Most everyone who follows my blog, or hangs out on Facebook now and again, knows that I’ve been embroiled in de-cluttering and preparing our house for sale with the ultimate goal to move into our tiny condo and finally live together again after three plus years.

Here’s my Top Ten lessons learned from my experiences over the past two months:

(10)   Don’t re-key any doors because you aren’t able to find the keys at the time you are looking for them….they always show up eventually.

(9)   If you haven’t thrown out 75% of the contents of your junk drawers (yes multiple, we had at least three and a half to include the expanded versus of a junk cabinet), then you are officially an unrepentant hoarder and there is no cure for you.

(8)   Don’t ever buy spices in bulk. In fact, just avoid cooking special meals altogether, or buy spice prepared meat, because you’ll never use 90% of the spices you buy ever again. Side note: It is never more economical to make that special meal versus going out to dinner (see first sentence of this lesson).

(7)   Don’t take or buy those tiny shampoos, cream rinses, lotions, or soaps from hotels or grocery stores because they would make great camping items. They multiply like rabbits and take up valuable storage space.

(6)   Use a big black marker to mark boxes (immediately – yes right that second after you’ve filled it) that go to storage versus those that go to the new place. It helps avoid opening that box ten times or more wondering what the hell you put in there.

(5)   Candles are an especially good item to put in your goodwill box. We probably had nearly a hundred stuffed into several large drawers in the kitchen and then we found more in the bathrooms.

(4)   Before unpacking those boxes that go to the new place (that by the way I already live in during the week) follow the above six lessons because those cabinets and junk drawers will not magically fit all the stuff you plan on filling them with. Once a hoarder, always a hoarder and there is only so far one can go to rid themselves of their precious crap.

(3)   Don’t get rid of all those chords and electrical plugs, because you know you are going to need them when you unpack the small electronic devices you simply cannot part with because they were so “spendy”.

(2)   Work together in the same room so you can laugh and ask each other, “What the hell is this plastic thing for?” The only appropriate response to that question is, “I have no flippin’ idea, toss it.”

(1)   The number one thing I’ve learned is to always have a nice glass of wine at the end of the day. While drinking the wine, reminisce and laugh about all you’ve accomplished and learned on that particular packing day.

With 90% of the preparations for listing our house done, the next phase is nearly upon us (the actual move-we’ve barely scratched that surface). I can expel a huge sigh of relief now and enjoy the Lonestar Lesfic Festival knowing that the most of the preliminary work is done. I can’t wait to see old friends and meet new ones. If you cannot attend, but just have to buy ones of my books, the links are below. Whew it was difficult connecting a shameless promotion to this blog, but I managed it (yes I know it was a bit of a stretch).

Affinity Author Page         Amazon Author Page