2 Adults 2 Kids » Purging

First Few Days (CM)

CM — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 13:25:04 +0000

So our trip has begun. Well almost. Even though we have left New York, we are sitting in New Jersey getting the RV down to a respectable amount of stuff to travel with. We were in such a rush to finish getting out our apartment that we started throwing stuff in the RV to try and get out of our apartment by the 1st.

You would think that 30 days would be enough time to get out of an apartment right? Well for us it wasn’t. It was so much more complicated to get rid of enough stuff to fit in a RV than we expected. We are making progress though and we hope to be finished today. Then the trip really begins.

We have been living in the RV. It is a little cramped; mostly because of all the extra stuff in bins on the floor though. Every move throughout the RV has been like going through an obstacle course. If we need to cook everything has to move, then to eat move it agin, and if it’s time to sleep we move stuff again. The madness has to stop!

Overall it has not been bad though. Getting past the obstacle course, it is quite nice. Even though we are only a few hours from the city it is pretty much like being in the country to me. There are stars! It is the first time my kids have seen them, too many lights in the city. They are amazed at every little thing they see: bugs, frogs, pine cones, gravel, and even dirt. Over the last two days they have had lots of fun with dirt.

We have let them play since the kids are in such a new environment. They have had tons of fun. Being grown sometimes I have forgotten how much fun they can have with the simplest things. I’m glad they have enjoyed themselves. I hope to play with them more once we finish unpacking the RV to our travel size.

I also can’t wait for the rest of our trip. I know there are so many beautiful things to see in the next few months. I am very glad that we have this opportunity to take this trip and doing something completely out of our normal routine. There have been some sacrifices, but I believe it will have been well worth it when all is said and done.

Day 2 – Do Your Clothes Define You? (KJ)

KJ — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:48:57 +0000

I once did a little bit of research on a man named Edward Bernays. He is considered the father of modern public relations. While working on an ad campaign for Macy’s he created and popularized the idea that people should use clothing to define themselves. I think this idea is built in to our society now and people buy clothing to distinguish themselves.

I mention this because CM and I are both having problems reducing our and our children’s clothes and I’m wondering if this might be why. The fact of the matter is that we don’t have enough room for everything. It’s possible we are having a difficult time transitioning from clothing being a statement to clothing being items of utility. It doesn’t help that I keep worrying that I will be wearing the same outfit in all of my photos of this trip which I plan to look at for the rest of my life.

Okay, this is why I love this blog. Once I actually typed that last line out, I realized how stupid it is. It’s not like someone’s going to be looking at my pics saying, “Oh my God, are you wearing the same outfit on Route 66 that you wore in Hawaii??”

Okay, I better go sort through my clothes right now while I’m feeling determined.

It’s 3 a.m. (KJ)

KJ — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 07:38:11 +0000

CM and I have just finished cleaning out the apartment. We have packed our van to the brim and there is hardly any visible floor space in the RV. So much for downsizing. I mean, we definitely got rid of a lot, but now that all of the stuff we want to keep is in here, I realize that we have a long way to go.

Tomorrow after getting the van an oil change and an inspection, we will be heading off to a campground in New Jersey. We’re hanging out there until the 4th. On the 5th we’re meeting my best friend at Sesame place in Pennsylvania for her son’s birthday party.

The adventure begins!!!! I’m sooooo excited!!!!

Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff (KJ)

KJ — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 10:42:50 +0000

That’s what they say anyway… Do you ever reach the point in a move when you just start throwing everything in boxes and resolve to sort through it later at your new home? Well, that’s the point we’re at now. The only problem is that our new home/RV has pretty much reached capacity.

Yesterday I packed everything in my underwear drawer into a laundry bag and it weighed 19 lbs! I must have had least 20 pairs of white cotton socks alone. Who needs 20 pairs of socks? Apparently, I do.

I’ve decided to get rid of some of them today. But then I wonder, how many pairs of socks does a person need? Just 7 so they can change them every day? Or should I pack 9 pair to get me through the laundry days? What about sock lengths? Should I get rid of all my ankle socks? Toss the knee-highs?

I know, these are highly intellectual questions I’m asking folks, but these things must be considered. Everything takes up space and with so little space I have to put this much thought into every little thing I decide to keep. This is usually not a concern in a house/apartment.

I was going through my jackets and I realized that I have 9 of them! But they all serve different purposes. I have a heavy winter coat, medium-weight trench coat, a rain coat, a windbreaker, a lightweight jacket, and the list goes on.

CM said that when he was homeless he only had one jacket. That makes me feel a little embarrassed. I take so much for granted. I have way more than I need.

Are there any little things that you have way more of than you need?

You know what little things you can’t have too many of? Q-tips. I buy them in packs of 500 and it burns CM up every time….

