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Thursday, June 5, 2014

Slowly making progress on the clean out

The high daytime temperatures have made the work of clearing out the old rig slow going. I can only work for a few hours in the morning - after I've had my morning coffee and taken Jake for a walk - before I have to pack it in and head back to the A/C. The benefit of doing it this way, though, is that I have manageable loads of stuff coming into the new rig. I can get it sorted and put away before heading back to the old rig the next morning. My main goal with the new rig is to NOT bring in anything I don't regularly use ... but and however, I can't part with my computer tools and small electronics that I don't really use but am not ready to donate or sell yet. But that's it! The rest will be As Needed Only.

I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with all of the stuff that has to be dealt with in the old rig, but as I was lying in bed the other night pondering the work and where best to start, it occurred to me that I should just go front to back - living room, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, then do the same with the basement storage. So far, I've gathered some necessities I need for living in the new rig, cleaned out the fridge (and turned off the propane) and cleared out all of the living room cabinets. That means the living room is basically done except for hauling off the things I'm donating, and then there's the cleaning but that will wait until the whole rig is empty. Tomorrow I tackle the kitchen!

In the new rig, I've installed a couple of coat hooks and a paper towel holder. Exciting, no?

18 comments:

  1. Whew, it seems even downsizing from one RV to another is a lot of work. You've been in the big rig many years, correct? Sometimes I look at where I live (three homes on five acres, my parents' property) that has been utilized for 40 years and think "forget it, I'm just going to stay here...it will take the rest of my life to downsize". LOL. But then other days I just want to get the heck outta here! :-) You'll get there, Annie, you'll get there.
    Jool in North Texas

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    1. Whew, well, my job seems a little less daunting compared to yours! Thanks for that! :)

      I've lived in the big rig for 4 years. Plenty enough time to accumulate too much stuff.

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  2. Sounds like a great strategy to me. If it's too hot to do anything else then you have the perfect excuse to take all the time you need to just move along from one "room"/bin to the next. Amazing how much we can accumulate even in a home on wheels half the size of even the smallest house. Those nomads knew what they were doing. Travel lightly. When you finish, could you come on over and divest Winnona of all the stuff she doesn't really need. On second thought, I'd be too embarrassed for you to see all the stuff I don't use but haul around. Am I ever REALLY going to watch that copy of You've Got Mail Again??

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    1. I wish it were cooler so I could get it done faster but nothing I can do about that.

      Travel lightly is the plan! Of all the stuff in the living room cabinets in the big rig, the bit that I'm keeping just filled 2 cabinets in the little rig. I'm happy with that.

      Download the HandBrake app (free) and rip that movie to your hard drive. Then you can have the movie without having the movie. Win-win.

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  3. I know how you feel....I've been working on cleaning out a house I got via Divorce for 18 months...and its overwhelming...I'm making progress by tackling it in stages, first sweep, then the second look, then the no mercy axe!

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    1. I feel for you, it's a lot of work.

      My plan is to touch things just once and decide on the spot - keep or toss. I guess that's the no mercy axe method! :)

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  4. Little by little, you'll get it done. I think the hardest part of this whole exercise was finding the right rig - the downsizing and moving from old to new is just something you do, but finding the right new rig is HARD. You've got that part done. :)

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    1. I'm certainly glad I'm able to cross Find New Rig off my list! :)

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  5. Your system is good for transferring all your stuff. At least when you have to retreat to the new rig you can get organized in a/c Helps a lot.

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    1. Yes, it seems to be working well, albeit slowly.

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  6. Good thing the old rig wasn t sold already making it a quick switch over, although if it was sold you'd be all done with both projects now :) :) basking in relaxation !!

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    1. Well, whenever it gets sold, it's going to feel so great to be unencumbered again. I'm glad it's working out this way, I think, as much as it would be nice to already be done I would have had to push myself in this heat to make it happen and that could have been really bad.

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  7. Good for you Annie so proud of you. Remember when we were young it would have only taken a day or two to get the job done. Lord knows I have enough hot flashes without the heat... Supposed to warm into the 90's here this weekend. Yoikes! I am cleaning out the whole house. How... Did I get myself into this? 58 years of stuff, stuff, stuff. Sigh... Wish us both luck... : D

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    1. Good luck! Seems like it's a heck of a lot easier accumulating the stuff than it is shedding it. You're going to feel so light once it's done!

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  8. We recently moved all of our "just in case we need it" items to the "let someone else pay us to haul it away" pile. It's very liberating to remember that we will be on the road in the US, not traveling the surface of the moon without stores and services within driving distance......:-). Enjoy the gift of a slow and steady pace - and then a really quick sale when you're ready!

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    1. Ooh, good for you! I wish someone were paying me to take my "just in case" away. :) As it is, I just gifted a local thrift store with 6 bags of goodies, and I'm not done yet.

      A quick sale? Yes please!

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  9. Congrats on your new home! The transition is tuff enuf without extreme heat...I feel for you! Fingers crossed you get her sold quickly.

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    1. Thanks Lisa! I'm envisioning a quick sale. :)

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