Preparing for the move aboard

[oasistoo]

 

As we approach the move aboard, I wondered how those of you who have already made the move coped with shaking off the landbased lifestyle?

 

We have lived in the same house for 25 years and when we made the decision last year to go CC/Liveaboard we started de cluttering as a prelude to selling up.

 

We are experienced boaters so we know that this is a major lifestyle change, but it this final stage where we have to pare everything down to what will go aboard that is feeling a little stressful!

 

So how did you cope/deal with the move did you find it easy or a was it a struggle.

 

We can't wait to get aboard and start crusing but it is without a doubt a major change.

[Odana]

Am suffering the same stresses after being on the same mooring, with benefit of shed etc, for over six years. How WILL it all go into/onto the boat by next week when I leave and have to be self contained for the forseeable future?!! Amazing how you expand to fit available space, isn't it?

 

When I first moved on, all the guys in the boatyard I was fitting out at came out to laugh at the amount of stuff that came out of the van. But after a few weeks of stirring it about almost all of it had somehow disappeared into the various nooks and crannies. And then I got sick of stepping over the rest wondering what to do with it, and it went to the charity shop. But there are still boxes of papers and photos in 'deep storage' under the least accessible bits of the bed/kitchen cabinets etc - I figure they make good ballast!

 

If you can't bear to get rid of those last few things, consider renting a storage unit or locker for them for a while - from under a tenner a week. Makes the downsizing less 'final'. But when you get your bill for the whole year you may decide that as you haven't seen the things in storage for a while that they're not that important after all.

 

Enjoy your new minimalist lifestyle

[thornhill]

 

As we approach the move aboard, I wondered how those of you who have already made the move coped with shaking off the landbased lifestyle?

 

We have lived in the same house for 25 years and when we made the decision last year to go CC/Liveaboard we started de cluttering as a prelude to selling up.

 

We are experienced boaters so we know that this is a major lifestyle change, but it this final stage where we have to pare everything down to what will go aboard that is feeling a little stressful!

 

So how did you cope/deal with the move did you find it easy or a was it a struggle.

 

We can't wait to get aboard and start crusing but it is without a doubt a major change.

 

we are moving on a new boat too in a few weeks time and are currently in rented accomodation whilst our new boat is being fitted out,we had moved from only a 2 bed bungalow to the rented property,and we thought we had decluttered,but we still have to ge rid of loads of clutter within the next few weeks,how are we going to do it ???? i have a game plan,i have taken photos of all the storage space on the boat,i have also taken measurements of all cupboards and nooks and crannies,and my aim is to fill cardboard boxes with what will fit into the space available,i have a set of priorities,as follows,

 

nesessaties ie food, pots pans and kitchenalia,clothes,shoes,personal papers,tools,towels bedding,towels,t,towels,

 

must haves ie hairdryer,styling brush,toiletries.tv dvd,computer,printer,small supply of craft stock.{ I AM A CRAFTER]

 

WHITE ELEPHANTS NOT TAKING !!!! THESE INCLUDE ,HOLIDAY KEEPSAKES,ORNAMENTS,BOOKS,[NOT READ FOR AT LEAST A DECADE] CHRISTMAS TREE AND ORNAMENTS,[ NOT NEEDED AS GOING TO SONS FOR CHRISTMAS DAY] HE KNOWS THIS TOO !!!,,,,,,CLOTHES NOT WORN OR LOOKED AT FOR AT LEAST THE PAST SIX MONTHS,OFF TO CHARITY SHOPS

 

FAMILY PHOTOS AND KEEPSAKES STORING AT OUR SONS HOUSE

[HE KNOWS IT TOO ]

AND MY THEORY IS THAT AFTER ALL THIS I WILL HAVE EVERYTHING TO MAKE OUR LIVES CLUTTER FREE,DUST FREE,ORGANISED[FOR THE 1ST TIME IN OUR 37 YR MARRIAGE,] BUT COMFORTABLE AND COSY,

I WILLKEEP YOU POSTED TO LET YOU KNOW IF MY PLAN OF ACTION WORKS OUT IN RELALITY !!!!

[Keeping Up]

If you can't bear to get rid of those last few things, consider renting a storage unit or locker for them for a while - from under a tenner a week. Makes the downsizing less 'final'. But when you get your bill for the whole year you may decide that as you haven't seen the things in storage for a while that they're not that important after all.

That's what friends of mine did. They rented a small storage unit for a year, and stored lots of stuff in smallish boxes. Any box that was still sealed after a year went to the charity shop, still sealed.

[Odana]

That's what friends of mine did. They rented a small storage unit for a year, and stored lots of stuff in smallish boxes. Any box that was still sealed after a year went to the charity shop, still sealed.

