Selling all of our furniture was on the Champagne List. Well, we did that. Actually most of it went to a friend from my work who is setting up a new home (What's up, Jess!). But some things, and some furniture are too sentimental to leave behind or sell (family heirlooms, etc). So we got a storage locker. It's the smallest one we could find 5x8, and it's a bit out of town (cheaper!) - but it's still an expense we're carrying with us.
Money Disclosure: Our storage locker is costing us $92/month to keep while we're gone. We auto-pay it monthly and can manage it remotely while we're gone. After traveling for a while it may seem like a large expense, but for now it's worth it to us to keep the heirlooms and such safe.
And I think this brings us to the end of the story of our Stuff! Yeay!
I feel super lucky that my parents, on top of looking after the dogs for us, have a crawlspace and so were able to store the stuff that Tony and I decided we wanted to keep when we moved. Having that safety net meant that we didn't have to strip down as much as we otherwise might have had to, but since we do ultimately think we will re-settle in North America, it was nice not having to get rid of certain pieces of furniture or belongings that would cost us more money to replace upon our return.
ReplyDeleteWow, that is a mini storage locker!! I ended up going with those storage pod thingys... they come and set it on your front lawn and you fill it and then they go stack it in a giant warehouse until you need it again. I figured I didn't need all the bells and whistles of self-storage seeing as I wouldn't even be in the country. Mine was 8ft tall, 7ft deep and 6ft wide and I prepaid for six months and got a killer deal at $55/month (plus $80 for dropping the thing off and taking it away again). I crunched a lot of numbers and it is way cheaper than literally getting rid of everything and having to buy it all again when/if I come back to Canada!
ReplyDeleteBut now it's all gone away and I'm living out of suitcases until I leave.. it's a crazy feeling!
I think it's a smart decision, especially if you only use the stored items for certain occasions (like Christmas décor). Having a storage space to store your unusable yet valuable items, such as family heirloom, makes it an even better investment. You free up more space and you're assured that the items you treasure are kept in somewhere safe and secure.
ReplyDeleteGeneral Store-All