It happened Monday morning following my black belt exam... I felt the immediate need to start packing. This is the ongoing challenge of packing for multiple scenarios - I don't need it anymore, I need it now but will pitch it when we leave, store it now, need it now but will store it when we leave, taking it but need it now so will pack it when we leave... etc. all that times 2 - once for me, once for Ben.
I have the list of stuff to bring which of course is a lot, probably too much. When i actually compile it, I will reassess. I have more things to do than I could complete if I had til October to do all this stuff, and at the moment we stand about 8 weeks from moving out and 11 from leaving.
To make it worse, in all the stress and training I've gained 20 lbs so nothing fits but I'm extremely reluctant to buy any clothes if they aren't on the list... but even then what size to buy? I KNOW I will lose it all in Africa and possibly more so if I buy it to fit now, it won't fit within a few months of arriving. Each time I've lost about 10 lbs in the first MONTH.
As for stuff, ideally I'd like to go with the philosophy of "do I love, do I have to have it (tax stuff, legal stuff etc), does it have sentimental value" but I know that I can't be that ruthless. I can't even do it for Ben's stuff! He's doing better than I am! He's already filled 2 boxes for giving away. I debate culling some of his things so I don't have to store stuff that I'm pretty sure he won't miss in a year like his trains/Thomas stuff and some of his stuffed animals (he has 20 dogs! I havent' counted the rest!) but a friend warned me against that. I have already rented a 10 x 10' storage room, but if I have to store all my furniture, I'm going to need more space!! It's a tough thing to balance - I'll save myself $2000 if I don't need the space plus whatever I sell it for, but then I'll need to replace after and that will be more than what I save/make out of all that. I guess the added bonus would be not having to move it all! And that is worth a lot too!
Too many decisions to be made all at once.
I have the list of stuff to bring which of course is a lot, probably too much. When i actually compile it, I will reassess. I have more things to do than I could complete if I had til October to do all this stuff, and at the moment we stand about 8 weeks from moving out and 11 from leaving.
To make it worse, in all the stress and training I've gained 20 lbs so nothing fits but I'm extremely reluctant to buy any clothes if they aren't on the list... but even then what size to buy? I KNOW I will lose it all in Africa and possibly more so if I buy it to fit now, it won't fit within a few months of arriving. Each time I've lost about 10 lbs in the first MONTH.
As for stuff, ideally I'd like to go with the philosophy of "do I love, do I have to have it (tax stuff, legal stuff etc), does it have sentimental value" but I know that I can't be that ruthless. I can't even do it for Ben's stuff! He's doing better than I am! He's already filled 2 boxes for giving away. I debate culling some of his things so I don't have to store stuff that I'm pretty sure he won't miss in a year like his trains/Thomas stuff and some of his stuffed animals (he has 20 dogs! I havent' counted the rest!) but a friend warned me against that. I have already rented a 10 x 10' storage room, but if I have to store all my furniture, I'm going to need more space!! It's a tough thing to balance - I'll save myself $2000 if I don't need the space plus whatever I sell it for, but then I'll need to replace after and that will be more than what I save/make out of all that. I guess the added bonus would be not having to move it all! And that is worth a lot too!
Too many decisions to be made all at once.
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