No, “CCC” Doesn’t Stand For Complain, Complain, Complain (KJ)

KJ — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 11:21:17 +0000

In the beginning CM was very supportive of my purging process. That was 2 weeks ago, and now he’s starting to get a little edgy because I’m dragging my feet. The other day when I asked him if I could bring 3 more books (I admit, they probably weight about 20 lbs by themselves.), CM says, “Sure if you want to destroy the engine.” Destroy? Seriously? I scowl at him and say, “Today the engine, tomorrow the WORLD!!”

CM is REALLY concerned about weight in the RV. There is this thing called Cargo Carrying Capacity or CCC. Basically, it’s how much weight the RV can pull before you start damaging the engine. This measurement has already accounted for full water tanks, gas tanks, 2 people that weigh 150lbs., and everything that comes standard in the RV.

Our CCC is about 800 pounds. It seems like a lot at first, but it goes quickly. I think it’s generally accepted that the clothes on your back weigh about 3 pounds, 5 if you’re wearing denim. We’re big on jeans around here, so with all of us that’s 20 pounds of clothes a day. 140 pounds for a week’s worth of clothes. I’d say that we all have at least 2 weeks worth of clothes. That’s already 1/3 of our CCC.

Books are really eating up our CCC, so the other night CM and I decided that we had to reduce the kids’ books by half because they weighed too much. We randomly picked groups of 2 books and we had to get rid of the one we liked the least in each group. We were going like gangbusters for the first 15 minutes and then we lost our steam. Next thing I know, we were just going through books and not getting rid of any.

How much do you think everything in your house weighs? What if you had to narrow it down to the things that matter?

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….

2 Adults 2 Kids » packing

No, “CCC” Doesn’t Stand For Complain, Complain, Complain (KJ)

Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff (KJ)