If there’s one thing that we learned from staying at home over these past few months, it’s this – you don’t have to love your home but you should at least like it.
When we moved into our current apartment in 2016, it was one of only 3 options available in our area. We never loved it but we found it suitable for our needs and managed to convince ourselves that the “amenities” made up for its shortcomings. Among those shortcomings – maintenance is always hit or miss, and by that I mean, they always come to fix the problem but their solution is sometimes lacking. When they fixed the leak from the upstairs apartment that came through our ceiling, they conveniently neglected to paint over the water spots. We’ve lived with that for 2 years now. They fixed the stove by bringing us a really, really used one to replace the brand new one that we paid extra to get. And most recently, they fixed our wasp problem by bringing us a can of Raid (I kid you not).
Our town has grown exponentially over the past four years (thanks in large part to our awesome mayor and the implementation of our first ever citywide strategic plan). Amid the growth, our quaint downtown area with its local shops, restaurants, and Farmer’s Market is thriving. We have more tech jobs now (instead of just factory jobs), more recreational spaces, and a brand new college campus. Now, make no mistake, we are happy with the direction that the town is heading because there’s more opportunity for folks to find something to love right here locally but we still don’t see ourselves living here forever.
With that being said, we decided (much on a whim) that we would move to a new apartment. During the last few years, more than a half dozen new apartment complexes have sprung up to accommodate the influx of folks wanting to live “near Nashville”. A lot of these places are really luxurious (with elevators and coffee bars) and way out of our price range but a few are within just a few dollars of what we are paying now.
When we knew we wanted to move, we had a dilemma of a different sort to contend with. How does one qualify for an apartment without a “real” income?? Turns out it wasn’t as hard as we thought it would be. Though I compiled an extensive list of my varying income sources, it was our credit score and rental history that sealed the deal. I’m proud to say that all the frugal financial finagling that we’ve done these past few years paid off and we we got the highest possible score in our screening process (whatever that means exactly).
We’re silly excited about this whole thing and not just because we’re moving somewhere new but because it’s a chance to reboot our minimalist life. I’m not sure how, but along the way we’ve acquired a lot of stuff again. Okay, not as much stuff as some of the folks we see moving in/out of here but for us…it’s a lot of stuff. We have dumpster furniture that we just couldn’t let go to landfill, a plethora of flower pots on a patio that despite our best intentions, won’t grow a weed much less a plant, and so many other things, I can’t think of them all.
Our new space is a blank canvas just waiting NOT TO BE CLUTTERED. We’re moving in 2 weeks so we’ve already started selling off a lot of our stuff. Bulky living room suite – gone!
Cabinets, tables, and storage drawers we found in the dumpster – gone!
Angie even parted with her paddleboard that took up the biggest part of one closet, reasoning that if she wanted to use one, rentals are only $8/hour at our local park.
As of right now, we’ve made $785 getting rid of stuff – a lot of it stuff that someone else once threw in the garbage. But more importantly, we’re reducing our possessions (again) and finding new homes for still useful things.
Love it! Thanks! Just reduced everything I own into one little box and Iโll be moving next month. So excited!
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That’s amazing! I’m excited for you! Best of luck with your move ๐
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I re-read this post again (as I normally do) It just hit me, with selling so much stuff moving should be super easy! This is a win in my book, especially furniture ! (ugh) Last time I moved it was equal to a horror show. It was so awful once settled I didn’t touch anything for couple of years. Then I did a clean out like no other, by the time I was finished the people at Goodwill started to run to my car to see all the good stuff I was bringing. I’m happy to report it’s been 3 years and no extra “stuff” has been allowed into my space unless it makes the cut of being useful or meaningful. Company I work for gives out acrylic number for years of service, that didn’t even make the cut. I can barely wait to hear how your move turns out ๐
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That’s awesome that you have kept to your no extra stuff rule for 3 years now! I hope we can do the same. We’ll be back up and posting soon – hopefully this week.
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This was a great read! I’m low key envious of your small living space and waiting patiently for that day to come again. I have yet to miss my paddleboard which I let go 2 years ago (?). Of course, I have been very busy with grad school and working 2 jobs. This might be the summer I really miss it. We still have kayaks and like Angie says, I can rent for now! I, too, look forward to your future posts. Congratulations!
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Woo hoo! Congrats on making the cash- hope the dash is not too much of a pain!
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Thanks! It’s definitely going to be a dash, that’s for sure! We will have only a few days to get settled in to the new place before Angie is off to Texas to visit her parents.
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Viya con Dios, Angie! Be sure to post as soon as you can, so we can get to know your new place! Most important- how far will it be from the good food dumpsters??
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Will do! Right now the new place looks like a dumpster. Okay, not really…but there is a giant pile of homeless stuff where the couch is supposed to go. The good food dumpsters are 5 minutes away. We have to drive there now but that just means more room to bring stuff home ๐
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ted soon! You are and Angie are strong determined women! YAY!!
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How exciting!! Can’t wait for the pics of the new place!
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Yes!! We will definitely post pics. Side note – even though I haven’t counted clutter in a few years, every time I throw something in the thrift store box, I have to resist the urge to count it!
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LOL us too! I gave in at the beginning of the year and made my counting sheet. Some habits are hard to break!
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You made my day!!!! I am anticipating some great articles about your move once you are settled in. ๐
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Yes!! I am already dreaming up new topics as I type this ๐
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