I left off last time having enjoyed an awesome visit at Country Oaks and told you fun time was over and we had work in front of us. The drive from the Mays Landing area to my brother-in-law’s property took about an hour and was an uneventful ride on familiar territory.

As a point of reference to newer readers and reminder for long-timers, when we sold our home back in the summer of 2014, we kept some of the contents of our house. The post Our Stuff’s New Home! will tell you about our solution to the “what to with our stuff” question that many ask. You may also be asking “What did you keep?” A brief overview of the items we kept includes our bedroom set, one living room set, my treasured dining room set, a bunch of Bill’s tools, personal items in totes (which have pictures, personal moments (both for Bill and I and each of my kids), Bill’s motorcycle, and so on. It made sense for us to keep what we did because my brother-in-law allowed us to keep the container on his property rent-free. The initial cost of the container (delivered and set-up) was a modest $2,800, which was less than the cost of one room of furniture we kept. Considering we’ve had it stored there for 6 years, the average per month was under $40 per month, a bargain.

I know there is a lot of debate in the full-time RV’ing community about whether or not to keep stuff in storage. Having been full-timers for 6 years this month, it may be time for me to revisit the topic. Even after dealing with all what this post is about, I am still glad we have some of our stuff. It was kept with the intent of being used once again for our Plan B or Exit Strategy (aka when we decide to settle back down in a house.) That or for when our kids wanted some of it.

In the weeks leading up to this, I had been in touch with a broker, Chris Kyle with Nationwide Transport Services. After having received multiple quotes, we choose Chris because he provided the best quote and had the added benefit of being the most “likable”. I understand that being likable isn’t a necessity, but I believe it is a bonus to work with someone who has a good personality and also seems the most sincere. When I spoke to him initially, I just felt like he asked the correct questions and best understood my concerns, which were numerous. Most of the time when these type containers are moved, they are empty. Ours would be full of treasured items, which complicated the move. Several of the places I contacted wouldn’t even send me a quote on a loaded trailer.

It was brutally hot the week this move took place. What may not be readily apparent is that the items in the container were just placed there, not packed for moving. Bill and our son had to unpack most of the items in the container and repack them with moving in mind, otherwise when it was loaded onto the truck, everything would shift and possibly break. Clearly that would be bad thing.

We did manage to squeeze in a couple of friend visits also. We mostly stayed outside, where the evening breezes kept us cool after the VERY hot daytime temps.

Before we move on to the main event, I also wanted to mention that we actually decided to make use of a few items that have been in storage this whole time. We have been in need of a new couch for quite a while, since the beginning of the year. We’ve looked on/off trying to find the right one, but with no success. We kept one of our living room sets, which was a sofa with 2 recliners and a matching loveseat, also with 2 recliners. Well, we loved that set and measured to see if we might use the sofa or loveseat. We weren’t really worried about getting it in the door since they are LazyBoy and the backs come off. Once Bill measured and determined the sofa would fit, he and Billy took a multitool to it the old one to get it out the door. He cut the cushions off to use to protect some items during the move. It was a bit of a project, including having to remove the little table ledges that were on each side of the old couch, but we LOVE the result! We can even use the recliners if we want to move it out a few inches from the back wall. Perfect!

Next, Bill came across the second set of chairs that came with our RV. They are fold-up type and were “extra’s” that we decided we didn’t have room for. The chairs we have been using aren’t very well made, and one in particular was coming apart. Now that we have the other ones, I am so happy! The old ones were tossed. Also, our son wanted to take one of the beds, so the day I drove him back to Lancaster, he and Bill loaded the queen boxspring and mattress onto the bed of the truck and away we went! It was not easy Billy and I bringing them up 2 extra long staircases, but he is so happy with his new-to-him bed!

Finally the day of the move came. Mike arrived right on time and we were ready for him. He expertly backed the truck all the way up to the container and began the process of loading it onto the truck.

Once the container had left the property, Bill and I rolled out also and headed to Ephrata Elks for the night. We wanted to be halfway to Somerset so we wouldn’t have to leave at 5am like the driver of the truck. We enjoyed dinner with Billy – grabbing take-out from our fav authentic Jamaican restaurant, Caribbean Wave.

We were up fairly early, as we needed to meet the truck around noon and we had about 3 1/2 hours ride in front of us. Thankfully the ride was uneventful. About halfway there, I called the driver to see how his day was going and I learned that he was about 30 miles in front of us, so we talked about his stopping at a rest area or truck stop to let us catch up and go by. We wanted to arrive and get parked so we could meet him to show him exactly where the container was going.

As you can see in the above pics, our container arrived safe and sound with no obvious damage. Bill plans to add a solar panel or two, some batteries, and an inverter to power lights and probably a dehumidifier before we head south for the winter.

Previous Post: NJ – Socially Distant

Looking Ahead: Back in SW PA, Six Years on the Road, and later (in September) – BIG Upgrades to Our Home on Wheels!

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