 

 

Still sealed? That was admirably strong-willed! I always succumb to having a 'quick check' and that spells doom for decluttering momentum .... I need someone to come round right now and stand over me sternly as I try feebly to be ruthless. Am too tight for the storage unit option - I checked. But it is a good idea. But if you have children/friends with attics, that's even better!

[Keeping Up]

Still sealed? That was admirably strong-willed! I always succumb to having a 'quick check' and that spells doom for decluttering momentum .... I need someone to come round right now and stand over me sternly as I try feebly to be ruthless.

Absolutely. For her, I was that person! By keeping them sealed she didn't know what she was giving away, she just knew that it was no use to her!

[Odana]

Absolutely. For her, I was that person! By keeping them sealed she didn't know what she was giving away, she just knew that it was no use to her!

 

Am sending you a train ticket to Birmingham right now!!! Mid-sort, even the cat is having trouble navigating the inside of the boat, and I'm considering diving overboard...

[Ally]

we moved aboard about 6 years ago. After selling what we could, giving books to friends who will always let me borrow back, doing mega tip runs, and giving stuff to charities, we still ended up storing stuff with a friend. We haven't touched it since and are about to offload it on a neice! her problem........but she wants it!

We moved into a motorhome for 8 months, during build, afterwhich the boat felt massive, roomy and full of storage! we have more than we need again.

Give your last bits away on freecycle, or to charity, then halve what you still have and do it all over again! prepare to store some with a kindly friend, then prepare to chuck that aswell in a couple of years!

You will end up feeling free-er, and not even knowing what you threw/gave away.....don't frett too much, you really won't miss it, the focus of your life is about to change!

It's brilliant!

[pete the gooner]

we are moving on a new boat too in a few weeks time and are currently in rented accomodation whilst our new boat is being fitted out,we had moved from only a 2 bed bungalow to the rented property,and we thought we had decluttered,but we still have to ge rid of loads of clutter within the next few weeks,how are we going to do it ???? i have a game plan,i have taken photos of all the storage space on the boat,i have also taken measurements of all cupboards and nooks and crannies,and my aim is to fill cardboard boxes with what will fit into the space available,i have a set of priorities,as follows,

 

nesessaties ie food, pots pans and kitchenalia,clothes,shoes,personal papers,tools,towels bedding,towels,t,towels,

 

must haves ie hairdryer,styling brush,toiletries.tv dvd,computer,printer,small supply of craft stock.{ I AM A CRAFTER]

 

WHITE ELEPHANTS NOT TAKING !!!! THESE INCLUDE ,HOLIDAY KEEPSAKES,ORNAMENTS,BOOKS,[NOT READ FOR AT LEAST A DECADE] CHRISTMAS TREE AND ORNAMENTS,[ NOT NEEDED AS GOING TO SONS FOR CHRISTMAS DAY] HE KNOWS THIS TOO !!!,,,,,,CLOTHES NOT WORN OR LOOKED AT FOR AT LEAST THE PAST SIX MONTHS,OFF TO CHARITY SHOPS

 

FAMILY PHOTOS AND KEEPSAKES STORING AT OUR SONS HOUSE

[HE KNOWS IT TOO ]

AND MY THEORY IS THAT AFTER ALL THIS I WILL HAVE EVERYTHING TO MAKE OUR LIVES CLUTTER FREE,DUST FREE,ORGANISED[FOR THE 1ST TIME IN OUR 37 YR MARRIAGE,] BUT COMFORTABLE AND COSY,

I WILLKEEP YOU POSTED TO LET YOU KNOW IF MY PLAN OF ACTION WORKS OUT IN RELALITY !!!!

Thornhill,

 

I certainly like your 'priority' procedure. My wife and I talked about this a few days ago. We both decided that NOW is the time to declutter. I never knew it would cause so many arguements lol. I know that if we don't knuckle down and do it now -- we will regret it later on.

[thornhill]

Thornhill,

 

I certainly like your 'priority' procedure. My wife and I talked about this a few days ago. We both decided that NOW is the time to declutter. I never knew it would cause so many arguements lol. I know that if we don't knuckle down and do it now -- we will regret it later on.

