How to sell your "life"

If anyone is going to make a huge move I highly recommend the sell everything method.

we have been on both sides of the coin, meaning, we have shipped everything and we are selling everything.

Many don't understand how we can stand to do this and believe me it has certainly been a process emotionally for me. Bartering a wedding gift away at a moving sale or seeing the crib that my little boy has grown up in for the past 2 years go away has been anything but simple or easy.

That being said, I still am confident we are doing the right thing.

When we moved here to Kauai, we shipped EVERYTHING and i mean EVERYTHING. SO stupid. Not only did that result in a $15k moving expense, our things being held hostage in Oahu and our tv stolen..but we had to sift through hundreds of boxes...some of which are still not unpacked all the way. When approaching this possible move we decided it was just "stuff" and that a new life was worth selling everything and starting fresh. I lost some full nights of sleep over it, but God gave me a definite answer. Even the things that I was going to ship somehow became part of the auction block.

So what are some of the things I have learned during this endeavor?

1. Start Early


Even if the move is not for certain, if there is a chance that you might be moving...START ELIMINATING!
Its good to do this even if you arent moving! Clean spaces to fill with new things eventually are Good!
I have been clearing out things that we can live without for about a month and a half now. It feels very good to look around amidst moving chaos and have clutter disappear.



2. Moving sales & Craigslist


These 2 things will be your fastest money making avenues when moving.

I sell all the big things that I dont want to have to drag out and in of the house on Craigslist. Here on Kauai its pretty easy. People LOVE good deals and quality furnishings.

For all the smaller things that will take too long to post individually, a moving sale is a must. WARNING WARNING WARNING...this option is NOT EASY. While a great way to make a quick $300 off little things, the moving sales have been the most tiring and taxing venture. When its just the 2 of us...nope 3 of us which means you have to subtract 1 adult...Its nearly impossible. I started them early and have had them nearly every Saturday. That has helped us rake in about $2500 off of little things. Let me tell you. We had to work for every dollar. From dealing with cheapskates to plane ol rude people ...takes its tole and by the time the clock hits noon...I am dripping in sweat and am completely "talked" out. When you feel like you have done all you can to sell the little things, its time to stop and conserve your energy for the final push...Moving day.

The easiest way to do this is divide your things into categories. Trash. Donation. Keep.

Try and get one truck for each category by calling in the troops of friends and family...in our case church family...



Label each truck bed...Trash....Church...Salvation army

The best thing to do is to decide before hand on what you are keeping. NOTHING on that day should be in the keep pile. It makes it too complicated for the people helping you. In our case, we are planning on shipping some boxes with irreplaceable items and paperwork via USPS parcel post, saving us thousands in container fees. We will be at the airport with about 6 pieces of luggage and carseats.

So at the end of the day each truck goes to their destination and your house is emptied.

Since our house will likely be empty before we actually fly out, we are planning on spending a couple nights or a night at a hotel with some of our earnings. That way we wont have to worry about beds or anything. We will likely only have Evans work truck at that point so we will be planning a hand off at the airport.

So thats it folks. This is what has been occupying nearly my whole being for the last 1.5 months. Thinking out every last detail in the event that we actually are moving. Ill leave you with these words... Nothing is for certain, but those who are not willing to sacrifice and prepare for change will never achieve it.