Double Your Money!

5/31/10 Utility trailer, sold for $450 (minus $50 seller's commission)

I returned to Maine today after spending the Memorial Day weekend in Boston to discover that, once again, the downsizing had taken care of itself. I continue to be in such a zone that it happens without me even trying. As my cousin Amy said, "Unconscious downsizing -- amazing!"

Amazing, indeed, and here's what makes it better: the trailer sold for more than twice what I paid for it. Yep, that's a good return on investment.

You may recall the trailer from this post, in which I used it to transport a bed over to my parents' house. Desperate to simply my life as we scrambled into the last week of home ownership, I simply left the trailer in Winthrop, suggesting that I could sell it from there easier than from my temporary lodging over here.

My dad, ever the salesmen, approaches such opportunities with gusto. He quickly had the trailer out on the front yard and, after starting at a lofty $600, almost immediately hooked someone in at $450.

"I think I could have got more," he later told me on the phone, "But it was quite a bit more than you paid for it, anyway."

I'll say.

I had purchased the trailer from my neighbor two years ago for $200. Now, after two years of use, having spent exactly $0 on care and maintenance for it, I discovered it had been sold and delivered -- through no effort of my own -- for $450. That's a deal I'll accept any day.

Of course, Dad is nothing if not a shrewd salesman, so he also informed me that a $50 commission seemed appropriate, given I'd had no hand in any part of the transaction. Fair enough.

I just love this unconscious downsizing.

Childhood memories

5/30/10 Childhood stories, letters, and photographs, returned

Serendipity led us to Fenway Park today, just forty-eight hours after selling our home. I saw it as a celebration of our accomplishments and a reward for our hard work. Joanna saw it as a cool adventure for our four-month-old child. Chase saw it as an incredible sensory-overload experience.

I do see the proper education of my son as a primary responsibility, and raising him to revere the proper sports teams is part of that education. At the very least, that thinking gave me the excuse to make it to one more Red Sox game before heading west. We approached the adventure with the right mindset, deciding to get to the game early, spend our time walking around and eating, and then departing early, before Mr. Seventeen Pounds of Fury could get too cranky about the whole experience.

A fine time was had by all three of us, and although we missed out on the chance of having Big Papi sign Chase's hat, we couldn't have asked for a better first trip to the ballpark for our son. (Sox won, 8-1, and we thoroughly enjoyed the three innings we watched. I've found that newborns tend to lose interest about the first third of the game.)

We were also eager to leave the ballpark because it meant returning to Joanna's sister Amanda's apartment, where she was preparing a gourmet meal for us. As the coq au vin simmered on the stove, we presented Amanda with a number of stories, pictures, and letters she had written as a child. We had discovered them among Joanna's things as we packed up the house last weekend.

While Amanda was most enthusiastic about performing dramatic readings of her childhood stories "It's Not a Frog If It Isn't Brown!" and "When Everything Was Wrong", I most enjoyed the dramatic illustration she has made of Dracula standing over a lifeless bride. Very timely, I thought, given the current pop cultural popularity of vampires.

Of course, Chase was sound asleep by the time dinner was served, but I don't think he would have appreciated it, anyway. Just like the baseball game and the school-age stories, sometimes it takes a few years before we really appreciate the events of our childhood.

Looking back can give us even more joy than the original experience. Here's to good memories.

Selling in a bull market

5/29/10 Ten CDs, sold at Bull Moose Music for $5.13

Took what is likely my final trip to Bull Moose Music today. I believe it's my third downsize of CDs there, so I have to say the store has been good to me. Plus, I downloaded all the music to my hard drive, so I get to continue to listen to it without the clutter of discs.

Two quick notes:

1) Yes, that is Van Halen's classic album 5150 on top. (Dear VH Purists, I'm sorry if the addition of Sammy Hagar offended you, but personally I think it gave the band the shot in the arm it needed.) Here's a funny little coincidence: yesterday I took a bag full of rolled coins to the bank to deposit. The amount? $51.50. Coincidence? I think not.

2) It is especially easy for me to part with these CDs since all of the CD-playing technology in my life seems to have gone defunct. The $1,000 Bose DVD/Stereo system I have has been working sporadically for almost a year. It's absolutely impossible to watch a DVD or listen to a CD all the way through without it skipping and freezing up at least once. Guess you get what you pay for. Similarly, about four months ago, my six-disc car CD player fritzed out seizing all of the CDs that were in it. No matter what I did, it wouldn't play or eject them. Then, about three weeks ago, I started the car, the player sprang to life, and started to spit CDs out like lottery tickets. Having rescued those discs, I won't be risking it again by inserting any more.

These are just little examples of the world conspiring to make downsizing easier and more urgent. I'm listening to the signs. Are you?

The biggest downsize of my life

5/28/10 Beautiful log home, with pool, on 2.14 private wooded acres, sold

We have sold our home. That, Dear Readers, is a serious downsize.

As this day approached, Joanna and I have remarked to each other how unemotional the process of leaving our home has been. This is the first home we've ever owned, the place we've spent all but the first few months of our marriage, and the place where our son has lived his whole (4 1/2 month) life. Some of the ease of transition probably comes from the craziness of preparing for a move and job change; we just haven't had time to get teary.

The bigger reason, however, relates to my earlier post about home being where the heart is. It also ties to a key principle of the Downsizing Challenge. It boils down to this: stuff doesn't matter all that much. A thing -- even a thing as significant as a house -- just isn't that important when compared to my Beautiful Bride and Brilliant Boy.