 

 

 

hello pete,thanks for your reply,you wont have more arguments than we did,lol ,and we still have to part with more over the next 2 weeks,but wont have anymore arguments as we have now seen the boat and know we do in fact have more storage than we first expected,we have come up with the idea of having all 3 beds with total storage underneath,this has cost extra,but well worth it,that has made a huge difference,to what we can take with us.so thats something well worth thinking about ,,it would be good to hear how your decluttering goes,so let us know ,,,it will be interesting to hear from you,kindest regards Marlene and Bill

[pete the gooner]

hello pete,thanks for your reply,you wont have more arguments than we did,lol ,and we still have to part with more over the next 2 weeks,but wont have anymore arguments as we have now seen the boat and know we do in fact have more storage than we first expected,we have come up with the idea of having all 3 beds with total storage underneath,this has cost extra,but well worth it,that has made a huge difference,to what we can take with us.so thats something well worth thinking about ,,it would be good to hear how your decluttering goes,so let us know ,,,it will be interesting to hear from you,kindest regards Marlene and Bill

 

Thanks Marlene and Bill,

Looks as though you have already gone through what we are thinking about doing.

 

What we have both agreed is that we want to move away. We have a three bedroomed house with so much stuff that it is beginning to be daunting to me as to where and how to start. How long it will take the house to sell is anyone's guess.

 

Moving into rented accomodation for a while seems the way to go.

 

What we have in mind is living in the Philippines(my wife's country) for the winter months and the remainder on the narrowboat. We do have a small place out in the Philippines. We will probably ship large box fulls of stuff out there. Just transferring stuff and then cramp up the place in the Philippines! Cannot win. We moved from London to Wales about 8 yrs ago and I thought we were ruthless then in discarding stuff but have soon accumulated it all again!

 

Back to narrowboating. It does appeal to us a lot. I don't want it just to be a 'dream' now. I am in remission from cancer and want to take advantage of a second chance in life and try to live out our dreams. Our friends cannot see that what we want to do is a good thing to do. They are all discoraging us from doing it! I would rather do it and regret it than not do it and regret not trying, if that makes sense!

 

Please keep in touch as I am sure you will be able to help us etc as we are about a year or so behind you!! Hopefully shorter-- but who knows?

 

I never knew it would be such a big problem getting a resindential mooring. I am surprised there is not government legislation covering all this.

 

regards,

 

Pete

[thornhill]

Thanks Marlene and Bill,

Looks as though you have already gone through what we are thinking about doing.

 

What we have both agreed is that we want to move away. We have a three bedroomed house with so much stuff that it is beginning to be daunting to me as to where and how to start. How long it will take the house to sell is anyone's guess.

 

Moving into rented accomodation for a while seems the way to go.

 

What we have in mind is living in the Philippines(my wife's country) for the winter months and the remainder on the narrowboat. We do have a small place out in the Philippines. We will probably ship large box fulls of stuff out there. Just transferring stuff and then cramp up the place in the Philippines! Cannot win. We moved from London to Wales about 8 yrs ago and I thought we were ruthless then in discarding stuff but have soon accumulated it all again!

 

Back to narrowboating. It does appeal to us a lot. I don't want it just to be a 'dream' now. I am in remission from cancer and want to take advantage of a second chance in life and try to live out our dreams. Our friends cannot see that what we want to do is a good thing to do. They are all discoraging us from doing it! I would rather do it and regret it than not do it and regret not trying, if that makes sense!

 

Please keep in touch as I am sure you will be able to help us etc as we are about a year or so behind you!! Hopefully shorter-- but who knows?

 

I never knew it would be such a big problem getting a resindential mooring. I am surprised there is not government legislation covering all this.

 

regards,

 

Pete

 

hello Pete,thanks for your reply,we have 2 sons,,one of them is so pleased about us buying a brand new widebeam boat,the other son thinks we have lost the plot,i know he thinks we are stupid,also a lot of other friends neighbours,ect have thought it too,but what they all donrt realise is that we will be more organised than e have ever been,Bill wont have the upkeep of a garden,we wont get traffic noise,if we get bad neighbours we can just up the anchor and move,the time we have spent on our neices boat has been absolute bliss,and at the end of the day,its no-one elses business what we do with our money and time,and how we spend both too !!!!

if people have a problem with what we do,then it must remain their problem,,,we have had a traumatic time at times during our 37 years of marriage,we have lost 5 loved ones at very young ages,in sad circumstances too,our oldest son has undergone major heart surgery at only 15 yrs of age,i am myself disabled following a car accident that broke my back in 4 places,and now suffer osteoporosis,osteo-arthiritis,and fybromyalgia,and my attitude is now,that we come into this world with nothing and you leave with nothing,so you have to get what you can out of life,you are a long time dead,and life is what you make it,it can be darn right miserable or very happy,we all choose our fate at the end of the day,and if i drown through falling off our boat,then ill be very happy,,,

dont listen to other pessamists,they are probably very envious of what your doing ,,,there is a lovely boat and a great life out there just waitng for you,so grab it while you can,Marlene and Bill,

[CJR]

Just thought we would add our tuppence worth - we are in the final stages of de-cluttering as we are, (we are told by the builders) only 2 weeks away from delivery. We de-cluttered once 5 years ago when we came over to Ireland - everything in the back of a transit. Somehow we managed to get lots of 'stuff' again when we bought a cottage here. Then we sold it a year ago and decided to go into rented until we could decide what to buy next - another cottage project or ....A BOAT! Guess what won?

