And so it begins...

The planning of our upcoming move, that is.

The first thing on our list can now be checked off! We had a HUGE sale this weekend and sold a big chunk of our stuff. We spent the past week going through our things, deciding what we could do without for the next 5-6 months, pricing it, and somewhat organizing it. Then this past weekend we opened our house to a bunch of strangers and let them rummage through all the "things" we have collected over the years. Most of them proceeded to offer us half what we asked (even when I had priced it at about half what it was worth), to which I usually replied "we're not discounting." We're not leaving for at least 5 months, I don't HAVE to sell anything now. The one really big item that sold (totally unexpected) was our huge leather sectional. I mean who goes to a garage sale and comes away with a $1500 sofa! I'm glad though, it's one less thing to worry about selling later and an extra $1500 in my pocket is okay by me! The other bigger items I will list on craigslist within the next month or so.

People keep asking why we're selling stuff so early and I've come up with a few reasons:
1) It's one less thing to do later (when we're really busy).
2) Once our house is on the market, less stuff means less for me to keep clean on a daily basis for potential buyers.
3) We're excited about this move and right now, this is really the only thing we can do to get ready for it.
4) We're ready for a more simplified lifestyle when we move and simplifying all our "junk" now is the first step.
5) It proves to me that I won't really miss all of it when it's gone...and if I do then this gives me 5 months to get over it!

I'm so glad that we told them we'd leave in January because there really is a lot to do before a move this big. Next on the list: get the kids passpports so Chris's company can get started on the visas.