Which is not to say that downsizing the house should pass without some reflection. So, to commemorate this whopper, a few thoughts on 34 Lukes Road:

• I learned a lot in this house: how to tile a bathroom, install a toilet, hang drywall, do basic electrical and plumbing repairs, use a chainsaw, maintain a swimming pool, hang cedar shingles, build a stair rail, and run a wood stove.

• We have countless memories, but one of my fondest was when we lost power for two days in a terrific blizzard. The wood stove and oil lamps kept us cozy and functional, and Joanna cooked the most delicious meals using the fire.

• I am a world-class putterer, a trait I inherited from my grandfather, and our house was a world-class puttering mecca. I could step out the front door with no idea of what to do and find myself immediately immersed in hours and hours of entertaining little projects.

• The pool, as I have well documented here was a curse and a blessing. Nothing caused me more stress, but it sure was fun to jump in after a hot afternoon of lawn mowing or to float around with a book and a beer. I won't miss dealing with the pool, but I'll miss the fun times it provided. And I know Joanna will miss spending lazy days on the inflatable lounger!

• Here's a little tip if you live in a home that a bat could conceivably get into, own cats. Our cats are the fastest, most accurate Bat Early Warning System possible. On three different occasions, a bat got into our bedroom while we were sleeping. In all three cases, the cats alerted us to the situation far before we could join the cast of Twilight. Here was the highlight: one night we awoke to a commotion, turned on the light, and found that Bird had pinned one of the little creatures to the floor. Who ya gonna call?!?

• Waking up to a foot or more of snow is a beautiful sight, even if it means a heck of a lot of shoveling awaits.

• We had many stunning sunsets. The house was set up fairly high and our kitchen picture window looked west. I have about a hundred different photos of amazing sunsets from that spot.

• Lawns are overrated. Over the years, I systematically reduced my mowing area, eventually returning more than half of my lawn to a more 'natural' state. Three huge benefits: 1) less time mowing and less gas burned; 2) wildflower meadows are sure more interesting to look at than scraggly grass; 3) Turns out that our entire back "yard" was a wild blueberry patch. Eating wild blueberries is A LOT better than looking at scraggly grass.

• We weren't the only inhabitants. Every spring a pair of phoebes returned and built a new nest under the eaves. This was a fascinating process to watch, and it was always thrilling to see the babies' little heads poking up a few weeks later. And, for the record, my wildflower meadows provided excellent bug-hunting ground for momma bird.

• We didn't have many parties, but our huge side deck was the perfect place to host visitors. This year, we'll move Joanna and Reed's Third Annual Autumnal Equinox Benefit Barbecue to Denver, but I'll miss having it out on that deck.

• Here's my classic Maine Winter Moment: I once received a phone call from my buddy Marc while I was up on our roof shoveling off snow. Marc was watching T.V. or something equally pedestrian.

• Chase won't remember the place, but we'll remember his first four months there. Without doubt, he was the best thing about the house.

Goodbye, 34 Lukes Road. You've been good to us.

Big dump

5/27/10 Well over 300 items, trashed or donated to Goodwill

Moving really throws mass consumption and consumer culture into focus. I am absolutely astounded by how much stuff we've got -- and I've been dancing around it all for years.

Today I took a car-load of clothing, bedding, and kitchen items to Goodwill. Seven bags and two boxes.

Then, I took two full trips to the Casco Transfer Station. My Subaru was packed front to back, floor to ceiling with stuff for The Dump. Two car-loads to the dump?!? That's outrageous. And it's doubly infuriating to know that every single item was something that, at one time, someone said, "I need to pay money for that."

Today marks Day 300 of the Downsizing Challenge, so perhaps is fitting that I downsized at least that many things. (I didn't officially count, but trust me: we got rid of way more than 300 items today.) But, there's no pride in trashing more items in a single day than most of the world's inhabitants will ever own in their entire lifetime.

Sure, I can take solace in the hope that the Goodwill donations will find their way into productive use with others, but I can't put a positive spin on all the dump detritus. Just going to take up space in a landfill. Oh, what a legacy I leave.

The important question may be whether Day 300 can teach me a lesson. When I move into my next house, will items slowly accumulate, like snow piling up during a blizzard? Will a year of getting rid of stuff make me more thoughtful about what I choose to get?

Will all this downsizing lead to a little less upsizing?

The landfills can only hope.

Cutting it close

5/26/10 Lawnmower, sold on craigslist for $15; (and thrown in as a bonus: shelving, three saw horses, huge mirror, iron plant hangers, and three random metal posts)

I thought vacating our house was going to be a piece of cake. I really did. I was wrong.

Still, a little bit of karma came my way today to make things a little easier.

While we continue to scramble to get the house cleaned out and tidy, I had arranged for a last-minute craigslist sale of our old lawn mower. I told the woman who wanted to buy it that I needed to mow one final time, so we arranged to have her come by tonight. Last night was a marathon as I need to mow and weed-whack before packing the final Denver-bound items into the POD -- including the afore mentioned weed-whacker. It turns out that POD-loading deal is much harder to do without the assistance of Mr. Frank.

I managed to get the lawn done as the last rays of sunlight faded away and then donned my headlamp to slide those final POD puzzle pieces into place. It all ended shortly before midnight, and looked something like this:

Thus, after a 5:30 wake-up this morning and a long day at work in temperatures that made many teachers act as if we were in the midst of Dante's Inferno, I didn't have much left in the tank for housework this evening.

And then Tammy saved my evening.

