Today, the girls and I were out pretty much all day. The local home schoolers were meeting at a park and we made the trip out to see what was what. We had extra incentive as part of today's goal was for the teens to start organizing their own things, and my eldest, while technically not a teen, wanted to take part.
Now, we've been exploring where we live fairly thoroughly, but we've never gone out that way. I've discovered I *really* like having access to an LRT system. One train ride, one transfer, one helpful passenger giving us instructions on how to get to the park we needed to get to, and we were there. Thanks to the LRT and perfect connecting times to the bus, it wasn't *too* long, but it's still a bit of a trip. About 45 minutes. We left in the morning and got back just before evening.
Dh is a phone person. He loves talking on the phone. Me, I don't use the phone unless I actually need to call someone, and even then, I find things like email to be more efficient in actually connecting with people. Every morning, while my older daughter has her turn on the computer, Dh phones, and every morning, I'm wondering exactly what he was phoning *for.* He doesn't usually have a reason to phone, but he does anyways. Otherwise, if I'm online, we chat on MSN. This morning, he called twice, even though he knew we had to be ready and leave by a certain time. One of the calls was for him to debate outloud whether he should get me to pack his gym things and drop them off at his office on the way. Then he wanted me to send him some digital pics, etc. etc.
Now, if he needs me to get something done for him because he's at work and can't do it himself, fine. But why is it only one way? We all knew the girls and I would be home after him. He cracked jokes that we'd come home to find him playing Xbox and eating junk food. As we were on our way home, I called ahead to let him know we were enroute. He initially answered the phone very cheerfully and joked with me. Then I mentioned that the kids were telling me they were hungry and thirsty (not knowing how things were at the place we met, I didn't know to bring stuff and didn't have change for the vending machines). Well, his tone immediately dropped, and I knew his mood dropped with it. Right about then, the LRT went underground and I lost my cell phone signal and I wasn't able to call back.
When I got home, Dh was in bed. No food had prepared. He hadn't even gone into the fridge to find the sandwiches that were there. We did find the bowl of junk food he'd been eating while reading a book. As near as I can figure, my mentioning that we were hungry and thirsty depressed him enough to go to bed, which is how he deals with depressed feelings. So the girls and I had a light snack and I started on supper. We've been home for over 2 hours now, and he's still in bed. My eldest did try to go over and talk to him, wanting to tell him about the stuff she'd done, but soon left him to sleep.
So why is it okay for him to keep asking me to do all these things for him, no matter how inconvenient they might be, but just hinting that he do something for us - like feeding us - is asking too much?
Monday, October 24, 2005
Monday, October 17, 2005
Ok, I'm liking this!
One of the things to get used to again with apartment living is being able to hear all your neighbours all the time. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, though. Right now, as I write this, the girls and I are being treated to a live concert. On the first floor below us, there were some guys playing a guitar and singing. They have since been joined by someone playing conga drums. I've heard someone playing the congas before on another floor, but only vaguely through closed windows. Right now, they've got the windows open wide - I can't actually see them below us, so they're still inside the building - and it's been a real treat! These guys are pretty good.
You know, the more time goes by, the more I'm glad we made this move, stressful as it was to get to this point. I'm really liking it here.
You know, the more time goes by, the more I'm glad we made this move, stressful as it was to get to this point. I'm really liking it here.
Monday, October 10, 2005
Back again...
Another long time between posts, but that should be the last long break for a while. I *finally* have a computer desk, so I can actually type. Until now, the computer's been set up on boxes and bins - some of it rather precariously, I might add. Between the discomfort of using the computer as it was set up and the kids both wanting their own time on the machine, posting just wasn't happening.
Meanwhile, this desk is about the only real piece of furniture we've got, still! The family and I were going to do the rent-to-own thing to get some basic pieces. Just enough to make things a bit more comfortable, until we could save up to buy more cash-upfront. This is something we've done before about 17 years ago, when we were first starting out together, and we didn't expect any problems.
My God, how things have changed!
