Purging

 It could have so many meanings, but in our case it is getting rid of stuff. It is amazing how quickly one accumulates "stuff". To think, just a few years ago we had sold everything and had no stuff. But I guess it has been almost 10 years since we got off the road and that is plenty of time to fill every nook and cranny with stuff we hardly use. 

So over the past several weeks we have been on a mission to purge. Throw away, give away, or sell stuff we have not touched in years. A tote fill of old cell phones, broken or unused cameras, the bike I just "had to have" when we went on the road. (I think I rode it maybe 10 times), our inflatable kayak that had been replaced with hard-sided ones a year or so ago. 

How does one get rid of all this "stuff"? Garage sale was our first answer, we have set a date for early May.  So, we set about going through closets, the loft in the garage, the shed, sorting out things we had not uses in years. Some of it we decided to list on Facebook and eBay. We have not used eBay in years and was amazed at how much they take in fees compared to 10 years ago. But it is an effective means of reaching a wide audience. So far, we have sold over $600 worth of stuff. Barb sold one of her old belt buckles for over $100! I sold a broken camera for $50. 

For those items that are harder to ship, or we did not need to reach a broader audience, we used Facebook Marketplace. Those of you who are friends with us on Facebook have probably seen a few of our marketplace ads in your feed. A utility cart went for $60, the old rack for the Jeep $55, DVD set for $30, spotting scope for $50, turkey decoys for $60. We still have a number of things listed that have not sold yet. This bike rack we have not used in 6 years, they are going for almost $400 new! And remember that new fish finder I got Barb for her birthday a couple years ago? I have not used my old one since. 

Then there is the miter saw stand that we no longer need since I built Barb that table. If I sell all these three items that should be another $400!

Then we got into a kick of watching these YouTube channels where these people buy abandoned storage units, specifically Hairy Tornado. This couple buys storage units what went to auction and then video themselves going through the contents hoping to at least get their money back and hopefully make a profit. 

What kills me is the crap that people spend money month after month to store. After a year(s) of paying storage fees it has to far exceed the value of the contents. When we sold everything and went on the road, we sold literally everything, except a few mounts and a couple of totes which we stored at family/friend's houses. We did not know how long we were going to be on the road but figured that any furniture we did have would be out of date or not fit into our new home, so we got rid of everything. 

This couple also goes to garage sales, estate sales and even Goodwill to find things to resell for a profit. I told Barb that we should buy a storage unit on auction and we could become millionaires! She was like "Oh hell no!" I know at least one of you out there (Granny Sue) knows that while there is money to be made out there, it is a lot of work, and you certainly will not become a millionaire. 

Be warned though, once you watch one of their videos you get sucked in and next thing you know an hour (sometimes two) has gone by. 

So, what else have we been up to this week?

We took the old roof rack off the Jeep and put on a new one. The old one only connected to the drip edge of the roof. This new one bolts to the frame and body.  The sketchy part of this project is that it required me to drill through the side of the Jeep! Although it is not the most flattering rack, it will be much more secure when we travel with our kayaks next winter. We listed the old rack on Marketplace and it litterally sold within 5 minutes. Made me think I should have asked more for it!

While we were doing that, we also removed the flip back top off the Jeep (which is now listed on Marketplace) and put the hard roof back on. With the new rack, this just made more sense. 

Barb painted her workshop with the first coat of primer....

All that done, it was time to work on a project that has been on my list for a while. Finishing the loft wall in the garage. When we built the workshop and loft in the garage I had put rough-cut board and batten on the lower level, now it was time to do the upper level. I ordered the wood from our local mill and once it was ready, I got to work. The left picture below is "before", and the right side is "after". My legs got a workout as I had to go up and down for every single board. 

While I was doing that, Barb was working right next to me on top of the camper. I took this picture from the top of the ladder. She is replacing the skylight in the camper, the first step is to remove all the old dicor caulking. 

So, what is the plan for the weekend? More purging, cut up some more firewood and maybe a garage sale or two to fill up the spaces we just emptied with more stuff!