It is time for us to PCS. I mean, we are waiting to figure out where we are going because career wise it is time for hubby to PCS. But really what I mean is, we have accumulated too much stuff and we need to move so I have an excuse to dump most of it.
Big military benefit, right there. Every time my kids have an excess of Happy Meal toys clogging up their bedrooms, the bathrooms, and my living room toy box - it's time for us to go. And we're not taking those toys with us. They are SO curbside.
My hubby has a really hard time choosing what things he can part with. Basically, he'll throw away anything that belongs to other people without a qualm - but HIS stuff? It was 2003 before we finally threw away a piece of chain that had sentimental value for him (he had cut it off a fence in protest) from high school. High School! The man graduated from High School in 1993!
My stuff, however, is fair game. Sometimes unconsciously. For instance, I spent my childhood and teenage years collecting trophies and ribbons for various sporting and other competitive events. I had many many memories. In 1998 we were stationed in New Hampshire and had a really great little house with an attic where we stored hubby's prized books and my trophies.
Enter moving day. Hubby volunteered to bring everything down from the attic (because we all know the moving guys won't). Guess what didn't make it to our next assignment? I'll give you a hint: we unpacked hubby's books first.
I have learned my lesson the hard way - I now do all the purging of our household goods. I do it when hubby isn't home. And I'm merciless. If you haven't worn the clothes in the last two years, you do not need them (this is mainly a guideline for me). Pieces of fence chain from 1992 are really not necessary. And just how many stuffed animals are necessary for my kids' survival? Apparently in excess of five thousand. Anything over that number and I send it to Goodwill.
Hubby's starting to get nervous about now because I've got that "we really need to get ready to PCS" look in my eye. I'm appraising things around the house. I'm calculating moving truck loads and numbers of boxes.
I'm getting ready now.