 

We bought an ipod and put our whole collection of CDs onto it, we have now done 3 car boot sales and done several charity shop runs and even paid to have stuff dumped. The result being I am typing this on a table which is the only peice of furniture we have left! We have a piece of memory foam on the lounge floor to sit on plus a few deckchairs! I am happy to say that when the day arrives we will get pretty much everything into the back of our car. Now we have pretty much shed everything it makes you look at advertising in a different way does'nt it? We just don't NEED all that stuff!!

 

You are so right about your reasons for 'doing it' - life is way too short, and I too have always believed you should have no regrets and follow your heart. In the words of some guy who wrote one of those 'self-help' books: "Feel the fear, and do it anyway"

 

Best of luck to all of you.

Edited August 17, 2008 by CJR

[Ange]

Hi. This is our biggest headache at the moment. We're in a three bedroom house with 23 years worth of clutter which is soooo hard to get rid of. We have done one boot fair but found the time invested was too great for the amount of stuff we actually got rid of and money taken. We're both big readers and have a lot of books that we can't possibly get rid of. We also love board games and see our time on the boat as a great opportunity to get our board games out - but they take up so much space! We've decided to go for the storage option for some stuff - Tesco have just added a storage company to their clubcard booklet and we have quite a few clubcard vouchers so hopefully we can pay for a fair period of time this way (I'm hoping to put my shoe collection in storage - I haven't broached this with himself yet - I'm expecting a battle - he's never been able to get his head round why I need more than two or three pairs!!)

 

Good luck with your decluttering!

 

Ange

[SarahB]

I sold up and moved onto my boat last year. I also managed to fall in love and buy the boat with probably the least amount of storage possible. Be ruthless, very ruthless

 

To be honest I actually have some storage places that would fit stuff in, albeit on a lot. You suddenly realised how much stuff you have that you don't actually need. You become far better at putting things away and packing cupboards and drawers so they take more.

 

You're right about advertising - it becomes less appealing once you realise you've nowhere to put whatever it is they are trying to sell.

 

And as for shoes. I have still got my shoes but mostly I live in flip flops during the dry months, trainers if it's slightly damp out there and then boots. I've bought one pair of shoes in the last year and probably got rid of 3 or 4. It's doing wonders to my savings.

 

Good luck and enjoy. It's certainly the best thing I've ever done.

 

Sarah

[Pie Eater]

You could log on to your local freecycle website to save carting useful items to landfill.

 

Steve

[pete the gooner]

Hi Marlene and Bill,

 

Thank you so much for your very encouraging comments. Your philosophy is so right. I was so sorry to hear about all the difficulties you have had- but hey! you've followed your heart!

 

Time does go by very quickly doesn't it? I really want to enjoy life now whilst I am still relatively fit and able to. I guess 'dreams' are for the young-- they become more a possibility or probability when older!

 

One of my favourite sayings of an old dear friend of mine-- long since gone- was "if you cannot change it- then why worry about it".

 

To be honest I have spent quite a lot of time worrying about what I cannot change. Wrong decions made in the past etc. It's too late now and I cannot reverse what has happened. We were also ripped of by thousands by a cowboy builder.

 

BUT- we can affect the future now.

 

Please keep us all in touch with how you are getting on Marlene and Bill. I don't want to patronise in any way-- but it all could be very helpful and inspirational to many of us think of or in the process of venturing on to the canals.

 

I have just bought a couple of CD's from Amazon(more clutter!). One is called 'Living on the Canals' and the other- 'A guide to buying and owning a Narrowboat'. I only had them delivered this morning but have not watched them yet.

 

One thing that does inspire me is the sort of 'community feel' I pick up, even on this site, about life on the canals. That would be important to us.

 

regards,

 

Pete

[Marc Harris]

One thing that does inspire me is the sort of 'community feel' I pick up, even on this site, about life on the canals. That would be important to us.

 

The boating community is generally one of the friendliest, social and relaxed bunch of people you'll ever meet. There's always time for a chat and an exchange of stories at locks or on the towpath.

 

You'll never look back at a house again!