First of all, it's a lot more expensive than it used to be. Sure, rent-to-own cost more back when we did it last time, but it wasn't double, like it is now!!
That, however, wasn't what killed it for us. What did it was the application form. Now, this was one of those "no one turned down" deals - good credit, bad credit, everyone gets accepted. Which is what we needed, considering the ruin of our finances over the past 2 years. The form included the expected stuff - personal contact info, employment and income info, that sort of thing. Even the request for references wasn't unexpected. That at least 3 had to be family was a bit odd, but we could live with that. Then it got ridiculous.
Not only did they want the names of the references with contact information - a reasonable request - but they wanted to know what their occupations were, what their income was, who their employers were and contact info for their employers!! Excuse me??? Asking us that info, sure - we're the ones applying, after all. But to expect such detailed information about our families, too? Forget it! We'll keep sleeping on the floor, thank you very much! When the salesman came back to ask how we were doing, Dh told him (politely, I might add) just what we thought of the info they required, then tore the form up right in front of the guy. No way, no how are we going to give up our families personal information like that. Heck, I don't consider some of it any of *our* business, never mind theirs. I have no idea what the income is for *any* of my family members, nor to I want to.
So, we continue to make do. Dh and I at least have the futon mattress - the metal couch/bed frame is useless as it bent in a couple of spots in the first couple of months Dh used it. The girls have their own padded set up. During the day, the futon gets put back on the frame and we use it as a couch. We picked up a few folding chairs and that's about it. It's not the first time we've made do like this, but at least this time we know we'll be here in this apt. for about 2 years, and in our new city for even longer, so we can plan long term. The last time we went through this, we expected to be in the new city for only 6 months. We ended up being there for 2 years. Not fun!
The best thing for all this is that the car finally got reposessed. Yes, that is a good thing for us. We still don't know *why* it got reposessed. We'd made the arrangements and hadn't missed or been late for a payment since, so it was quite the surprise when Dh got a call from a sheriff. Then it gets really weird. The sheriff said he'd been looking for the car at Dh's home address and place of work. I think he had the home address correct, but the place of work was someplace none of us had ever heard of before. Then, Dh couldn't get through to the number given to him to find out why it was being reposessed, but really, we didn't care at that point. We'd told them to take the car the *last* time they threatened to reposes it, only to find out they were bluffing. Instead, Dh told the sheriff when and where he could get the car once we arrived.
When the day came, it was cleared out, the plates were off, and Dh was waiting for the sheriff to haul it away. It was probably the most peaceful rep job the guy's ever had. LOL He really didn't seem to know what to make of it. What he didn't know was that, between the inflated monthly car payments we were making, the cost of insurance, maintenance and the cost of fuel (and that's *before* the prices went freaky), loosing the car is freeing up almost $1000 a month! Since we now have rent, we really need that money. It'll go a long way to clearing up the last of our debts and getting us back on our feet. We can always get another car later on, if we need it. Until then, we have public transit, and that's good enough for us!
Meanwhile, this desk is about the only real piece of furniture we've got, still! The family and I were going to do the rent-to-own thing to get some basic pieces. Just enough to make things a bit more comfortable, until we could save up to buy more cash-upfront. This is something we've done before about 17 years ago, when we were first starting out together, and we didn't expect any problems.
My God, how things have changed!
First of all, it's a lot more expensive than it used to be. Sure, rent-to-own cost more back when we did it last time, but it wasn't double, like it is now!!
That, however, wasn't what killed it for us. What did it was the application form. Now, this was one of those "no one turned down" deals - good credit, bad credit, everyone gets accepted. Which is what we needed, considering the ruin of our finances over the past 2 years. The form included the expected stuff - personal contact info, employment and income info, that sort of thing. Even the request for references wasn't unexpected. That at least 3 had to be family was a bit odd, but we could live with that. Then it got ridiculous.