My Apologies (KJ)

KJ — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 14:02:20 +0000

This blog is getting harder and harder to maintain as the 1st gets closer and closer. We’ve been working pretty steady, but we still have so much crap to get rid of. Not to mention all of the painting we’ve got to do.

I will try to post again this evening. Walking away from everything is not as easy as it sounds…..

Mission (Not) Accomplished

KJ — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 10:41:59 +0000

Long story short, we failed miserably at meeting our goal! We decided to take the kids to the Murakami exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. We actually had a great time, but that meant that we didn’t get anything done with the packing the RV. Sunday we put a lot of things on the curb for people to take. Then a huge rain came through and soaked everything! Making matters worse, our landlord said that we can’t just prime the walls, we have to paint them too! I’ve read so many stories of people whose houses are being foreclosed on just moving out in the middle of the night. I’m trying to convince CM to do the same. Forget the deposit. Forget all of the furniture. Let’s just go.

Self-Psychoanalysis (KJ)

KJ — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 03:09:11 +0000

So I have two sewing machines. (Well actually, one is a sewing machine and the other is a serger.) This summer I was planning on buying a coverstitch machine. There’s only one problem: I rarely sew. In the last year, I’ve probably only sewn 1 thing — a pair of pajama pants for Widget. But boy do I just love buying fabric and thread and sewing patterns. It just drives CM up the wall.

Today as I was going through my books — yes, more books — I realized why I do this. Furthermore, I think I might even be a hypocrite.

Some time last week, I wrote a post about conspicuous consumption. I blasted people who bought their Viking ovens, but didn’t use them. Tonight I realized for the first time that I do the exact same thing I’m just at a much lower price point.

I buy sewing stuff because I wish so badly that I enjoyed sewing. The reality of the situation is that I don’t enjoy it because I lack attention to detail. About 10 minutes into it I get frustrated which turns into boredom. However, I keep telling myself that if I just sew more eventually I will grow to love it.

So now I have 2 sewing machines, 4 bins of fabric, 1 bin of zippers and thread, 40 sewing patterns, and 10 yards of red fleece that I just had to have because it was on sale for $20. What makes everything worse is that I still want to hold on to this stuff, but there’s no room in the RV for it all. There’s no way!

The same goes for my books. I buy books not because I plan on reading them that day, or that week, or even that month. I just buy them because I plan on reading them eventually. CM doesn’t get it. He gets frustrated because to him it’s all just a bunch of stuff I don’t use or read. But I look at that sewing machine every day. I look over the titles of all of my books and think about reading them every day.

This stuff is a part of me. Well, it’s a part of who I want to be. The truth is, I’m a freak for computers and everything computer-related, but I don’t want to be. When I’m facing my computer, I’m facing away from my family. I don’t want to be that person.

That’s why it’s so hard for me to part with my books and my sewing equipment and so much other stuff.

Weekend Goals (KJ)

KJ — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 18:02:17 +0000

CM & I want EVERYTHING out of the house by Sunday. That’s going to give us a week to get all of the walls painted. It’s a tall order, but I think we can do it. I guess it’s mostly me, because CM is constantly reminding me that all of this stuff is mine and if it was up to him he’d just throw it away.

Well I say — THANK GOODNESS IT’S NOT UP TO HIM!! (I am truly embarrassed for my unusually strong attachment to stuff.)

I don’t think I’m going to be posting much over the weekend, but I will be on Twitter. Our username is “2A2K”, feel free to follow us, or just check our sidebar for updates.

I will also be posting pics as we make progress to Flickr. You can see those on the sidebar as well. By the way, if you just mouseover the picture, you will get a short description of what it is. That should save a few clicks.

CM vs. KJ (KJ)

KJ — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 13:36:43 +0000

2 Halloweens ago, CM & I decided to buy costumes that would last for the ages. So we bought a Ketchup & Mustard Costume set! How awesome is that? Too awesome for words, I know. And now he wants to toss it! What? So the jumbo space bag that we had to put them in may be a little large, but that’s okay. We are ketchup & mustard.

Well, I eventually gave in and I said that I had a great idea for what we can be for next Halloween.

He said, “What?”

I said, “Divorced!”

Okay, okay, I didn’t really say that. But I thought it. And you know what they say, “it’s the thought that counts.”

We fight over purging everyday. He has all of his “reasons” and “logic”, but I have emotional reasons for holding on to stuff and therefore I win. Only I don’t really win, because holding on to it just drags out the purging process.

Today I will be strong! Today I will purge until I can’t purge anymore. May the force be with me.

Time For Some Horn-Tootin’ (KJ)

KJ — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 17:17:57 +0000

I am on my way out the door, but I’ve got some good news:

I kicked purging-butt yesterday!

I got rid of a ton of books and clothes and other crap that I didn’t need. I figured I spent so much time on the days that I can’t bear to get rid of anything, that I needed to focus on one of the few times I actually did something.

There’s hope! There’s a light at the end of the tunnel. We have 11 days left, it going to be close….