First, she actually showed up, which is not a given with craigslisters. Next, she called to let me know that she was running late, a courtesy very rare among craigslisters. Most importantly, after loading the lawnmower into her truck, she eagerly accepted every other useful item (read: junk) that I offered her.

Three big ol' saw horses? Sure!

Giant plate-glass mirror? Love it!

Two iron plant hangers? Perfect!

Wobbly, spray-painted aluminum shelves I found beside the road? Definitely!

Some metal piping? Why not!

Please understand, Dear Readers, that I was out of options with those things. If Tammy had said no, they would all be heading to the dump tomorrow. And it would have taken several trips.

So, the house is not ready, I'm completely exhausted, and every time I try to find some vital tool or cleaning equipment, I realize it got shipped away in the POD earlier today.

But, for once, a craigslist exchange far exceeded expectations and lightened the load a little bit.

Less than forty-eight hours left until the house closing and there's so much to do. Think I could get Tammy to swing by tomorrow to lend a hand?

Home is where the heart is

5/25/10 Six piece wicker set, sold on craigslist for $75; kitchen table and chairs, given away

Tonight, we shall not sleep at home. In fact, we shall never sleep at home again. At least not at this home.

The final furniture downsize of 34 Lukes Road took the form of our kitchen table, which we gave to my friend and teaching colleague Jason, and a set of wicker furniture that I had no trouble selling in about three hours on craigslist.

With nothing left to sit or sleep on, there's little reason to stay in this house for the remaining seventy-two hours of our ownership. This little family of five has transitioned to our temporary rental until the end of the school year. Any time left in the Casco Cabin will be spent cleaning it up and preparing it for the new owners.

But, I'm cool with that.

As far as I'm concerned, wherever Joanna, Chase, Bird, and Trane are, that's my home.

Go-To Folks

5/24/10 Mattress & box spring, given away; ladder & bicycle, returned

Without my parents, I'm not so sure I could make it through the Downsizing Challenge. Between returning stuff to them that I borrowed long ago, pawning off unwanted items, and actually giving them useful stuff, it seems that they've been involved in about one out of every three downsizes.

This evening was a biggie, as we race to get completely out of this house before Friday. I hitched up the trusty ol' trailer to the trusty ol' Yoda Mobile and loaded 'em up. A bed in the trailer, a ladder on the roof, and a whole bunch of random stuff, including a bike, in the car. All of this took two hours longer than planned -- gotta get those ropes tied properly -- so I rolled into Winthrop at nine and didn't get home until eleven o'clock.

The weariness I feel is well worth it, however, as the house looks more and more ready for the sale. (Read: it looks more and more empty.)

And, if I look around Thursday and it's not empty enough, guess who I'm going to call to come get some stuff?

Free at last, Free at last, Thank God Almighty, Free at last!

5/22/10 Four hundred twenty pounds of miscellany, trashed at the dump

The Dreaded Basement has been conquered!

Take a look at this link, this link, and this link, Dear Readers. Quite a contrast, huh?

Move Manager Frank completed his mastery of the POD today, placing items into spaces that that were physically impossible. It was quite a fabulous show, actually. I even snapped a priceless photo of him taking a thirty-second break in our Adirondack chair, which was positioned on a false floor he had constructed three feet off the surface of the POD floor. We're talking engineering marvels, left and right.

Unfortunately, the engineering marvel that failed today was my iPhone, which had a glitch while syncing to the computer and subsequently lost the packing photos. Ugh.

Memories (and sore muscles) shall remain, however, and I feel thrilled with what was accomplished.

Indeed, while it seemed at times like we were packing up absolutely everything, we also generated a trailer-load of trash. Not including the dozen bags of recycling and household garbage, Frank and I offloaded four hundred twenty pounds -- according to the Casco Transfer Station scales -- of bulky waste.

While I never feel good about generating such trash, I'll admit to happy feelings as we pulled out the dump with an empty trailer and headed home to a POD that is nearly full and loaded to perfection.

And that Dreaded Basement? It's whimpering in submission as I type this.

Fast & Furious

5/22/10 Two dressers, chair, rug, lamp, two mirrors, baskets, a bunch of other stuff, and the fabled pull-out couch, given away

Nonstop downsizing today.

Aunt Karen and Uncle Ashley arrive this morning to pick up a dresser, chair, and rug. In the afternoon, Amanda drove up in her U-Haul (yeah, she always drives a U-Haul) and took her canopy bed frame, her share of the family crystal, and a bunch o' other stuff.

In between, my moving director Frank (as if that's his real name), managed to pawn off almost everything else we own on various other criagslisters who stopped by.

Most significantly, I parted ways with, arguably, the most meaningful piece of furniture I own. My hide-a-bed sofa -- the infamous Pull-Out -- has been relinquished. With all apologies to my college roomies Carl, Jeff, and Jorge, it was time to let the pull-out go.

And, amid all of the giving away, Frank continued his artistry in the POD. The way he's got that thing packed, we need more stuff. I need to stop giving stuff away...

A little dense

5/21/10 Forty roofing shingles, given away on craigslist

Today, I gave away a pile of roofing shingles that had been under my porch since we moved in. (All together, Dear Readers: "Thank you, Mr. Zipkin!") The transaction was absolutely the fastest craigslist give-away in downsizing history.

A pickup drove into the driveway. By the time I was out onto the patio, a woman was asking for the shingles, we loaded them into the truck, and she was gone within ninety seconds.

That, however, is not the important event of the day.