Not only did they want the names of the references with contact information - a reasonable request - but they wanted to know what their occupations were, what their income was, who their employers were and contact info for their employers!! Excuse me??? Asking us that info, sure - we're the ones applying, after all. But to expect such detailed information about our families, too? Forget it! We'll keep sleeping on the floor, thank you very much! When the salesman came back to ask how we were doing, Dh told him (politely, I might add) just what we thought of the info they required, then tore the form up right in front of the guy. No way, no how are we going to give up our families personal information like that. Heck, I don't consider some of it any of *our* business, never mind theirs. I have no idea what the income is for *any* of my family members, nor to I want to.
So, we continue to make do. Dh and I at least have the futon mattress - the metal couch/bed frame is useless as it bent in a couple of spots in the first couple of months Dh used it. The girls have their own padded set up. During the day, the futon gets put back on the frame and we use it as a couch. We picked up a few folding chairs and that's about it. It's not the first time we've made do like this, but at least this time we know we'll be here in this apt. for about 2 years, and in our new city for even longer, so we can plan long term. The last time we went through this, we expected to be in the new city for only 6 months. We ended up being there for 2 years. Not fun!
The best thing for all this is that the car finally got reposessed. Yes, that is a good thing for us. We still don't know *why* it got reposessed. We'd made the arrangements and hadn't missed or been late for a payment since, so it was quite the surprise when Dh got a call from a sheriff. Then it gets really weird. The sheriff said he'd been looking for the car at Dh's home address and place of work. I think he had the home address correct, but the place of work was someplace none of us had ever heard of before. Then, Dh couldn't get through to the number given to him to find out why it was being reposessed, but really, we didn't care at that point. We'd told them to take the car the *last* time they threatened to reposes it, only to find out they were bluffing. Instead, Dh told the sheriff when and where he could get the car once we arrived.
When the day came, it was cleared out, the plates were off, and Dh was waiting for the sheriff to haul it away. It was probably the most peaceful rep job the guy's ever had. LOL He really didn't seem to know what to make of it.
Friday, September 23, 2005
I'm Back!!
Finally! I'm online again!
Since my expected arrival in our new home was Sunday, my Dh made arrangements to have internet access ready for me on Monday. Only problem was - the modem didn't arrive. After making a few phone calls, he learned it got sent to his old address at the bachelor's apartment rather than the new apartment. When it still didn't show up, the IP arranged to send another one. Meanwhile, I got a call from the landlord's office today. They had the package that was sent to the wrong address. I wonder how long it's been sitting around before they got it? No matter.
At the moment, though, we still have no furniture, which means typing is incredibly uncomfortable right now, so I won't be making this a long post. I'll update on the trip out another time. For now, I just wanted to touch base.
Until next time, then...
Since my expected arrival in our new home was Sunday, my Dh made arrangements to have internet access ready for me on Monday. Only problem was - the modem didn't arrive. After making a few phone calls, he learned it got sent to his old address at the bachelor's apartment rather than the new apartment. When it still didn't show up, the IP arranged to send another one. Meanwhile, I got a call from the landlord's office today. They had the package that was sent to the wrong address. I wonder how long it's been sitting around before they got it? No matter.
At the moment, though, we still have no furniture, which means typing is incredibly uncomfortable right now, so I won't be making this a long post. I'll update on the trip out another time. For now, I just wanted to touch base.
Until next time, then...
Friday, September 16, 2005
one last post before we leave...
My phone is being disconnected sometime this afternoon, so I figured I'd make a quick post while I've got the chance! *L* Still, I shouldn't be gone long. Dh has arranged to have an internet connection set up on Monday, and we should arrive Sunday night. Sweet. :-D
This have been... exhasperating, frustrating, downright depressing... Ugh! The boxes I had sent came out to a mere 500 pounds - 1/2 of what I'd intended to send originally. Having moved those boxes and bins back and forth a few times, as well as the ones left behind, I figure I've easily got about 600 - 700 pounds waiting for a future date. And I'm still not done. It seems the more I get packed and sorted, the more I find! And I just don't know what to do with some of it. There are items that I want to bring along, but are oddly shaped and just won't fit in any of the boxes I've got left - at least nothing that I want to keep down to a decent weight! Then there's all the stuff I'm leaving that I still need to move out and put away, just so that I can clean the shelves they're in. It just feels so endless. I've made progress and there's really not much left to do, but it just *looks* like so much.
