Well, either try to visit the house before the move to check out those areas, or else consider renting a small storage unit in the new area for a few wks to give you some breathing room for everything else. Get all those awkward things together that you won't need immediately, and then get them into the unit. It won't cost much at all in the whole scheme of things, but we've found similar fixes really helped us pack rats to arrange new places, at least roughly, at the beginning, without having to worry about odd stuff.

The new place is in another city so visiting it won't be possible. I like the idea of a storage unit but I can guarantee that DH would think it's a waste of money and then he'll only point out that if I need this unit, why not get rid of the stuff beforehand.

Because you think you want to keep it, maybe will 'need' it somewhere new, but just don't know if there's space available! Guys are such dingbats - we need to educate them!

Marie.

First of all, take a nice deep breath, you are doing great!
I would also put the dog cages in the storage shed if you don't need them frequently, but don't bury them under other stuff in case you need a vet trip, etc. Luggage I would keep in the house due to moisture ( and you will have lots of rain in Vancouver) causing them to get musty smelling. They should be good candidates for the 'dark storage areas'. I would also plan to put any bins in there that would fit.

As far as the boxes you are holding for the kids to go through when they visit...if it was me, I would GIVE them the box to take home and sort at their leisure at THEIR home. That way, you are rid of the box, they can keep what they want, and THEY are responsible for getting rid of the rest. Also, if they toss something without your being involved, they don't have any guilt trips either.

You have been working really, really hard to cull and declutter. A move is never easy, but I'm sure you will see how much easier it will be with all your efforts. What a pay-off! And, you will be there in time for a glorious spring. Get down to Mt Vernon, south of Bellingham, WA, when the tulips and daffodils are blooming, in mid-March. Fields and fields, broad swaths of pink, red, yellow. Absolutely breathtaking!

Barbara

Barbara, thank you for that beautiful image. Something to look forward to. We had a snow storm here last night and I woke up to no Dish. After a 1/2 hour of talking to a technician, I got that back. At least football can keep me company today. I had the dishwasher open ready to unload it and then I spilled ground coffee over it and the floor. I'm running the dishwasher again.

Last night, I went through most of the pantry. I had soooo many boxes that were outdated and I know I'd purged several times last year. I must have been purchasing food with dates that were close to expiration. This is something I must pay more attention to in the future.

Today, I plan to finish the kitchen, leaving just the few needed items out. I had organized the bathroom so that is just putting everything into a box and then there's the linen closet which is mainly organized. I still need to get into the garage which isn't really bad but I need to put like items into boxes so that I can have them organized by which items will go into the house and which will go into the storage area behind the carport. But the garage is so cold.

The worst part is getting DD to do her room. She promised to start tomorrow.

Barbara, you're right. It's time to take a deep breath and look forward to the future instead of dwelling at the mess of the present.

When I mentioned to DH that I didn't know how to organize the garage stuff, I was right when his first response was to just get rid of it. Obviously, that won't happen. I have been so much better in the past few weeks and have thrown out items that I'd kept unnecessarily for years.

I'm so glad for the support people give on this forum.

Unpack the kitchen and bath first, then carefully unpack and store what you need in other rooms. Tke it easy, be very mindful you must find permanent spots for everything. Leave the unpacked boxes in the rooms where they belong, and above all, take your time unpacking. Declutter as you go and be ruthless. If something is broken, or missing a part, or just doesn't "go" , then chuck it!

I have been decluttering on this end and have been quite ruthless. I've also organized into the boxes all like items that will go on the same shelf or into the same drawer. I'm assuming that the unpacking should go pretty easily.

It's the items I don't need on a day to day basis that I'm having trouble with. I've delegated some of my kitchen items to the laundry room cupboards. But there's still the garage items to deal with. They are boxed up and need somewhere to go.

Marie-

Moving is a great opportunity for you to go through nearly everything that you have an decide whether you want to keep it or not. I was reading an organization article the other day, and it said that it's a good idea to chuck anything that you haven't used in over a year. You should just rent a big garbage dumpster and fill it with all of the extra crap you never use. It will be good to move into a new house knowing you don't have anything unnecessary with you.

Here is a link that might be useful: Organization Blog

I would say, don't pressure yourself TOO much about what goes where; some walking up and down stairs is inevitable.

You might split stuff into "OK if it gets damp in the basement" vs. "not OK if it gets damp in the basement" to start. And then, maybe "like with like" after that.

The dog crates are OK in the basement, so any OTHER pet stuff goes there too.

Also remember that, since DD will have the basement room, you won't go down their particularly often, so anything you might use semi-frequently should stay upstairs.

After that, just assume that you are going to miss with several items, and go w/ your "best guess," and DO NOT beat yourself up if, after you actually *live* in this house, you find yourself moving stuff around, or walking up and down stairs as you organize.

This is the first time that I'm moving to a house that isn't "temporary" and I'm packing myself. I'm trying to make it the easiest move ever because of packing myself. I've done lots so far but am reaching the point of throwing papers into a box that I somehow accumulated recently and deal with them later. It's amazing how much stuff I've hung onto and for what? Only to reach this point in my life and wonder why. For instance, I have a calculator that takes paper tape but the piece that holds the batteries in place had gone missing years ago. I put tape over the batteries. I never even use that particular calculator. Today, I finally threw it out.

Hooray for you for pitching that calculator!!! You are on a roll!!! (Exclamation points = shouting, you betcha!) And you may find it is easier to discard things the closer you get to moving day. And that's not a bad thing....

If you do get down to the tulip/daffodil fields, be sure to go to the demonstration gardens at Roozengartens (sp??), the nominal entrance fee is well worth it. Apparently this area is the largest tulip/daff growing area in the US. When I lived about 40 miles south, we used to fly to the San Juan Islands and go over the area when in bloom.

And of course Busch Gardens in Victoria..........

Barbara, frustrated tour guide...........

I've had the same pains of "moving myself".
I couldn't do it. I wanted everything. Until I had a dream one night... I had three shots to go into the house to "get the things I reallyh wanted".

Previously, the military moved all the crap I'd accumulated.

I'd seriously recommend a "Clean Sweep" kinda thing. Pull everything out on the lawn, pull out what you want and abandon the rest... to charity or shredder or whatever.