30 Days to Move : Day 5

On day 5 of 30 Days to Move, I gathered all of the stuffed animals in our house and put them on the sofa. I asked my kids to pick their most favorite toys out of this pile. The ones that remained on the sofa were safely tucked into an under the bed storage container. The kids insisted on keeping about 20 plush toys out. I chalked it up as a win.

After making progress I checked ads for houses for rent. I made calls. I felt discouraged, but I kept going. I gathered half o the play food, half of the puzzles and half of the trucks into boxes. The kids were okay with the half situation. They like having options for play time.

If your kids are anything like mine... that amounts to hours of work and an embarrassing amount of boxes filled with kid stuff!

So, on Day 5, if you have kids, start with picking out half of their toys. If there are toys that are not in great shape, very carefully dispose of these toys without a fuss or scene. Trust me, the less crap you pack and move, the less crap you have to unpack! Get rid of broken toys, outgrown toys, toys that are not played with.

If you don't have kids, on day 5 you could spend your time sorting through some of your toys! Do you have a lot of books? Do you hoard magazines like I tend to? Look through stuff like that, eliminate what you are not going to read, use, etc.

This makes the move much easier!

30 Days to Move : Day 4

It is now day 4 of 30 Days to Move. Today I am taking on the job of looking at my clothes and being honest with myself. Will I ever wear it again? When did I wear it last? This is hard to do. I always think I am going to wear that. I am going to wear those shoes when I... mow grass.

I started with my shoes. I had a pair of heels I hadn't worn in 5 years. I had 2 pairs of heels I cannot wear due to my broken foot in 2014 changing the shape of my left foot. I had a pair of sneakers that were too tight on said foot. I had a pair that was too big, a pair that was just old and had seen better days. I reasoned with myself that well, someday...

See. It is hard to sort your shoes and part with them!

I compromised by putting them in a box, and putting the box with the Goodwill stuff. If I find I need them in the next week they can come back out. So far I haven't needed shoes that don't fit.

Then I went to my clothes. I found 4 shirts and a pair of shorts that I will never wear again. I packed up a good deal of my jeans and long sleeve shirts as summer is near!

This made my wardrobe seem sad and sparse. But, its not like I don't wear the same stuff all the time anyhow.

Since we are now approaching the task of actually packing. Lets go over supplies needed to pack.

A supply of boxes
A black permanent marker
A roll of packing tape, clear tape, whatever. Not scotch tape!
Old Newspaper


Pack your boxes efficiently. Don't waste space, but don't over pack them. You want to keep them at a weight that you can comfortably lift and carry. As you pack the boxes, secure the lid with tape. Mark on the top and 2 sides what room the boxes is intended for or what is inside. This will help you should you need something sooner than later. I marked each side with the contents {Roo's Winter Clothes}  {Sheets}.

As the days pass by quickly I realize just how much work I have to do, and how little time I have to do it. 30 Days to Move... it really isn't that long of a time frame.