What To Do With My Stuff

For those of you who know me, you know this could be an issue.  I'm in no way a minimalist! I am living proof that nature abhors a vacuum.  With approximately 250# being my maximum amount of everything I can take, I have to lighten my load a bit--OK, a lot.

So, what to take?  Do I take my iron?  How often do I use it?  How would my life look without my iron in it?  Then, does it weigh too much to consider it?  It's all very interesting.

Then there's the whole issue of priorities.  Is it more important to take the iron or another outfit of clothes?  Would I he happier with more yarn instead?  Where would I get another one if I left this one behind.

That last thing is part of what is guiding me to certain decisions.  In my research I've been told to take my own pots and pans, linens, and electronic gear.  The pots & pans and linens just aren't available with the quality we expect.  The electronic gear and other things are more expensive down there.  I have no idea whether an iron would be easy to replace.

Do you have any idea how heavy clothing is?  Somehow I have to get down to 15 or 20 sets of clothing.  I know that sounds like a lot but that include pajamas, grubby ones, jeans and T-shirts for knocking around, one or two pair of shorts since 75 in the sunshine is still hot for me, nice tops and pants for something a little more formal, my raincoat and jacket, and a dress (?).   Now you see my dilemma.

Ah, and them we move on to the kitchen--the room that hold so many things near and dear to my heart.  I have already forgone the idea of bringing my KitchenAid mixer with grinder attachment in purchased a cute little plastic grinder that runs on people power and works quite well and I'm taking my stick blender to help bridge the gap the mixer will create. 

I have to part from my pressure cooker.  I truly love my pressure cooker.  It's a magical kitchen convenience.  It's automatic -- set it and walk away.  When it's done, it beeps to let you know to come tend it.  I had thought to replace it with my slow cooker which will make the toughest meat tender if left in there long enough but, alas, it, too, is a bit unwieldy and heavy.

Many items I had planned to have either watched over by family or packed into boxes I have decided to let them go to someone else who can love them.  The KitchenAid and pressure cooker fall into that category but they aren't nearly as near and dear to my heart as my fused glass art piece I got at an art fair in Bremerton.  The other is my Tiffany style lamp.  I has been an honor to have been its caretaker for the past 15 years but it, too, will live with someone else who will love it as much as I have.

Take a look around your home.  If you had to get it down to about 250 pounds, what would you take and what would you leave behind?  I know I'll be fine when all is said and done--it just seems a little overwhelming right now.

Coming up: An Apartment?