Selling your house + moving = Total exhaustion

I don't have internet access at home right now so I'm not able to blog as much as I would like to about all that has transpired over the past week. Right now I'm sitting in the dark at my work office (which is a five-minute walk from my house). I came back here after to dinner because I had to get online to complete a transaction. I figured that I was here, so I really should write a quick blog post. So here goes!

This post is not going to be a masterpiece. I will be lucky if I make complete sentences (please pardon my errors). That is really what this blog is about. I am completely and utterly exhausted. The events of the past four days have left me in this state. And the glass of wine I had with dinner isn't helping. I have no doubt that I will recover, but there is a good chance it's not going to be this week.

It sounds like I'm complaining. I might be. I don't mean to be, but the reality of the last few days is that closing on a house can be a very stressful situation as can moving. I really had no idea. And it's the culmination of weeks, months even, of stress leading up to selling the house. Just because you come to an agreement on price, doesen't mean that things will be smooth sailing. You really don't know if the sale is going to go through until a week before close. Crazy!

On Friday, I was waiting to hear from my lawyer about the amount that I needed to bring to closing. Yes, unfortunately we had to pay to sell our house. When I did get the number, I will be honest here, I freaked. We didn't have it. I did not anticipate that I would have to have so much at closing. I'd run the numbers and come up with a very different amount. And even what I did have was not available. The transfer of funds I made from my IRA to my checking had not come through.

Thank goodness for dear old mom and dad. They really came through for me.

In a panic, I called them to see if there was any way they could transfer a large sum of money to my bank account to cover me for the bank check I need until my money came through. The could and they would. Even my sister pitched in. Thank goodness.

But there were other complications in the process - like when it seemed for a while that even with the fams money we wouldn't have enought at closing. All this while people were coming to pick up our washer and dryer and I'm thinking we if we can't close, we won't have any way to wash our clothes.

Other activities of the day involved paying off water and electric bills, calling and canceling other accounts, arguing with lawyers, going and picking up the Uhaul and, oh yes, packing. I'd left most all of the packing to Friday and then this closing thing took over my body and soul.

Story short (because I'm about to fall asleep here at my desk) is that the last few days were some of the most stressful and laborious (box after box to the 4th floor of our new building) that I've ever experienced. And the level of tiredness I feel is like nothing else I've known (because I've never had a baby), but it is now OVER and we are settling in to our new place. Ahhhhhh.

Here's the good news. We are thrilled to be out of the house and done with the whole process. And the best part of it all is really the view from our apartment. The water is beautiful. It's so calming. We left one beautiful place for another.

Now we have half the stuff (maybe even less than half) that we used to. We don't have a mortgage hanging over our heads and we have more free time to do the things that we love and are passionate about. Life is very good.

The move is just the beginning of this journey. We are excited about what the next chapter of our lives will bring.

Reflections on an epic yard sale

The good news for us is that PEOPLE LIKE OUR STUFF. Sorry for yelling, but they liked it so much that that they bought almost all of it at our yard sale yesterday. We were selling like crazy from 8-12. It was the best yard sales EVER (yelling again) because we had tons of good items that actually worked or were purchased within the past five years. You could have set up a whole house and remodeled it too with what we were were selling. And our prices were nice and low, so everything was flying.

My favorite part? The FREE section. That's right. Give the yard sale people of the world what they really want: free stuff. The free stuff helps them to feel like they are really getting a bargain and makes them more likely to buy something. They've done studies on this. I kid. This might not be true at all. In fact, it might be that giving away free stuff makes people want the stuff that's for sale for even less money. Either way, I don't care because it is really, really fun to give away free stuff. People just can't believe that you would give something away that you could charge a whole two dollars for.

Throughout the morning, I would select priced items that just weren't moving and bring them over into the free section (understand here, my end game was to get rid of everything by the end of the day). Items priced for $1 in the for sale area weren't even getting a glance from passers by, but you put them in the free section and watch out! They were all over it.

One of the best moments was when two ladies who had already talked me down to $2 for a designer jacket (because $5 was far too much), were walking back to their cars. I yelled out, "Ladies, more free stuff!" holding up the fresh load of items in my hands. Without hesitation or any thought at all, they abruptly did an about-face then made a b-line for the free section. Nice!

One of the things I found amazing was the power of a dollar (or three, for that matter). It can make all the difference between someone wanting or not wanting to buy an item. I was reminded by my husband that it's not about the price at all, it's about the thrill of the negotiation. The conversation the jacket lady had when she got home went something like this, "Man, did I get a bargain. She had it marked at $5 and I got her down to $2!"

I really meant to put up a "No Haggle Zone" sign, but the early birds descended at 8 a.m. (start time was 9) and it threw me off entirely. My husband came up at 8 as we were getting ready to set up, and told me we had customers. I certainly wasn't pleased that people were already there. I think my reaction was fueled by the fact that I was running on a week of very little sleep. Come to find out the two ladies in the garage could hear me when I said, "I should have included a 'no early birds' line in the ad." They actually helped us set up, so it worked in my favor.

