What we did on our summer vacation, Part 1

It has been a very busy summer for us already. I have not posted much to our blog in quite some time and wanted to update everyone on our progress.

I gave notice that I was leaving the company in early June, and with plenty of advance notice targeted July 31st as the last official day of work. This was not an easy decision for me, although I am certain it was the best decision for me and my family.

I worked for the company for 11 years and most of them were wonderful. I was blessed to truly enjoy the work and the people, and grew as a result both personally and professionally.

The time had come, however, to pursue other interests and I have not regretted the decision. In fact, friends, family, and co-workers immediately noticed the difference in me just a few days after the decision. Less stress and more sleep does wonders for a person…I was no exception and it was apparently easy to see the difference in me.

We promptly listed the house for sale, and began organizing all of our stuff to sell. We had a number of people look at the house in the first couple of weeks but no offers. We received an offer at the end of June, but it was significantly below our asking price, so much so that we did not even bother to counter their offer instead choosing to reject it completely.

The following week the same family and their realtor wanted to meet with us personally to discuss another offer. This offer was more in line, we countered, and reached agreement. The wanted a quick close, and we agreed to July 31st.

Things have a way of working themselves out…now I would be out of a job and a house at the end of July!

Now came the fun part…liquidating all of our assets in less than 30 days. To give you some perspective, we had a 3,300 sq. ft house, 2 cars, and I would estimate around 20,000 pounds of STUFF. At the end of the month we would have 1 car, 4 suitcases, and 800 pounds of stuff!

Gina handled all of these details, it was amazing to watch as she sold our furniture to friends and family, put together 4 garage sales to sell other odds and ends, donated items to charities, and pulled off what I thought was impossible in the course of a few short weeks.

So that is it really. We have sold 95% of everything we own and are ready to begin our adventure.

My wife and son told me that I had no attachment to things. It was relatively easy for me to get rid of all of our prized possessions. I would love to hear from others how difficult selling everything they own would be for them. Could you and your family do this?