I believe it is Desmond Tutu who said “there is only one way to eat an elephant: a bite at a time.” My cousin, Jill, recently reminded me of this quote as I lamented about the insane job it is to pack up my over stuffed house.

We have rented a nearby storage unit. It is a large 10 X 13 unit that currently houses a scant 6 boxes. There is nothing scant about the amount of crap we have in our house. Marie Kondo could spend a lifetime here and we’d still have too much.

My mom died last year and I had a good chunk of her stuff delivered to our home in NC. I sold her condo and had a hard time parting with her stuff. Translation, I packed up way more than I should have and paid a stupid amount of money to move it across the country. In my defense, at the time I was packing everything up, we were planning on getting something in Chicago immediately. As it turns out, we didn’t ,so the boxes of toilet paper and light bulbs I packed up now seem sort of silly. On the plus side, I will not have to buy toilet paper again, EVER.

Now I am stuck not only sorting through my stuff but my mother’a as well.

I have 6 “piles:”

1. going to CR immediately (these are the things that will be coming with us on the plane)
2. going to CR eventually (assuming we like it there, stay and buy a house)
3. Store for our Chicago landing spot (so I can spend additional stupid amounts of money moving my moms junk back to Chicago)
4. Give Away
5. Yard Sale
6. Consign/Sell on Marketplace

The plan is to take storage boxes and any superfluous furniture to the storage unit as quickly as possible to get it out of the house. The items to giveaway are also moving out ASAP, that way we can’t change our mind. Every time something leaves the house, I feel just a tad less overwhelmed. This week, I will reach out to consignment shops to figure out how to sell things like my crystal glassware. I pretty much haven’t used it at all since our first anniversary and honestly, I don’t even like. (I loved it 30 years ago but I guess i am no longer a gold rimmed goblet type of gal). And of course, no move is complete without a few epic yard sales – one at the end of April and one at the end of May.

That is the current plan of emptying out the current Hlava Hlodge. I am open to any/all suggestions if anyone has any ideas about how to simplify this process. Note, I am not at the rent a dumpster point yet.

BLOG ARCHIVE

• Dogs on a Jet Plane: How We Moved 160 Pounds of Dog to Costa Rica
• Finally! I’m Able to Post!
• Would Have Been Smart to Get Medismart
• Even a Trip to PriceSmart in Costa Rica Feels Like an Adventure
• We’re Here! Now What?
• Airplane Mode
• DEPARTURE DAY IS FINALLY HERE
• T-Minus 3
• Epic Yard Sale Success For Once
• Overcoming Language Barriers Is Easy If You Have No Pride and What’s App
• Even More Chaos: We’re Moving Our Pets to Costa Rica
• Getting My Chaotic House Move Out Ready
• Spring Break in Philly, Sorta
• Adios The Craftsy Life
• How to Eat an Elephant
• 3 Thoughts on our North Carolina House: Renting vs. Selling
• Embracing the Rainy Season in Costa Rica
• Meeting My New Niece OR Move Prep, You Decide
• Becoming a Resident of Costa Rica
• It’s Time to Learn Spanish
• 7 Reasons Why We Picked Costa Rica
• Our Costa Rican Adventure Begins
• It’s Official, We’re Moving to Costa Rica