While I didn't get the sign up, I did manage to put my foot down with a few hagglers. And on other occasions, as the day went on, I gave in. I told one woman who got me to come down one dollar on a $3 item to "make sure to spend that extra dollar wisely." She promised he would.

For all my sudo-complaining, it was a super fun day. The weather was phenomenal and Ryan and I had a blast answer questions, chatting away and selling our stuff. Our background music was the rough cut of my band's upcoming CD. This resulted in adding more than a dozen new people to my email list. Nice by-product.

By 2 p.m. we only had a limited number of items left. For some reason the small kitchen appliances weren't selling. Ryan's theory was that people had their own unnecessary kitchen appliances that they never use, so why buy more. I didn't think that usually stopped yard-salers from doing their thing, but maybe he was right.

We rounded up the rejects and put them all on one table (photo). We didn't sell any of these things. I finally just gave the ice cream maker away to someone who bought our grill. Seemed like a good combo.

We ended the sale by packing up the leftover items and driving them to Good Will in Worcester. This gave us the perfect excuse to eat the Chicken Ceasar Pizza at the Corner Grille.

Our summation of the day? It was an absolute success. Besides the fact that we made $1,000 (by selling thousands of dollars worth of stuff) we got to have some excellent conversations with our patrons. Many asked why we were moving and where. We got to tell our story and, like usual, people had positive responses to what we are doing. "Good for you!" and "Good luck!" Some seemed to wish they could do they same or said that they planned to.

Ryan and I compared notes on the day as we drove home from Worcester. We agreed that it feels so good to shed so much of our stuff. We are feeling great about the choices we're making and the direction we're going. We're glad that we bought the house and are grateful for the five amazing years we had in Groton and everything we learned being homeowners. Ryan says he sees the experience as a right of passage, of sorts. He got to put all the things his dad taught him into practice and realized that he is really very handy and can do just about anything that is required to fix a house up. Lucky for me.

One thing we are learning about ourselves is that we like experiences a bunch. We love to try something, learn from it and walk away with the experience of it under our belts. With that said, I don't think this next phase of our live is just about a new experience. Part of it is--living in an urban setting--but the part about simplifying life, that's something that we want to last through a lifetime of experiences.

P.S. To see some of the stuff we sold, check out the Moving from Groton blog.

Stuff is like lobster

Labor Day just passed us by. When I spoke with friends about what they did, I got a little jealous. They were at the lake or the beach, kicking back, relaxing (you get the picture). What was I doing on Labor Day? I was laboring. Ryan and I spent the day sorting through all of our stuff. Categories included: Recycle, Throw Away (stuff that can't be recycled and no one in the world would want it), Sell, Give Away and Keep. So much stuff!

One of my projects was going through boxes of photos that I've been carrying around with me for years. Thank goodness for digital cameras! I can't believe how many pictures I used to have developed in the olden days. My mission: to make choices about which photos to keep and scan and which to toss.

It went something like this:

• Pictures of friend's babies from five years ago: out.
• Christmas photos of friends and their families: out (sorry guys!).
• Any picture taken during my fat years (1999-2001): out.
• Endless photos of scenery with no people: out.
• Misc photos of friends in misc poses (all extremely tasteful, of course): out.
• The best current photos of friends and family: in.
• Older photos of friends and family: in.
• The best photos of me: in.

You really have to be ruthless. Ryan and I decided we would be with everything. We want to take as little as possible with us when we move. Even sentimental stuff is going bye-bye. I like this idea -- if you want to remember something, take a pictures (digital). Something I read once challenged the idea that memories have to be attached to things. You always have your memories with or without things (until you get dimentia, that is).

Moving beyond photos, we went through almost every closet, every draw, and the garage. In the end, we have a garage full of stuff that we are shedding. Our yard sale will be the week before the move. We are selling the items that can fetch $2 (big money at a yard sale) and up and the rest we are giving away.

I'm envisioning the sign, "Hundreds of items for free!" I'm sure this will result in tons of traffic, but will it be quality? The big question you ask when putting on a yard sale (right).The problem with the "free" strategy is that people will come with the cheapest mindset possible and will expect to get a lawn mower for $.50. Hmmm...I need to think about this one a little more.

Our yard sale will be the magnitude of a two or three family one because we are getting rid of half our stuff. Ladders, TVs, couches, tables, chairs, weights, ice cream maker, toaster, volleyball net, dress up clothes (don't ask), photo albums, snowblower, lawnmower, Ryan's "my little pony collection" (just seeing if you are still paying attention), I mean, Ryan's diver gear...the list is endless. (If you are interested in any of our stuff, just let me know. You will get the generous friends and family discount ; )

It's a very cool feeling to shed stuff. It really is similar to losing weight. Your like, "I can see my feet again!"