The important story is how our friends, Betty & Frank (as we shall call them), arrived to save the day. With the house sale a week away and the POD looming not so largely in the driveway, we needed help. It arrived just after 9AM in the form of our hardest-working and most selfless friends.

As Betty furiously packed pots and pans in the kitchen, Frank performed his master-engineer magic, playing reverse Jenga with miss-matched boxes and bins. Just take a look at that picture up there. Do you notice that there are a few barely perceptible gaps between some of the boxes? Well, before the day was out, Mr. F. had stuffed those with other items. The packing job is a work of art, I tell you.

There is some debate in the scientific community about whether Osmium or Iridium is the densest matter on earth. Both are wrong. The actual answer is the interior of my POD, after it is packed by Frank.

Oh, did I mention that they also cooked dinner, helped watch Chase, and presented us with a hand-made Yoda night-light with glowing green lightsaber?

Yeah, I'd say we have some pretty great friends.

Books Bag

5/20/10 Two dozen children's books, given away; Backpack and sleeping bag, donated to Boy Scouts

Needed quick, easy downsizes today, so naturally I headed to school.

I put out two piles of children's books during lunch and they were quickly scooped up.

Then, took Joanna's old backpack and my old sleeping bag up to our librarian, who is active with the local Boy Scout troop. (You may remember my earlier donation from last September.) Doreen gladly accepted the equipment and we both vowed to remain mum on the fact that the pack is designed for women. Those guys will never know.

I'm now home, on this Thrusday night, preparing for an action-packed weekend in which I am going to attempt to cram everything that is remaining in this house into a 16'x8'x8' PODS storage container. This is such a monumental task that I've taken a personal day tomorrow to get a jump start on it.

If we end up NOT being able to fit everything into the POD, I'll be kicking myself for not getting rid of more stuff at school today.

After all, you can never give too much of yourself to your job.

Back-up plan

5/19/10 Body pillow, given away

Good thing I had a back-up plan today.

I had a few random pieces of furniture (that's a loose label) lined up to be given away. I left them on our patio, and just told people to come and get them.

Now, I've said many times that people will take ANYTHING if you offer it for free, but that doesn't mean that the logistics of giving it away are easy. In fact, it's my theory that many people who are so desperate for free items often lead lives that are so "on the edge" that crises constantly pop up that prevent them from following through on commitments, such as coming to pick up a media center.

Social commentary aside, when I got home today, several items I had hoped would be taken (I'm at the point where I just give out my address, leave the stuff outside the front door, and say, "Come and get it.") were still sitting on our patio. Foiled again!

Fortunately, earlier in the day I handed off Joanna's old body pillow to my colleague Sara Cole, who is five months pregnant.

Anything to help the expecting ladies.

And it certainly helped me to not have to scramble for a downsize once I got home. See, those little babies can actually be very helpful.

Water & Heat

5/18/10 Tandem sea kayak and all related equipment, sold for $400; space heater, donated

The heat is on as the countdown of days to the sale of our house clicks near single digits. Time to get rid of big stuff, fast.

Two cherished (but expendable!) items left us today. First, I dropped off an electric space heater at the Oxford Hills Middle School, where it will be part of a charity yard sale to benefit the restoration of a local historic house. A Gingerbread House.

The heater served us well, providing the primary heat for our guest room, which didn't have any other heat source. Hopefully, it will sell for a few dollars in the charity yard sale and therefore benefit another fine home.

Our kayak also floated out of port tonight, as we sold it to my colleague and fine writing teacher, Alison. She and Brian came by our Moving Sale on Sunday to check out our utility trailer, but quickly got swept up in my father's sales pitch for the kayak. Good ol' Dad loves to sell.

The kayak actually belonged to my parents, but we 'borrowed' it when I moved back to Maine and never really had any intentions of returning it. In our defense, we put it to great use, and I actually have a Maine DeLorme atlas in which I've colored in every Maine lake, river, and bay that we've kayaked in over the last six summers. There aren't many bodies of water around our house that haven't been inked.

I trust Ali and Brian will put it to similar use and have a lot of fun with it.

And, make no protests, Dear Readers -- I will be passing along the money for the kayak to Dad.

But, I'm still counting the downsize for myself.

Editor's note, 5/18/10: I just realized that I also downsized two metal carts today. They were some of the many free items I've collected along the side of the road over the years and were used in the Dreaded Shed and Dreaded Basement to make easier for me to pile massive amounts of stuff I didn't need within easy reach. I had them up on craigslist and a guy came by while I wasn't here and picked them up today. I'm getting good at this: I downsize without even realizing it!

Second thoughts

5/17/10 Two wooden chaise lounge chairs, given away on craigslist

I'm in a bit of a funk tonight.

I've spent the better part of the year learning how NOT to be sentimental about pictures, and tonight I'm completely bummed out because I seem to have lost a whole bunch of them.

When we moved into this home, the previous owners left five old wooden pool recliners, which we have put to good use. Joanna never loved them, but I enjoy just about anything that is free, and they did their job. Over the intervening seven years, three rotted away to the point that I had to haul them off to the dump.

I managed to keep two of them functional, however, and wasn't surprised at all when I found several people on craigslist who would gladly take them off our hands for free.

To commemorate this downsize, I decided to pull out one of my favorite pictures: a shot of Joanna and I, in shorts and Hawaiian shirts, sitting on those chairs on December 31, 2007, surrounded by nearly 3 feet of snow. Despite the twenty-degree weather, we were raising a champagne toast to the New Year and celebrating a little Maine silliness. It was a fun photo to mark a special moment.

But I can't find the picture.

