The Great Purge

Moving to the other side of the world and packing up your life into 2 checked bags under 50 pounds, a carry-on less than 24 inches, and a personal item even smaller than that... this is what can drive a girl to tears.

I am a person who likes to be prepared and in-the-know. I started a couple weeks ago with packing one suitcase full of my warm summer clothes and my super cold winter clothes. This was the biggest mistake. When I pulled out my suitcases yesterday to finish packing, I ended up turning both suitcases upside down, and throwing the clothes all over the room. Shaking and crying, I knew I had to get out of there.

No matter how prepared you try to be, there are some things that just have to happen at the last minute. 

I ran to the store (spent way more money than expected) and bought everything I could possibly need. Toothpaste, conditioner, makeup, razors, deodorant, every kind of cold/flu/sinus/allergy/diarrhea medicine available to me. Those are the things that I packed first.

I tried to only pick the clothes I've worn in the last 3 months... I wore a lot of clothes in 3 months. That tactic was not working out. Then I pulled out all of my clothes and placed them in piles. I tried to choose only 10 items from each pile and then go from there. Once again, not so easy.

Once I think I finally have it, I weigh the bags. 57 and 53 pounds. I needed help to figure out what things still needed to be taken out. Another thing I learned in this packing adventure: Space-saver bags save space, not weight. After a lot of tough (and sad decisions), taking out some of my favorite clothes, I finally got both suitcases under 50 pounds!

Sometimes we need to let go of the old in order to make room for the new.