Women Only: Major downsizing

[michele0203]

Anyone coming to AZ who wants to 'know' a woman there is free to contact me.  I tend to wander around, but I am willing to drive to meet up.  I also know some of the places to camp, some resources, etc.  I live in a Class A and I plan to be at RTR.  I drove over a couple of days last year.  Just PM me here.

Thanks shadowmoss!!!

 

[michele0203]

 I understand what you are going through it was also tough for me to get rid of things for many reasons. 
I am also staying in an extended stay until I get the van ready.
 As a single woman I was a little uncomfortable having CL strangers in my house. As an introvert I did not even want people I know in my house ☺.

It's so good to know I'm not alone!  I'm keeping several tubs at my parents' house and plan to pair that down 50% before I get on the road.
I relate so much to being an introvert and not even wanting people in my house!  I was nervous too about having CL strangers to my house...I used Free cycle and was able to leave most in apt vestibule for puck up.
And what a coincidence about the Extended Stay!

 

[michele0203]

Adding myself to this thread, I'll be a newbie at the RTR this year and would love to meet up with other women. I started out van-dwelling in the Adirondacks this summer, and leaving from NY state next week to head out West, my first big trip!

When I first started purging a few years ago, it was just an urge I followed. My higher self may have known what was coming!   

Mary Ellen,

I'm so sorry about your loss.  Difficult times definitely have made me evalate my life and I too want to LIVE. I like your image of what do I want on my gravestone...for me it's very much about wanting to break free from a fear based/driven mindset.  

I can only imagine how freeing it must feel to carry all you need in the van!

Glad you added yourself here on this thread!   Interesting that your higher self very well may have known something was coming!  I would love to meet up at the RTR and I would love to hear more about how your adventure has gone so far!!!

 

[TrainChaser]

If you want/need to get rid of stuff, there are non-profits who will take them and even send a truck to pick them up. This includes leftovers from the yard sale.

You just box them up (larger items can be loose), put them all in one place, and make a call, and they will pick up with their truck. Most of them sell the stuff in bulk to other businesses that have thrift shops, but some do resell or donate them directly. As someone else mentioned, I also have 'issues' with Goodwill. None of these organizations will respond immediately, but they will arrange an appointment pickup.

You can google 'donate household goods (your area)' and make some calls.

Habitat for Humanity
Salvation Army
Pickup Please (to help U.S. Veterans) https://pickupplease.org/household-donations/
Vietnam Veterans of America: http://www.vvapickup.org/
BigBrothers BigSisters: https://www.bbbsps.org/netcommunity..._y8plrv3WUmkm9AyKfCCehMQOXnikuIxoCbMYQAvD_BwE

Many others.

 

[Queen]

^^^ This may be regional. Here in Central IL, only two places pick up, one will sort through your stuff and only take what they need, the other charges $10 to show up (the fallout from living in a University town). They also decline things at their drop offs if they have an abundance at the moment.

 

[TrainChaser]

Good tip, Queen!

 

[sreesekelley]

I've downsized myself several times.  Over the years I decided that photographs and music were the only items i wouldn't compromise on.  I've gotten rid of some very large items quite by accident.  I had someone deliver a stove and I just asked them if they knew anyone who could make use of the large console TV I had.  As it turned out his grandmother needed a TV set and they came back that night and delivered it to her.  Huge and heavy and poof it was gone.  

I had to move out of a four bedroom two story house once and I spray painted 'moving sale' on a bedsheet and hung it over the fence.  By the end of the day I had a couple of thousand dollars in my pocket and a mess inside the house.  I found it funny what people were willing to pay for.  Several thousand dollars of hand tools i sold for $80 and a pile of scrap wood netted $100.  It made no sense to me.  There was a motorcycle in the garage that needed a battery.  I couldn't get $100 for it and in the end I signed the title and left it in the garage.

When I moved into my current house everything I owned fit into my sisters van with room left over.  Now I'd need a tractor trailer to haul everything off.  Fortunately for me all the photos are digital now and I have copies of every photo I ever wanted from all of my family members and they all fit on a couple of CD's.  My music collection is also digital and not much bigger than a phone book.

I have three closets of work clothing and I think i'm just going to put it all into trash bags and take it to the thrift store run by the local pet shelter and let them have it.  For me, stuff is just stuff.  If and when the time comes  and I have to replace something, it will be newer, have more bells and whistles and will probably cost less than than the original.

