I have too much stuff!

I have come to the conclusion that I have way too much stuff. I need to simplify my life - basically because I simply can't find anything when I look for it. Oh, I eventually do find it... six months later when I'm looking for something else.

I've been in Melbourne for over 12 years now and I still have stuff in boxes. It can't be that important. In fact, I have one box that wasn't unpacked from the previous move. I'm still healing from the emotional scars from the move from Queensland, I certainly don't want to go through that again: 75 cubic metres of stuff loaded onto a truck in the middle of summer in Queensland. Drive 1700km, unload and then go straight to work.

I was almost postal.

I'm slowly organising my life back in boxes - permanent ones. I bought 50 sturdy plastic boxes from Ikea and aside from furniture, white/brown goods, kitchen stuff, clothing, books, toiletries and personal items; everything gets a box. Each box gets a lable and an inventory. I have a box called "cables" with every single cable I have; "Power" has double adapters, powerboards, lightbulbs, extension cords etc; "stationery"; "camping"; "games"; "components"; "hardware"; "gardening" etc. I also have crates for the garage for the messy stuff. In the process I am throwing out or giving away heaps of "stuff" that I really don't need.

Okay, so I probably won't get to the point where I can fit everything I own into a box trailer, however I figure that if I manage to get every single thing thing I don't use everyday into a box, then moving won't be as stressful next time and will be much, much cheaper - especially if I sell or give away the white and brown goods. I even dream of buying a 20ft container and storing these boxes in there. I mean, I don't use the stuff that often. Then when it comes time to move, well, the container is already half packed, I just fill it with furniture, kitchen stuff and books (I have a lot of books) and move the container.

A "Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit" or TEU is 39 cubic metres - that should about do it. You can buy one second hand for about AUD2000. They are cheap to move. Interstate in Australia for about AUD1500. That's about $39/cu m. My move to Melbourne cost $100/cu m. Internationally (door to door) for about AUD5000 or $128/cu m. It doesn't cost much more to move a 40ft container, however where do you put it is the ever present problem.

You know, if I could modify it with a bit of plumbing and electricity, I could probably make it livable and save on housing costs:

 

Hmmm. Maybe I should get two?