I've transitioned through a number of computers over the last few years, and have pictures saved on a variety of disks and a hard drive. But, try as I might (and I wasted over an hour looking) I couldn't find that picture. To make matters worse, I'm now recalling many other pictures that I can't seem to find. Alarmingly, there seems to be a digital gap of nearly two years, from 2005-2007.

I remain hopeful that a disk or two will turn up that has all of those pictures on it. Hey, I know they are only pictures, but there are some shots that I never wanted to downsize. Making the decision to part with photos is one thing, but accidentally deleting or losing them is a whole different matter.

Just pictures, right? Seems like a whole lot more than that, right now.

EVERYTHING MUST GO!!!

5/16/10 A whole lotta stuff, given away or sold for about $300

Observations and reflections from today's moving sale:

• Four hours is more than long enough for any yard sale, no matter how much stuff you have.

• No matter what time you say your sale will start, people will show up 45 minutes before that and just start taking stuff.

• People WILL find a house down an obscure dirt road.

• Advertising a sale on craigslist definitely works.

• There are two legitimate ways to get rid of gallons and gallons of paint, motor oil, paint thinner, antifreeze, and other random chemicals:
1) Take it to a proper recycling place where you will pay a lot of money (see this post).
2) Put it out for FREE and random people will willingly haul it off for you.
Which solution do you think I prefer?

• It's really hard to predict what people will pay money for; but it's a sure fact that they'll take almost anything if it's offered for free.

• Even though I was the guy running around making deals with people, a sale can only happen with the help of a lot of people (Thanks Jo, Mom, Dad, Katie, and Jean!).

• A sale that is all about downsizing (as opposed to making money) is a fast, furious, and fun affair.

• I'm glad that's over.

Getting more than I give

5/15/10 Poster of Kevin Henkes' Lilly, given away

My cousin Amy, a regular reader of the Downsizing Blog -- Thank you, Amy! -- invited us over this morning to have breakfast with her family. Her husband Dujuan cooked up some delicious pancakes and we enjoyed a fantastic morning with a truly gracious and enjoyable family.

Many of our most useful baby items -- the bathtub, the bouncy chair, and the Moses Basket -- came from Amy, so naturally we wanted to give her something in return as we visited. We settled on a great poster of a storybook mouse, Lilly, who is certainly one of Joanna and my favorite fictional characters. Star of Julius: The Baby of the World, Lilly's Big Day, and, most famously, Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, she is a true independent little lady, just like Amy's three daughters.

Of course, we hadn't even handed over the poster before Amy was giving us additional baby items, including a cute little red jacket and a little push wagon that helps kids learn to walk. Before I could raise any downsizing objections, Joanna had enthusiastically accepted the gifts.

If you spend any time with Amy, Dujuan, and their daughters, it quickly becomes apparent that they are exceptional parents. Indeed, I could give them a hundred posters and would still walk away with more than I came with. Their gifts aren't only the toys and gadgets of parenthood. They also provide the invaluable gift of effective parenting.

That's something I'm happy to keep collecting.

Paint the town

5/14/10 Remaining drops of latex paint, consumed

Tonight's downsize is a great example of why it's a good idea to hold onto stuff.

If that sounds oxymoronic, it is.

In a desperate attempt to get rid of a whole lot of stuff fast, we are having an impromptu MOVING SALE this Sunday. Dear Readers, if you are in the area of 34 Lukes Rd., Casco, I implore you to come by the sale. This is perhaps your finest opportunity to get into the blog. Immortality could be yours!

I decided I better put up a few signs, lest we throw a party and nobody comes. (Sounds like a flashback to my childhood, but let's not dwell on that...)

I had plenty of scrap lumber in desperate need of use, so I ventured into the Dreaded Basement to find some old paint.

And there it was: a gallon of old white paint that was sitting right there when we moved into the house seven years ago. Over the years, I had used most of it for various little projects here and there, leaving only about a quarter inch of skim on the bottom. Naturally, I saved it.

Foolish, you say? Not so fast. That little bit of paint was the precise amount I needed this evening as I made my signs. The can is ready to be recycled, I have the warm glow of not wasting a drop, and my signage is ready to summon the masses.

Bring on the buyers!

Pawned off

5/13/10 Television, sold for $10

Ever since I began the Downsizing Challenge, I've been dying to sell something at the pawn shop. I actually tried to sell them our food processor earlier in the year, but they wouldn't take it.

Today, I had an offer they couldn't refuse.

When I walked in with the T.V., the first thing the guy said was, "Ah, I don't really need another T.V."

"Oh, yes you do!" I said. "Price it cheap, sell it quick."

"What do you want for it?" he asked.

"Make me an offer," I replied, "And I bet I won't refuse it."

I had a tense moment when he plugged it in and pushed the power button. The T.V. has always worked fine, but sometimes it takes four or five pushes of the power button to kick it to life. The Pawn Gods were smiling on me, since it jumped to life with the first push.

I walked out with $10 in my pocket (five dollars more than I would have happily accepted) and the warm satisfaction of another goal accomplished.

Birthday books

5/12/10 Two books, given away

Today didn't start off well, but it sure ended on a high note.

I hardly slept last night, as I continued dealing with a night-time cough that roared to life every time I approached a prone position. My 5:15 AM alarm wasn't necessary, and I dragged myself to the bathroom feeling sick and tired. Literally.

I then made the best decision of the week, which was to call in sick to work. Joanna got up with Chase and I finally fell asleep, waking up nearly five hours later. Guess I was rather tired.

