Before relocating to Texas, we have decided to sell off as much stuff as we can bear to part with.
Reasons are:
- We have heard nightmare stories about hiring cross country movers, so we decided to do it ourselves with a rental truck
- One-way truck rentals are expensive, as are gasoline and hotels along the way. We figure the less stuff, the smaller the truck. The smaller the truck, the less gas and the faster we can complete the trip. All adds up to lower moving expenses.
- We decided to rent for a year before we buy a house in Texas. This is so we can make sure we really like living there before we make a major commitment like buying a house. Less stuff = a smaller rental place and no storage unit. All adds up to lower living costs.
- We have stuff we just don't need or even want, so why move it?
- Most of the physical things we own, we are not emotionally attached to. We don't have high-end or irreplacable things. So why not sell it off, and then buy what we need second-hand once we have a house?
So ... shortly after my husband got back from his scouting trip to Austin I started our big pre-relocation sell off. This is going to be a HUGE project for me. I know we could have a giant moving sale at the last minute and sell everything really cheap, but I'm going to try to make as much $$$ from the sales as I can while still getting rid of as much as possible. My goal is $3,000 by the end of May [We're not moving until the end of September but my husband & I will both be very busy during the summer months with work so we decided to get this out of the way early.]
Here are the January results.
Items sold during 30 different sales transactions (30 different buyers):
2 Sofas
Armchair & Ottoman
2 Nightstands
Pub Table & 2 Chairs
Sofa Table
House Plants & Pots
Mirror
3 Lamps
2 Golf Clubs
19 books or CDs
2 Christmas Ornaments
Net Sales (after deducting listing fees and commissions, packaging, and postage) = $1,140.51
Interest (at 5% which is an average of what our MMAs are getting, but only calculated once we actually have cash in hand ... which means lag time getting cash if I'm paid through Paypal or Half.com) = $0.43
Total January Take = $1,140.94
Since I need to average $600/month Jan-May in order to reach my goal, I obviously have a good "running start." However, I know there is no way I am going to be able to keep up that pace: I have no more couches!!!
The biggest challenge I will face in the coming months will be to keep my spirits up and keep the momentum going when I'm just making a couple bucks here and a couple bucks there selling books and other smaller things. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can ...
If you read this far, thanks for sharing this big adventure with me.
Pre-Relocation Stuff Sell Off, Jan Results
January 31st, 2007 at 09:20 pm
February 1st, 2007 at 05:34 am
February 1st, 2007 at 06:06 am
February 1st, 2007 at 07:56 am
February 1st, 2007 at 08:25 am
Thanks for the suggestion, crazyliblady. We will definitely freecycle, list as "free stuff" or donate whatever is unsold and usable in the final month(s) before our move.
Thanks for the advice on Budget, threebeansalad. When it is time to reserve the truck, I'm sure I'll be back on here looking for more suggestions.
February 1st, 2007 at 09:38 am
February 1st, 2007 at 12:02 pm
February 1st, 2007 at 02:32 pm
February 1st, 2007 at 03:18 pm
February 1st, 2007 at 04:21 pm
Good luck w/the deacquisitioning!!
February 1st, 2007 at 09:08 pm
Kealina - The swap meet's a good idea, but we'll actually be having a garage sale in mid-May to sell off smaller stuff that doesn't sell before then. I'm one of those lucky people who lives in a "Master Planned Community" that holds a community-wide garage sale twice a year. Our HOA advertises in all the papers and on the radio, and we get a massive turnout.