It’s amazing the amount the treasured junk that you can accumulate in a 8,000 square foot house that you live in with two kids for 15 years. The Busse Bus is about 700 square feet, so obviously we needed to make some decisions on what to pack, what to keep long term, what to sell and what to donate.
First order, reduce the bar contents by having a “Drink the bar dry” party. We did pretty good because Keenan came home and invited his friends. College aged kids know how to drink – wait until the real world hits them.
Recycling and shredding 170 lbs of paper seems insane. We kept our tax information from 1992 on. Why? Because we had the space. I also gathered up all of the metal I could find to dispose of, loaded up the Jeep and carted it to the strap metal place. After weighing the Jeep and contents I was able dump off all that I had. After weighing again on the way out I received a voucher to get paid at the end of the trailer. A whopping $3.50! Not worth the trouble. No wonder landfills are so full.
Donated 13 bags of clothes and accessories to the Cancer Federation and then a week later another 12 bags to the YMCA. I know that our garbage collection service hated us for a few weeks as each pickup heap seemed greater than the last.
There are numerous ways to sell off furniture, appliances, accessories, etc. from garage sales to estate sales. We chose to have an estate sale as it seemed like an easier, less stressful way to unload. After seeking recommendations from our Realtor (ask a Realtor anything regarding your house – they are a wealth of good information!), she recommended “Spaces of Tranquility” run by Sue Brigham. This was a great decision by us as Sue organized, sold and then donated the remaining items for an upfront fee + 25%. It was extremely interesting for Katrina and myself as we sat in the Busse Bus in the driveway and watched our earthly possessions walk down the street. It was amazing to us what people buy. The biggest surprise was our old pooper scooper that was rusty and worn – it did remind us however to go get the newer one as we would need it on the road. We grossed over $22,000, enough money to fill the Busse Bus up with gas at least four times.
Packing the coach took a lot of time as decisions had to be made on where to place items. Once figured out, packing tightly and rearranging until everything fit just right. Katrina is a pro at figuring out what can fit where, she always has been. It’s a bit frustrating for me as I studied architecture and should know spatial relationships.
Last thing to accomplish before the closing is to give the house a great cleaning. Katrina and I took about 12 hours scouring the place. We joked about not missing cleaning the seven toilets, nor taking an hour to vacuum the first floor, nor cleaning out eight refrigerators/freezers, nor any of the other chores associated with such a big house. You get used to it whilst you’re there, it’s just daunting all at the same time.
Mission accomplished!
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