By afternoon I was feeling better, certainly well enough to travel over to Winthrop for my baby sister's surprise birthday party. Yep, little Katie is turning thirty, so naturally we needed to be in on the celebration.

The party also served another purpose since Katie's husband Jean also just got a new job, as a Budget Director at the Wildlife Conservation Society. Those of you, Dear Readers, who are from the New York area will recognize the WCS as the organization that runs all five of the major zoos in the city. Very cool.

While the job is right up Jean's alley and there are a lot of advantages to raising a family in the New York area, it does mean that Katie, Jean, and their kids will have to leave Maine and our parents.

Of course, Joanna, Chase and I are about to do the same thing, so who am I to talk?

To help grapple with the implications of trading the wilds of Maine for the urban landscape of The Big Apple, one book I downsized to Katie was The Last Child in the Woods, which had been given to me by my cousin Chad. The book, subtitled Saving our children from nature-deficit disorder, makes some interesting points about the need for children to interact with the natural world and to engage in playful explorations of both the outdoors and social situations. (As opposed to living a life of regimented soccer leagues and piano practices.)

Despite birthday parties and new jobs, Katie and Jean's lives revolve completely around their children, so I know James and Estelle will have it good wherever their family ends up. Indeed, I may be eight year's Katie's senior, but she's my role model when it comes to parenting.

Yep, spending the evening with two great parents like that would bring anyone's bad day to a pleasant conclusion.

Happy Birthday, Kate.

Congratulations, Jean.

Blazing new trails

5/11/10 Backpacking manual & other hiking related papers, recycled

Here's a downsizing tip: get rid of your bookcases.

When a bookcases goes out the door, you are immediately forced to deal with everything that was on it. Trust me, there's a lot of stuff on it.

Auntie Karen and Cousin Maryjean took two of our bookcases yesterday, leaving me with a pile of books and other assorted items. It just so happened that one of the shelves was my designated Sports and Hiking Books area.

I've culled a lot of books this year, but I remain devoted to my fine hiking collection, so I knew there wouldn't be much in the pile that I wanted to get rid of. However, I did find a number of hiking articles, old maps, and freebie booklets that were foolish to save in the first place. I also realized I still had my old college outing club manual, even though I also had a newer edition on the same shelf.

As an added bonus, I also began the process of packing up all those outdoor books I want to keep for the trek out west. Despite all the downsizing, I better keep most of those books -- I hear there's some good hiking out in Colorado.

Give your family a little credit

5/10/10 Two Star Wars photo-mosaics & two book shelves, sold, price TBD (Editor's Note, 8/8/10: I'm fuzzy on what we ended up charging for this stuff, but I think it was $40)

My Aunt Karen, Cousin Maryjean, and first cousins, once removed (look it up, I know how the whole "once-removed" thing works) Maddie and Bella came over to meet Chase and visit with Joanna today. After a trip to the local playground and a picnic, they took a few items off of our hands, with promises to return soon to get more.

While I wasn't home, Joanna said she brokered a deal where we'd decide upon a final price later.

Oh, Maryjean, that was a mistake.

Those Darth Vader and Yoda photo-mosaics? Truly treasured possessions of the highest value.

Hope you've been saving your pennies; this is going to be one heck of a bill...

Fire & Brimstone

5/9/10 Half cord of firewood, sold on craigslist for $50

As I've written on this blog many times before, the best thing about doing business on craigslist is the conversations I have with the people to whom I sell and give things. Today, I met one of the most interesting people of the downsizing year.

Because of the relatively light winter we had up here in Maine and the distractions caused by a certain Brilliant Boy, I burned less firewood this year than during any other winter since we moved to Casco. As a result, I ended the season with a fair amount left over.

With no need of the wood once we relocate to Denver, I threw it up on craigslist for sale and quickly had an appointment with a friendly fellow named Bill to get it today. Bill arrived in his white pick-up and we loaded about half of the pile. Since he lived about twenty minutes away, I told him he could feel free to come back on another day to get the rest, at his convenience.

I'd estimate that he was in his seventies, and he quickly accepted that offer, saying "I tire easily!"

Then he handed me fifty bucks and a little Bible tract, courtesy of the Fellowship Tract League. (I looked them up -- you can check them out here.) We naturally started talking about religion and the Bible -- hey, don't forget that I read the entire book of Genesis earlier this year -- and I actually enjoyed listening to him.

What I liked about Bill was that he was a bit of a renegade Born-Again Christian. He had no time for churches, pastors, or blind followers. Here was a man who was perfectly happy with his own interpretation of the Good Book, and he wasn't trying to push it on me. Just a Believer and an atheist chatting it up.

Bill's worldview is about as far from mine as they come, but that's okay. The problem in America today seems to be that those of us with opposing viewpoints can't seem to make room for each other. I liked Bill. I don't begrudge him his beliefs, nor would I ever ask him to change.

Plus, we have one very important belief in common. We both know, for absolute certain, that we won't be meeting up in Heaven. Amen.

Red Sox Nation

5/8/10 Red Sox PEZ Dispenser, given away

When I've told people that I'm moving to Denver, one question I've been asked many times is "Are you going to change your sports allegiances?"

What a ridiculous question.

Dear Readers, I lived in New Jersey & New York for thirteen years and came back a BIGGER Celtics, Patriots, and Bruins fan. Denver's certainly not going to change that.

However, no matter how strongly Boston blood flows through my veins, I'm willing to admit that my friend and fellow Literacy Coach Jenn Felt is an even prouder member of Red Sox Nation. She's also a tremendously generous member of The Nation.

