A mixed day on the move to Mexico front.
My realtor called today to let me know that she has arranged for two of the three window contractors to stop by the house for estimates -- one this Wednesday and one next Monday. I should at least be able to get an idea how much that project will cost.
And that is the good news. The bad news is that I did not get anything accomplished other than my usual weekday activities. I was late getting home from work. After fixing dinner, walking the dog, and skimming through a week-old Economist, it is almost 11 and I need to get to bed.
The disturbing realization is that I am simply going to have to stop doing other things (books, magazines, the computer are obvious targets) to allow me the time to start dumping things into the recycling bin. Even if I follow Babs's advice by tossing rather than shredding, I will need to make time.
Tomorrow, I am starting with a stack of play programs from the past 30 years and mementos from my nine years of cruising. They will be easy -- as will the stack of baseball statistics and recipes that make one corner of my kitchen look as if I should be harboring 60 or 70 cats.
See? There is hope.
My realtor called today to let me know that she has arranged for two of the three window contractors to stop by the house for estimates -- one this Wednesday and one next Monday. I should at least be able to get an idea how much that project will cost.
And that is the good news. The bad news is that I did not get anything accomplished other than my usual weekday activities. I was late getting home from work. After fixing dinner, walking the dog, and skimming through a week-old Economist, it is almost 11 and I need to get to bed.
The disturbing realization is that I am simply going to have to stop doing other things (books, magazines, the computer are obvious targets) to allow me the time to start dumping things into the recycling bin. Even if I follow Babs's advice by tossing rather than shredding, I will need to make time.
Tomorrow, I am starting with a stack of play programs from the past 30 years and mementos from my nine years of cruising. They will be easy -- as will the stack of baseball statistics and recipes that make one corner of my kitchen look as if I should be harboring 60 or 70 cats.
See? There is hope.
i think the trick is to just pace yourself. try to dedicate one day during the weekend and do a little bit most days of the week. i think it's unrealistic to think that you will get something done every single day. it just doesn't happen. the to do lists are a definite help.
ReplyDeletebuena suerte,
teresa
Teresa -- Very wise advice. It took my 15 years to get where I am with this house. I will need at least a couple months to set things right.
ReplyDeleteWe got our house ready to sell and then we just poked along but that meant that we still had file drawers full of papers, a neat attic but still full of stuff, a neat garage but still full of stuff. So when the house sold, we had a date certain. That is when we went into high gear, all day, everyday. Not sure that is the best way but that is what we did.
ReplyDeleteBillie -- I suspect I will have a combination. I need to hang on to enough to live day-to-day for the next six months. The art collection is proving to be the most problematic.
ReplyDeleteThe truth is that you don't need much,a bed,a chair and some kitchen stuff plus a desk.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that we did which was satisfying in it's speedyness was call an auction house, they came and picked up everything salable and hauled off what was not and then cleaned up after wards. Because of the structuring of the contract we did not make anywhere the money we could have selling the stuff ourselves but it got done and fast!
And an empty house is really easy to keep clean.
Ask your RE person if you will do better with it empty or with just a little furnishings or what.
LOL,pay my airfare and I'll do it for you! I can then go shopping on my off time!(okay, that is really a joke, Husband wouldn't understand).
regards,
Theresa
This move is beginning to give ME anxiety attacks! ha.......
ReplyDeleteHaving done "staging" in my "other" life, you do not want to sell an empty house! BUT you don't want clutter either....
GOOD luck!
Babs -- No anxiety on this end.
ReplyDeleteTheresa -- My realtor does not want me to get rid of much -- other than to clean up the piles of stuff I keep dragging out of closets. She is more interested in getting the major remodel work done -- things I have wanted to do for years. Now I do them -- just to give the place away. Such is life.
Atta Boy! Funny ending too.
ReplyDeleteWayne -- May all our endings be funny. After all, dying is easy, comedy is hard.
ReplyDeleteDetermine the amount by which the repairs will deliver a profit to you when all's said and done. Would you do better by skipping the repairs, lowering the price, or throwing in a decorating allowance?
ReplyDeleteEven though I moved everything here, lock, stock and barrel, with a moving company, I left a lot of stuff with the house. Much of the stuff wasn't worth the effort of trying to sell, and I let those things become the buyers' problem. I left food in the cupboards, food in the freezer, and even art I couldn't stand on the walls. No one complained.
Jennifer -- I am working through the easy stuff right now -- the piles of greeting cards, letters, magazines that pile up like an alluvial plain. Some items are never leaving here -- the appliances in the basement, lawn furniture. I am simply not moving anything south while I am in my renting stage unless it fits in the truck.
ReplyDelete