Well, ready or not, we're gone tomorrow. I hate to leave so much behind - it's just work for my parents - but I can't see myself getting it all done in time. Unfortunately, the kids are more hinderance than help. Getting them to help at all is hard enough, but I'm spending so much time explaining what they need to do (do I *really* need to tell them that they have to empty the drain tray before they can wash more dishes? Apparently so...), that I'm loosing time rather than gaining by having them "help." I can't really hold it against them, either. They're just as stressed by all this as I am.
Still, it's slowly getting done, and that's what's important.
Oh - gotta make some phone calls while I've still got a phone line, too. We're meeting family for brunch in the city on our way out, and we still haven't arranged where, yet!
So, the next time I post here, it'll be from out new home. Until then, take care!
This have been... exhasperating, frustrating, downright depressing... Ugh! The boxes I had sent came out to a mere 500 pounds - 1/2 of what I'd intended to send originally. Having moved those boxes and bins back and forth a few times, as well as the ones left behind, I figure I've easily got about 600 - 700 pounds waiting for a future date. And I'm still not done. It seems the more I get packed and sorted, the more I find! And I just don't know what to do with some of it. There are items that I want to bring along, but are oddly shaped and just won't fit in any of the boxes I've got left - at least nothing that I want to keep down to a decent weight! Then there's all the stuff I'm leaving that I still need to move out and put away, just so that I can clean the shelves they're in. It just feels so endless. I've made progress and there's really not much left to do, but it just *looks* like so much.
Well, ready or not, we're gone tomorrow. I hate to leave so much behind - it's just work for my parents - but I can't see myself getting it all done in time. Unfortunately, the kids are more hinderance than help. Getting them to help at all is hard enough, but I'm spending so much time explaining what they need to do (do I *really* need to tell them that they have to empty the drain tray before they can wash more dishes? Apparently so...), that I'm loosing time rather than gaining by having them "help." I can't really hold it against them, either. They're just as stressed by all this as I am.
Still, it's slowly getting done, and that's what's important.
Oh - gotta make some phone calls while I've still got a phone line, too. We're meeting family for brunch in the city on our way out, and we still haven't arranged where, yet!
So, the next time I post here, it'll be from out new home. Until then, take care!
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Down to the wire...
Well, this is it. Approximately 12 hours from the time I'm typing this, a truck will arrive to pick up our boxes. I'm still packing (at least I will be, having just stopped for a few hours nap), but there is now a most definite light at the end of the tunnel. I just had to move a few boxes to see it.
The pile of stuff being left behind is definitely growing. Some thing are temporary - I have a sewing machine that I definitely don't want to get rid up, but just don't want to pack and ship. There's a growing pile of clothes for freecycling. I never did sell off the bulk of my furniture. I hope my parents will be able to enjoy at least some of it. I am constantly catching myself finding one more thing still on a wall, still in a shelf, hiding in a corner. Amazingly, I'm still finding piles of books to pack. I knew we had a lot of books, but I hadn't realized just how spread out they all were.
And then there are the last few things that won't be packed, but will go with us in the car. The computer. The bundle of boken, shinai and jo staffs. The sword. The badminton rackets. The golf clubs (my husband will have to share his caddy with his daughter, as there's no way I can fit two in there. We've got a big trunk, but not *that* big! *L*) Then there's the 3 bikes to go on a rack on the back - one of the very last things to be set up.
It's with relief that we were finally able to adopt out our rescued kitty to a sweet older couple from the city who's current cat is 15 yrs old and may not be in this world much longer.