When she got four tickets to today's Sox/Yanks game, she offered two to me. This is my kind of woman. I invited my Dad along -- Joanna and Mom hung out with Chase at her sister's apartment in Charlestown -- and we had a grand time of it. (Don't ask about the final score or the rain delay or my soaked jeans.) We were at Fenway; all is good.

Wanting the transaction to be equal, I accepted the tickets from Jenn and gave her a Red Sox PEZ dispenser in return.

No, it wasn't exactly a fair swap, but Jenn accepted it with a smile.

Hey, to be a Red Sox fan, you've got to be able to take setbacks with a sense of humor.

T.G.I.F.

5/7/10 Books, body cream, and a jump rope, given away

Had to go back to the well, today.

After a long week and a lot of late nights, I needed an easy downsize to recharge. Taking stuff to school is always an easy downsize.

Here's the rundown:

A Walk in the Woods, to Jane Morse

First four books in the Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency, to Tammy Ashbury

Jump rope, to Bob Austen

Sudoku book, to Li Gowell (visiting for the day to coach me)

Variety of Mary Kay products, given to a certain male faculty member who will make his wife believe it was all a spontaneous Mother's Day gift.

Another productive Friday at work.

Desk job

5/6/10 Bag of desk items, trashed; Bag of desk items, recycled

Big project tonight, but it turned out to be easier than I thought it would be. I tackled my desk, vowing to remove EVERYTHING from it.

I set out two boxes, a trash can, and a paper bag and determined that every item from the desk could go in one of the four containers.

The first box was for things I wanted to keep. The goal here was not to get them organized, but just to get all the things I wanted to hold on to in one place.

The second box was for items that I no longer wanted, but could be sold or given away. Again, anything I thought would have value to somebody went into the box. I figured I'd worry about sorting through it later.

The trash can was for... well, you've figured that out.

And the recycle bag was for those things that I, nor anyone else, had any need to keep, but could be recycled because they were paper or plastic.

In less than an hour I had the desk cleared and everything in one of the containers.

Fifteen minutes after that, I posted an ad on craigslist trying to sell the desk, itself. (If you're reading this within a few days of posting, you can probably check out the craigslist posting here.)

Yep, things are happening fast around here.

Happiest Assassin on the Block

5/5/10 The Happiest Baby on the Block book and DVD, given away

I've been told that downsizing is nearly impossible with children, but so far Joanna and I seem to be doing a pretty good job of getting rid of Chase's stuff almost as fast as it comes in. Fortunately, he hasn't started complaining.

One of the truly useful resources we discovered in the Cajun Critter's first two months was Dr. Karp's aptly-named "Happiest Baby on the Block" book and DVD. Dr. Karp's theory is that the first three months of a child's life are the child's "fourth trimester" and so the key to calming a crying baby is to simulate the womb.

First, I totally buy the Fourth Trimester argument since it dovetails with the Darwinian argument that human babies, thanks to our two evolutionary leaps of upright walking and larger brains, need to be born premature in order to exit their mother. Getting popped out into the real world a few months too early would be rough on anyone, so it makes sense that some babies take some time to adjust.

This also brings to mind my favorite Ray Bradbury story, "The Small Assassin," in which a newborn is so ticked at having to leave the womb that he sets out to kill his family. Yeah, I supposed that's a little twisted, but it made for a great story.

Anyway, Chase is clearly beyond fourth trimester stage, so we are ready to pass the learning on to others. Today, Joanna and the Brilliant Boy made a house call to one of Joanna's friends, Michelle, whose baby is due any minute. In addition to bringing cheer and encouragement, Joanna also handed off this book and DVD.

We hope Michelle will find them as helpful as we did.

After all, Chase made no assassination attempts during his early months, so that pretty much proves Dr. Karp knows what he's talking about.

Swimmingly

5/4/10 Three pool waterbags, trashed

Today likely marked another major milestone. I've worked on our swimming pool for the last time. Yes!

When we bought our house, I was completely psyched to have my own swimming pool. What kid hasn't dreamed about having a house with a pool someday? I did, and there was definitely some of that kid peeping out when we first walked onto our property.

In many ways, the pool has been great. It's a dream to float around on a hot summer day, a book in one hand and a beer in the other. Yes, six summers at the Casco Cabin gave me many afternoons like that.

But, a pool is also a lot of work, especially at the beginning and end of the season. As a dedicated do-it-yourselfer, I quickly learned how to close and open the pool (as well as how to do all the maintenance in between). Opening is always the worst, because my mind loves to imagine the million things that can go wrong over the winter: the liner ripped, the pump got plugged up, the filter developed a leak, the skimmer line cracked, and (my personal favorite) a skunk crawled under the cover, drowned, and has decomposed in the bottom of the pool.

As the final stage of our house inspection, the buyers of our house wanted to make sure the pool was in working condition. May 4th is WAY too early to open a pool in Maine, but I agreed to pull the cover back part-way and hook up the pump and filter to show that everything worked. In doing so, I discovered that three of the water bags that help hold the cover on over the winter had sprung leaks and were now worthless in their original capacity.

When other water bags ripped in the past, I, of course, held onto them. This time, I contemplated putting them back on the cover when I pulled it back over the pool, using them as a pad under the cinder blocks. My mind naturally defaulted to "keep 'em" mode, figuring that surely the new owner would have use for eighteen feet of blue plastic. Who wouldn't.

Fine. I'll haul them to the dump.

Inspection over, the pool is temporarily closed again, hopefully until ownership has shifted to others, who will assume all that responsibility of maintaining the watery monstrosity.

