented storage space. When we moved last time we calculated that it would be more expensive for us to rebuy all of the stuff we had and would need when we come back that paying for storage space for two years.

[seawitch]

Right now this is all I've got packed - it still looks like a huge amount but I think it will actually fit in one pod.

- 1 queen and 2 twin organic mattresses (don't want to replace these as they're almost brand new! but not the actual beds, those we'll replace)

- tv and lazyboy (husband neeeeeeds those to be happy w life heh)

- all my kitchen stuff (bread maker, rice cooker, etc etc)

- bedding, towels, clothes etc - all pared down to basic essentials in great shape

- the kids' favorite toys - play kitchen, cars, blocks, etc

- my crafting supplies (one tote of yarn, fabric, sewing machine, etc.)

- a huge tote of Legos

- musical instruments, board games

- my doula supplies

- husband's art supplies

- my BOOKS!  pared down, but I can't do without these

- computer stuff (laptop for each of us and one main computer for media)

- a tote of "memory stuff"

- decorations (paintings, rugs, sculptures and the like - all unique and collected from travels etc so they're irreplacable, but there's not too many of them)

We're probably gonna make do without most furniture for the time being.

I'm torn on what to do with baby clothes (we may or may not have another in the very near future, and it's only two totes' worth but still... every square inch counts).  And all the stuff in my pantry.  This was a sudden move so I have quite a pantry built up.  We CANNOT afford to replace everything in it.  I'm already sad to have to give up our frozen pork that we just bought - almost the whole thing.  There's no way we can take it with us and I can resell for a fraction of what we scrimped and saved to buy it with.  But the dried goods kill me.  We have tons of spices, bulk goods, etc on multiple shelves.  I could just donate it all to the food pantry or Freecycle but we need that food!!  And like I said there's no way we can afford to replace all of it.  But do I really want to take so much food with when space is limited?  Argh.

I'm still torn on whether or not to take my lovely new HE washer and dryer that work SO well - but I don't know if there'll be a hookup for them! - and my lovely new HE chest freezer (takes up a huge amount of space... maybe I could pack on the inside too?).

Dilemmas, dilemmas...

[seawitch]

Oh, and add camping gear and container gardening supplies.  (Well, not a whole lot, just a lot of plastic pots and such.)  Yeek, this is adding up!

[mnnice]

I don't think I would bother with container gardening stuff.  It would be pretty easy to replace.  I often see pot and containers at yard sales.  I guess I would lean that way on the baby stuff too.  I might consider an item if it was setimiental, in perfect shape, and gender neutral. But it is was not all three than it would be gone.

I moved this fall on rather short notice too and moved way too much pantry stuff and heatlh and beauty stuff.  I would save spices and find new homes for the rest

[seawitch]

I'm leaving most of the gardening stuff behind except we spent a good amount on about dozen or so lightweight but sturdy pots - both the round and long kinds.  Since they're matching sets they stack nicely into one another, so they don't take up a lot of space at all.  I'm not taking anything ceramic or bulky, just those.  I'm assuming we'll only have a little patio anyway in an urban setting - so the container gardening stuff is at a minimum.  I'm not bringing the supplements, or soil, or gardening tools, or all the other good stuff we got though. =(

[Brees_Mama]

I'm sorry. That's quite the downsize!

[seawitch]

I'm actually quite excited... but then again I'm odd!  It may be a smaller living space, but I have nothing against living in a minimal area - AND it's going to be in a MUCH better area than where we're at now.  (It's going to be in the city vs. out in the middle of nowhere suburbia.)  It's going to be quite an adjustment for sure but fun.  But oh so crazy to actually get to the point where we're loaded and ready to roll! 

And of course this week of all weeks it has to be subzero (F!) all week and I have bronchitis, strep throat, pink eye, and a ruptured ear drum in one ear from a double ear infection.  Yes.  I'm not even kidding.  All at once.  And I'm doing this all on my own.  With two 3 year olds under foot.  And the husband in the hospital.  OMG.  Seriously.  If I get through this I can get through anything lol.

[canadiangranola]

I would ditch the baby clothes and keep the food if it came down to a choice between the two. Our local thrift store has TONS of great baby clothes for ChEAP (1$/item) and even has half off days. Plus, if you make it known that you don't mind hand me downs, you will find lots of people willing to pass on their baby stuff. No one is going to give you free spices :)

Good luck, I would be excited by such a move as well. We lived in a 720 sq foot house with three kids, a dog and a a cat.

And loved it.

[seawitch]

Oh, my.

Today I tackled what I think is the biggest project of them all - the kitchen and pantry (thus part of the garage).  It was insane how much food I had forgotten I had.  Some of it was even expired.  The horror.  The food bank will have a field day with this lot, and I also freecycled TONS of food.  Like bags, and bags, and bags of it.  I'm so angry.  Yes, there is wisdom in having a food pantry for emergencies and cabinet meals and the like.  But I didn't realize I completely went overboard.  My mother hoarded food and I thought I wasn't anywhere near her.  Well, perhaps in quantity I'm not (she had a 3 car garage as well as several ROOMS of her house dedicated to her "pantry" - and tons of it was expired - whereas I only had the kitchen and about three floor to ceiling shelves of food... I've learned my lesson.  This was insanity.  True, we weren't supposed to move any time soon so I thought the pantry would pay itself back, but even so.  The amount of money spent on the food... as well as the amount of TIME spent researching deals and the like... and, if I have to admit, the pride I took in having so much food stockpiled... I feel like it has all gone to waste.  I've salvaged some of it that I can take with me (like spices and a few dried goods) but for the most part, it's a total loss - except for a lesson learned.  I feel so humble tonight.  =(

[Brees_Mama]

I do that stimes too. I found cornstarch from '09 earlier, lol.

I'm sorry about your food loss

[netgyks]

How's the move going? 

I'd love to hear follow-up on how it feels to be in a smaller space versus a house.

[kolszewski]

We just moved from 3100 4 bedroom to 1000 2 bed with 3 kids, 2 dogs, and 1 cat. We are in it temporarily as as we househunt so we put most of our stuff in storage.

But, I am surprised at how much I was able to fit in here. I also gave away a ton of food that we are slowly building back up. At least I helped a lot of people out by donating it. I kept receipts and will write it off.

I have to say that even though we feel on top of each other sometimes, I actually like living in a smaller space with so much less stuff!!!

[maptome]

We may be about to move from 2200 to 550 sq ft.  We're planning on getting rid over everything except a few clothes and keepsakes and expensive items.  How was the move?  Do you like how you did it?  Anything you would have done differently?