[thornhill]

Hi Marlene and Bill,

 

Thank you so much for your very encouraging comments. Your philosophy is so right. I was so sorry to hear about all the difficulties you have had- but hey! you've followed your heart!

 

Time does go by very quickly doesn't it? I really want to enjoy life now whilst I am still relatively fit and able to. I guess 'dreams' are for the young-- they become more a possibility or probability when older!

 

One of my favourite sayings of an old dear friend of mine-- long since gone- was "if you cannot change it- then why worry about it".

 

To be honest I have spent quite a lot of time worrying about what I cannot change. Wrong decions made in the past etc. It's too late now and I cannot reverse what has happened. We were also ripped of by thousands by a cowboy builder.

 

BUT- we can affect the future now.

 

Please keep us all in touch with how you are getting on Marlene and Bill. I don't want to patronise in any way-- but it all could be very helpful and inspirational to many of us think of or in the process of venturing on to the canals.

 

I have just bought a couple of CD's from Amazon(more clutter!). One is called 'Living on the Canals' and the other- 'A guide to buying and owning a Narrowboat'. I only had them delivered this morning but have not watched them yet.

 

One thing that does inspire me is the sort of 'community feel' I pick up, even on this site, about life on the canals. That would be important to us.

 

regards,

 

Pete

 

hello Pete,we have made many mistakes too,some big some not so big,but mistakes are a part of life,and they are a learning curve too,,so i like to think of my mistakes as valuable to the future and decisions we make later

when youre young you make an awful lot of mistakes,and still do as you grow older,but at least you look back and think our mistakes when we are older are not quite as irrational,at least some thought went into making them,,lol

throughout our time on my neices boat,we have found eberyone we met were welcoming and warm hearted people,they are so community minded people,

and that applies to boaters across the board,

we are all in the same boat so to speak ,lol pardon the pun !!!!

we are off to the boat builder [ northwich boats ] sandbach cheshire] for our final design meeting,,this is where we decide on the layout,and i get to choose my colours of flooring,blinds,walls,tiles ect ,im finding this a very exciting time,and cant wait till wednesday,,it cant come fast enough for me.

i will let you know the outcome of the meeting ,,they have been very professional at Northwich boats so far,and the finished spec of thier boats is unbelievable,,,they are truly stunning boats,i cant praise them enough,,,,Artie Chalmers is such a lovely person to deal with ,,will be in touch soon,take care Marlene and Bill.

[sueb]

Just think how wealthy we would all be if we hadn't bought all the stuff that we really don't need.

Sue

[bottle]

That is true and I am.

[Lady Muck]

Moving was a nightmare and we nearly killed each other in the process! We ebayed, freecycled (great for bulky stuff), recycled, gave stuff away and took thing to the tip.

 

I agree with everyone who suggested getting storage space until you can handle parting with your belongings We have a double wardrobe at a relatives house and things stored in the cellar of another relatives house.

 

But, to be fair, two years on, if I lost all that stuff (excepting the 7 years of accounts that the taxman insists that I keep!), I really wouldn't care. I don't miss any of the tut I had, none of it, seriously. I've also observed that you can keep almost anything you want on a boat, but you will have to compromise in other areas.

 

One suggestion I have to offer is to buy 'bonzai size' of everything. I got rid of the food processor - and bought a handblender, got rid of the rice cooker and learned to cook rice in a pan, my latest purchase is a half-sized sewing machine bought from Argos. It's brilliant and it's only 9v - so I can run it off the boat batteries if I need to if I use an adaptor.

[Smelly]

Lady Muck, who needs an electric sewing machine when there's working handle powered Singer's going on ebay for 25 quid? They're a lot prettier as well!

 

Oasis just pick up what you know you'll need, then close your eyes and shout "It's all yours" at your friends, it'll soon go! Just don't move back into a house, I did between boats and the amount of cr*p I accumulated in 3 years astounded me. The tip was a richer place when I moved back aboard as were a few associate's houses.

 

Granted I've re-acquired a lot of stuff that I initially got rid of; but you don't know what'll inspire you 6 months down the line and a new one's always more fun!

 

I know a few people will want to make a return on their hard earned stuff, but i'm not that financially oriented really (probably why i'm always asking about the cheaper option!). I made a tenner on my 32 inch 2 year old Sony telly and that was about it!

[Lady Muck]

Lady Muck, who needs an electric sewing machine when there's working handle powered Singer's going on ebay for 25 quid? They're a lot prettier as well!

 

They take far too much room up, thats why. The half sizer takes up a third of the space in my cupboard.

[Smelly]

They take far too much room up, thats why. The half sizer takes up a third of the space in my cupboard.

Fair play!