Of course, they also get to do the bit with the book and the beer, so no need to feel sorry for them.

Diaper dandy, part II

5/3/10 Around thirty cloth diapers and covers, sold for $213

There are many great reasons to use cloth diapers: better for the planet, reduce waste, healthier for your child, save money.

Here's one of the best reasons: when you're done you can downsize them to someone else, helping to usher others into this growing community of cloth diaper disciples.

Joanna's friend and colleague Lori visited today. In addition to giving Joanna some much-needed company and Chase some always-appreciated attention, she also bought all of the diapers that the Brilliant Boy has outgrown. She got them at a great price, we made some money, and the REUSE part of the famous Mobius triangle wins again.

I must acknowledge that almost all of our first round of cloth diapers were given to us as gifts by friends and family. While cloth diapering can save parents thousands of dollars (click here for a cool analysis), it does require an initial investment, since a dozen cloth diapers sure cost a lot more than a box of Pampers. (Trust me, you want to click on that Pampers link.)

As the beneficiaries of so many gift diapers, not only did we save a ton of money, but we also had the opportunity to try out many different styles and designs. Now, as Chase grows and we need to buy our own new cloth diapers, we can make better decisions about the "systems" that work best for him and us.

I like to think that Lori will have the same advantage now that she's got our diapers as a starter set and Joanna's knowledge and advice to get her going.

Plus, when we're ready to downsize his next set of diapers, we've got her squarely in our sights.

Saw

5/2/10 Craftsman 10" table saw, sold on craigslist for $65

When Joanna and I got married, moved to Maine, and bought our house, a reoccurring theme quickly developed.

We needed a barbecue. My folks gave us their barbecue.

We needed a lawn mower. My folks gave us their lawn mower.

We needed a power saw. My folks gave us their table saw.

The saw was a direct result of one of our early home-making projects, which was to build a set of raised beds for our garden. Joanna found a design and I agreed to make them. Naturally, rather than going out an buying a circular saw, I had my Dad truck his 300-pound table saw over here.

I used it to make the raised beds and then promptly stored it in our shed for the remaining years. Of course, eventually I did go purchase a circular saw (all on my own -- guess I'm a big boy, now), since it's far more practical than a table saw when you don't have a workshop to store the table saw in.

While my shed is no good as a workshop, it's also not so great for storage, and for six years the table saw has occupied about a quarter of the total space in there. Earlier this week, Dad gave the go-ahead for me to try to unload it on craigslist.

As I have mentioned before, my father is a world-class barterer, so I think of him every time someone DOESN'T try to negotiate the price of something I'm selling. It's actually a bit baffling. I set some random price and people contact me (if they contact me at all), and just say, "I'll take it." The truth is, most of the time if they offered me half of what I'm asking, I'd agree in a heartbeat.

With the saw, I tried to prime the bartering pump by explicitly saying in my craigslist post that the price was negotiable. C'mon, people, work with me here. I'm trying to give you a break.

Subsequently, I enthusiastically entered into my first semi-bidding war. The price went from an initial offer of $50 up to $60. Hey, it's something.

In the end, I actually ended up receiving $65, since the guy showed up in his Pontiac Vibe. Ah, no, the saw wasn't going to fit in that. Great guy that I am (and fearful of losing the sale), I offered to load the saw into my trailer and drive it down to his house. He threw in an extra $5 for the effort.

Best of all, this $65 already has a mission in life. Next Saturday, Dad and I are heading to a Red Sox/Yankees game, so we'll use the cash to bankroll our afternoon. Hey, after all he's done for me, don't you think I should share the wealth?

It should at least get us a couple of hot dogs.

Brick house

5/1/10 Dollhouse furniture & Disney figurines, given away; Bricks, sold on craigslist for $5

Only three months left to go in the Downsizing Challenge, and I kicked of the final quarter-year in pretty big fashion.

First, we mailed a box of children's goodies to Joanna's Aunt Jane. Jane visited us last week, meeting both Chase and me for the first time. She had flown up to Boston from her home in Florida, and Joanna's sister Amanda brought her to our place for the weekend.

We were still sorting through items from Joanna's childhood when Jane arrived, so she dove into the fray. In addition to helping us understand how Joanna's old Christening dress worked, she seemed to have great fun looking through the remaining dollhouse furniture and childhood knick-knacks that escaped this earlier downsize. I had fun just listening to Jane, Joanna, and Amanda laugh the evening away.

Today, we mailed off the entire box of children's stuff to Jane, who will distribute it to her granddaughters. Joanna and Amanda hesitated to give it all away, but can rest easy with the fact that these treasures are staying in the family.

I had no such misgiving with getting rid of a bunch of bricks. These were left over from our porch/patio renovation, which I think, as of Friday, is finally complete. That only took five months.

Getting rid of the bricks turned into a little mini-ordeal, itself, as the guy who first contacted me on craigslist kept canceling his appointments to come and get them. This seems to be an ongoing craigslist problem for me.

In the end, I told him to just come whenever he wanted and take them. When we returned home today, the bricks were gone and an envelope with $5 was stuck in the door.

The final three months are off to a fine start.

Editor's Note, 5/2/10: This is the danger of letting everyone else do the work -- I get my facts wrong. Turns out it wasn't a bunch of dollhouse furniture we sent to Jane. It was a collection of dolls. Even better! Like I always say, "You can have a lot of fun with dolls even if you don't have furniture. But, you can't have much fun if you've got furniture but no dolls." Actually, I think Ben Franklin originally said that.