My sister was a yard sale fanatic and the value she placed on everything was what would it bring at a yard sale.  If I emptied this house into the front yard and put a for sale sign on it, that is how much it is worth to me now.  

Sorry about your son.  I just went through that with my sister.  I get by with a quote from Robert Duval in one of his movies.  "From the sweet grass to the packing house, from birth to death, we are but travelers between the eternities."  {{hugs}}

 

[mert6706]

^^^  This may be regional.  Here in Central IL, only two places pick up, one will sort through your stuff and only take what they need, the other charges $10 to show up (the fallout from living in a University town).  They also decline things at their drop offs if they have an abundance at the moment.

This is also true where I live, Queen.

 

[jaxtonsgram]

Hi Nora, those are great ideas!  Also, I  hope your daughter is feeling better.
So, how did you do getting rid of stuff the past few days?

Thanks for replying. My daughter is doing grear. I have started pulling things together that I think I need to take with me. I'm sure I'll have to purge that pile gain but it's a start. I've gotten rid of 10 big boxes of clothes. Now I'm starting with my kitchen. Went through the 2 junk drawers and they are empty and cleaned. Since we are going to try to sell our house  furnished I'm going through my stuff that I've kept just in  my last room I'll clean out is my sewing room. I dread getting rid of my material and sewing  but I've got way too much to ever use up. I'm doing baby steps. Nora

 

[mert6706]

Hi ladies!   It's been a while since I've posted, but I am back on track for giving the vehicle dwelling life a 'go'!  I have 1 week left in my apartment and I've decided to stay in an extended stay hotel while I get prepared.  I almost signed a year lease on another apartment, but just couldn't do it, it felt like a prison sentence.

So now I've been donating as much as possible and it has not been easy.  Not that I own anything fancy but apparently I am more attached to stuff than I realized. 

In the past year, actually less than a year, I've quit a very high paying and high stress inducing job after 81/2 years, found a new job, and am now becoming a minimalist.  

I am proud of myself but also freaking out a bit!  I just keep reminding myself that on my deathbed having taken risks outside my comfort zone won't be something I regret. 

I am thinking about attending the RTR and would love to connect with other women!

Just keep posting and reading the forum, and you'll make many connections. Meantime if someone sounds interesting and someone you'd like to get to know you can send them a private message through the forum. Looking forward to connecting with many of you if I get to RTR.

 

[michele0203]

Interesting tidbits...1) AMVets and Vietnam Vets make weely stops in my prior neighborhood, 2) several well known organizations would not take my items because I lived on the 2nd floor in the building, however, I believe that God had plans all along for this furniture...a brother and sister moved in the weekend before I moved out...one recently divorced the other recently escaped a bad relationship.... they had nothing! I bumped into the woman and offered them to take whatever they wanted...I was only left with one trip to Goodwill! I have about 7 totes at my parents' that I would like to cut down to 4. The hardest part is over though and I'm very grateful!

 

[VanKitten]

That is wonderful tale Michele. AND, you have reduced everything down.
What do you expect to be down to when you can then drive away?

Since I have been couch surfing and living in and out of motels for 2 months, I have a lot of experience with moving everything in and out of the car now. I am very definitely down to essentials.

I did move all the "housewares" into the cabinets in the RV already. Didn't have anywhere else for them to go. Most of what I had in July when to the Hospice store.

Do you think you will be ready to depart by January. I assume you will be at the RTR? Where do you plan to stay the rest of the time? I am going to make base came over at Ehrenberg... quartzside only allows max 2 week stay.

 

[Queen]

...  I am going to make base came over at Ehrenberg... quartzside only allows max 2 week stay.

Kat, I don't believe this is correct, I know some folks who stay in Q six months at a time.

 

[tnvangirl]

Congratulations Michele on making it over the big hump. I love how the furniture ended up going to people who really needed it. Good luck on your adventures.

 

[tav-2020]

my issue isn't that i might need something, but rather that i could potentially sell that thing for a few dollars.  "i should have an estate sale/garage sale/put it on craigslist/ebay," etc etc etc.
in reality, i am the worst when it comes to actually selling things (honestly, i couldn't sell ice water in the desert), so in the end it just sits there gathering dust and impeding my progress.
i just need to convince myself to forget about the few dollars and get rid of it!

