Ladies and gentlemen, it has begun.
We got rid of our first possession. The journey to full time family travel (aside from building our blog and brand) started when we sold this:
This is Tornado. Jessica bought this for me for Valentine’s Day in 2013, because nothing screams I LOVE YOU like a Foosball table, right??? 😍 Anyway, Tornado was the workhorse entertainment game in our basement. Jess bought it used from craigslist, so it was only fitting that we pass it on by listing it there. Thankfully, Tornado was still in pretty good condition; mostly because we didn’t really use it very much anymore. This made it easy to sell, but it also spurred the following thoughts:
Possessions vs. Memories
The first thing I thought of every time I saw that Foosball table was the parties that we hosted in which we’d set up a tournament. I’ve never remembered who won or lost a particular tournament, but I do have vivid memories of the fun times that we shared with our friends and family. As I realized that it had probably been multiple months since I’d last played a Foosball game, it became clear that the memories that were formed by using the table were far more valuable to me than the table itself. While I absolutely adore and appreciate this thoughtful gift from Jess, I’ve also come to find that my mindset has shifted from valuing possessions to valuing experiences as well as the memories that may or may not be associated with possessions.
The Big Things are the Easiest to Sell
As soon as we sold Tornado, we were able to quickly sell a digital piano that sat collecting dust in the corner of our living room. Although the space created by moving those pieces out of the house made it seem like we’d made a ton of progress, we began to realize that we still had a LONG way to go. We have closets full of clothes, drawers full of kitchen stuff, and a huge collection of Santi and Nora’s toys. Sometimes it’s hard to realize how much stuff one actually accumulates since those items are usually placed out of sight in a closet or drawer. I’m sure over time things will start to look less chaotic around the house, but for now it’s a bit messy to bring everything out, inventory it, and sell it!
This Will Take a Long Time…
One of the benefits of setting a departure date about a year away is that, in addition to being able to plan our travels deliberately, we’ll have time to find the best new owners for the stuff we are selling. We’re already planning our first garage sale and expect that we will need to have multiple sales in order to be able to pass everything on. While sitting in your garage or driveway all day might not be the most exciting way to spend your day, as we sell our possessions one by one we know we are making progress toward achieving our goals and dreams. That long-term perspective makes this whole process way more palatable!
If you’re a traveling family, what are some tips that you can provide for those of us that are just starting to sell our stuff?
