The funny things that happen when you move

You find out how much stuff you have and how much you don’t need. We packed every thing. We figured we would sort it all out when we got to the new place and had more time to look at every thing. It has been very easy for me to let go of some things that before I hung on to. It is the whole move thing, the changes that come with it. For the first time we have a home, not a place to live, even though we are still renting. It changes how you look at things. For the first time in my life I looked for house accessories, and bought some thing because of the way it looked. Ok it was not a big buy, but it was the first time I have ever done this. I bought oven mitts with matching hand towels that you hang of a door or some thing. For me it was a big thing. I cared about how some thing would look. Kind of wow for me. I figure it will take time but we will get a small thing here and there to get the look we want.

The other big change is having a washer and dryer. I have to change my mind set. We don’t have to worry about not having the money to do the laundry, so we don’t have to hoard clothing. I would buy lots of clothing at second hand shops, and garage sales so that my kids would always have some thing to wear even when we did not have the money to do laundry. We were spending about $60 a month, and that would be a good month. So what happened, well I can now see how much clothing my kids have. It used to be about half their stuff would be in the laundry. Now it is all clean, and as we unpack I am finding we don’t have room for it all. The good thing is that they are both growing very fast so we will not have all this extra clothing for long. I already have boxes set up so that if some thing does not fit them in it goes. Once the box is full off it goes to a clothing exchange or our kid’s daycare. It is going to be interesting to see what kind of balance happens, how much clothing is going to be the right amount to meet their ever-changing needs. The good thing is now that I don’t have to buy so much I can just concentrate on getting what they like. Mind you, I am still going to be shopping at second hand places and in the summer garage sales. Have you seen the price of kids clothing today?

Over all it has been a strange transition. It has not been just moving from one place to another. Some other change has happened. I actually care about this place and how clean it is, how it looks (buying things that actually match). It has let me feel like I have a home for the first time in my life. I even want to work in the little flower garden area under my front window. Wow, what a big change in my attitude and expectations about where and how I live.