Recently sold a house that I had lived in for over 25 years and found stuff I did not even know I still had.  Was feeling the same thing - can't throw away/donate cause i might get a few bucks in a tag sale.  In the end my husband, with great wisdom, made me realize that my time was more valuable than a few bucks. The organizing, tagging, advertising and holding a tag sale, plus the disposal of sf stuff that nobody wanted after the tag sale just became a hole of time that I did not want to waste.

we donated what was usable then had a huge demolition trash container for a week and filled it to brim. 

RE: sentimental items - i evaluated this way - imagined I was dead and my kids were going through my things. If I believed they would have no clue as to what the thing was or meant to me, it got chucked.  Hard at first, but very liberating. I also asked my kids to pre-select stuff they wanted and take it away right then.

ridiculously enough, we ended up in a larger house than before, but none of the trappings of "stuff" came with and could easily empty this house as need be...am stuck working at least three more years, got my eye on 2020....

 

[mayble]

i posted on facebook just yesterday a "moving (non)sale)" - everything goes, everything free (donations accepted), come and get it.  i've got a few takers coming this evening already.

RE: sentimental items - i evaluated this way - imagined I was dead and my kids were going through my things. If I believed they would have no clue as to what the thing was or meant to me, it got chucked. 

love that idea!

 

[Almost There]

Kat, I don't believe this is correct, I know some folks who stay in Q six months at a time.

Quartzite has several LTVA areas where for a fee of $180.00 you can stay for the winter season (Sept. 15 to Apr. 15). The LTVAs' look exactly the same as the rest of the area around Q except that they are fenced off. Some line up their RV's just like in an RV park, some spread out a little more but the areas are huge so you can pretty  much choose your distance from neighbors when you move in. That's not to say that someone coming in later than you might not park closer than you'd like but that's true of all BLM/NF lands.

There are restrictions on who can stay there, dependent on what services are available ie dump station, washrooms etc. For example if you're in a van without minimum 10 gallon black water holding tank then you must be camped within 500' of a washroom. Not all LTVAs have washrooms so if you don't have the black water tank you're not allowed to camp there at all.

Outside of the LTVAs are miles and miles of BLM land where you can camp for free for up to 14 days at a time before you must move a certain distance. IIRC the rule states 25 miles but I've never been able to clarify if it's a radius of 25 miles or 25 miles by road or what measure they judge it by. Non LTVA land has no fee, no services but in the Quartzite area, because of the extreme use during the winter, one must obtain a permit. Permits are free but the date is noted and the rangers do keep track of when one needs to move on.

Other areas are not as well organized or supervised, like around Ehrenberg and most people stay as long as they like.

 

[michele0203]

That is wonderful tale Michele.   AND, you have reduced everything down.
What do you expect to be down to when you can then drive away?  

 
Hi VanKitten!

Thank you, I know, it really couldn’t have worked out better!  That’s a good question…what will I be down to when I can drive away?  Of the totes at my parents’ house, half are of clothing of various sizes…sizes that I am hopeful to fit into and therefore don’t want to toss.  I’m a large woman and finding clothing in my size is difficult as it is, plus it just seems wasteful.  I imagine I will only bring about 10 days worth of clothing with me, including a few work type outfits for whenever it’s time to take on a temp job.  I envision myself working half of the year, whether it’s 3-4 months on/off or 6 months on and 6 months off.
My next steps are deciding on the vehicle.  And quite honestly, I’m needing a bit of a mental break after the whirlwind of moving I just went through.  I’ve committed at the hotel until the first week of January. 
I’d like to attend the RTR to meet other like-minded women, but honestly, with it seemingly getting larger and larger each year, I’m a bit hesitant.  I do realize the desert is a large place and that one can go off by themselves, however, I still have my reservations.  I would much more prefer a smaller group and a gathering of women, mostly.  But, we will see.  I’m in no rush and am trusting the process will unfold as it needs to.
Are you waiting until January to go on the road in your RV?    

 

[Nissi]

my issue isn't that i might need something, but rather that i could potentially sell that thing for a few dollars.  "i should have an estate sale/garage sale/put it on craigslist/ebay," etc etc etc.
in reality, i am the worst when it comes to actually selling things (honestly, i couldn't sell ice water in the desert), so in the end it just sits there gathering dust and impeding my progress.
i just need to convince myself to forget about the few dollars and get rid of it!

  

 

[Nissi]

This was supposed to be chuckles to:  
mayble Wrote:
(honestly, i couldn't sell ice water in the desert)