Some our stuff, we bought just five years ago when we moved into the house, but I'm okay with that. Sometimes you have to experience one thing to figure out that you want something different.

Bye bye, stuff! You've been great, but really you are a little like lobster, overrated. I'm just as happy with a tuna melt.

Trying urban living for a change

It's time for a little urban living for the Black family. That's right, we are moving to the big city. No, not Boston. We are moving to Lowell. I'm smiling as a I write this because so many people have asked, "Why Lowell?" They just can't understand why we would move there.

In the words of the recent PR campaign for this very city, "There's a lot to like about Lowell!" It's really true. Ryan and I are more than an hour away from Boston right now and during the past five years have found Lowell to be a great option when we were looking for food and live music. They made so many great changes in the city starting with inviting artists in and turning many of the old mills into lofts or office space.

Here are some of the things we like about Lowell: Good restaurants (Life Alive, Mambo Grill, Blue Taleh, Centro to name a few), great outdoor seating (that can rival Newbury!), mom and pop coffee shops (Cafe Paradiso, Brewed Awakenings) a stellar concert series in the summer, the Lowell Folk Festival, the film collaborative, the Merrimack River, and more.

Perhaps the best part of living in Lowell will be what it will do to our commutes. If all goes as planned, I will have a five minute walk to work (no more driving!) and Ryan's commute will be knocked down to 15 minutes. Sweet!

We have a deposit down on a new loft apartment that overlooks the river. It's on the fourth floor and is a corner unit, so there are lots of BIG windows. The ceilings are 18 feet which will help to make the place feel bigger than it is (1,000 square feet). And did I mention that my work is a five minute walk away? Uh, huh. That's right. I'm doing a little dance right now.

It is going to be different for us. I will miss our beautiful piece of land here in the country. I'm listening to the crickets as I write this. No more big back yard (although there is a great park right outside our door that leads to a river walk that goes for miles). And no more back deck to chillax on.

I've never lived in an apartment complex that feels like a hotel. All those doors on the same floor. Thank goodness that they double soundproofed the walls at this place. I've heard bad reports about thin walls in these old mill buildings.

We are very excited about the new place. We are still in limbo until that financing for the buyers comes through. There's always that chance that we won't be going anywhere, but in the meantime we are purging (that's what my next post will be about) and spending a lot of time in Lowell getting ready for the change we hope to make in less than a month.

Setting the stage: Why I am blogging about simplicity

Wow, I can't believe I'm really sitting down to write this blog. I've been wanting to do this for at least six months and am finally making it happen. The truth is, I have several ideas for blogs. One would be a good career move - writing about what I do for a living - marketing. But right now, I have a burning desire to write about this new adventure that my husband and I are embarking on. We are simplifying our lives.

If you've started a blog recently, then you know what I learned today. Pretty much every good URL is taken. You really have to get creative to find one that conveys your message and doesn't sound stupid or isn't too hard for someone to remember. My plan was to name this blog "The Pickle Jar" (I will share why in a later post) but, nope! That was taken. So was just plain old "Pickle Jar." I could have gotten "A Pickle Jar" but for some reason I didn't like that as much AND I don't want others to confuse my blog with someone else.

After much rejection, I finally was able to come up with a name that I liked. One that really fits what this blog is all about. And one that doesn't sound stupid (at least, I don't think it does). Shooting for Simple.

One thing I know for sure is that in this quest for simplicity, I don't ever want to claim to have the answers, to know the right way, or to be perfect in my pursuit. In fact, I can think of a blog post that I will write at some point about my indulgences. These are some perfectly wasteful behaviors that don't fit at all with being simple. "Shooting for" says that I may be shooting for simplicity, but I'm most certainly not always going to hit the target.

My father is a minister. He was all my life. And I grew up steeped in Christianity. One thing I learned early on is the definition of that scary word "sin." It's not as scary as it sounds. It means "to miss the mark." Like, you shoot at a bulls eye and you miss it. That's like me and simplicity. While I will certainly hit the mark most of the time, there are times I will miss it, whether purposely or accidentally.

I think of my blog title as a bit of a disclaimer. For those super-duper-radical-simple-livers out there who may read this blog - just know that I'm doing my best, but will probably never do as well as you do. But you will remain my inspiration! : )

What do I want to accomplish with this blog? I want to chronicle the shift that my husband and I are making in our lives. We've made some pretty big decisions that involve getting rid of half our stuff, selling our house, renting again, and looking for ways to conserve. We have future plans that I will write about someday on this blog. Bottom line is, we want to live simply and responsibly. We want to buy what we need and use what we have and recycle (all the ways possible) what we no longer need. We also want to take care of the people around us and give of our time and ourselves in this way.

I'm writing this blog so I can process what we are doing and keep a record of it and so I can invite others to take the journey with us. Even if it's vicariously, we would love to have you along for the ride.