My biggest concern right now is weight. My budget allows for 1000 pounds, and I don't have a scale. My little bathroom scale can barely handle me or the kids, never mind boxes and storage bins of the sizes we have. I'm hoping one of my brothers can come by with a truck and the old meat scale my parents have - that thing itself weighs about 200-300 pounds. It's on wheels and I was able to get it to the door of where it's stored (in the spare house in my parents' yard... gotta love country living. *L*) but we still need a truck, something to use for a ramp (we are NOT lugging that thing down stairs, then lifting it back up into a truck!) so we can wheel it directly into the truck, then directly into our house. Once I have that, I can weigh my boxes and if I do go over 1000 pounds, I'll have to decided which ones to leave behind. Ironically, it's the smallest boxes that concern me. Those, of course, are the ones with the heaviest items. Books. My FIL thought I was nuts when I told him we had two encyclopedia sets (that's not even counting the specialized sets). Don't we have the internet? He asks. Well, yes, but sometimes things are still easier and faster to look up in a book. Still, it looks like we might not have quite as many boxes as I thought. The fact that I'm using 4 large storage bins and a few other larger boxes probably made the biggest difference there. Most of the boxes I have are relatively small, and one of those bins would need probably 5 -6 boxes to pack the same things. Especially the odds-n-sots that would take up so much space while not allowing for very many other items to be packed with them. I still can't figure out what to do with our Spirit Shield. I don't think it'll fit in even our largest boxes. I hope I'll be able to get it into the trunk with the rest.
Meanwhile, I still have one last shift of work after this! It's the last night training my replacement, too. I really feel for the store. This guy is *not* ready, and the more time I spend with him, the more I think he won't ever *be* ready. He doesn't seem to have any short term memory, but won't use the notes I gave him where what he needs to do is spelled out step by step. After leaving my binder at work for him but forgetting to tell anyone why I'd left it, I came back to discover the store manager had photo-copied the whole thing. It seems she liked my notes so much, it's now going to be *the* book for staff to use. I found that rather funny.
Well, it's past 4:30 am. Time to get some food in me, then get back to work. The girls are still sleeping. Hopefully, I can be done before they wake up - at least with the stuff the truck will be picking up.
After that, it's count down time again. A couple of days to clean. One last pay check to pick up. One last family gathering to get to. We'll be on the road on the 17th.
I won't pack up the computer for a couple days yet. Since it's going in the trunk, I can keep it set up to talk to my husband on MSN while he's at work for a bit longer. Even he commented last night that we talk more now than we did when we were together. I pointed out that when we *are* together, we hardly ever talked at all. Real conversations were getting few and far between. He agreed that we need to keep that from happening again. We'll see. It's far too easy to get complacent.
Oh, I almost forgot. Once we're there - the car is going to be repossessed! We're still not sure what happened there. We'd made the arrangements and haven't missed a single payment since. No phone calls to worn us (or threaten us). Then out of the blue, my husband gets a phone call from a sheriff (yes, we do have those in Canada, but they're not the same thing as in the US). It seems he'd beed looking for the car but couldn't find it. Well, it being in another province might have something to do with that. My husband asked him why it was being repossessed, but of course, the sheriff didn't know. He gave my husband some toll free phone numbers to call, only they weren't any use to him - he got a recording saying the numbers couldn't be reached from where he was, so I assume they're in our home province. So my husband put a stop payment on the check he just wrote to the bank that's financing our car, called the sheriff back and told him when the car would be in our new city. The guy seemed pretty taken aback by our reaction to it, and actually told us to just call him early in the week I arrive with the girls, giving us a few days, at least, to settle in. I doubt he gets a lot of people who are so co-operative about getting their cars repossessed. Quite fankly, once we're in the city, we don't care anymore. We'll have access to public transit. Plus, if the bank is going to screw around with us like this - well, we don't play those games. They can have the car. We'll take the almost $1000 a month that will be freed up once we no longer have car payments, insurance payments, maintainance costs and, of course, gas to buy - not to mention the cost of a parking space at the apartment block we'll be living in. We like the car, but cars can be easily replaced. It's not worth the hassle. The move is stress enough, thank you very much.
Well, now I've really babbled on. It's almost 5 am. Got to go! I should be able to post at least one more time before the computer is dismantled and our phone line is closed. If not, then the next time I post will be from our new home.
The pile of stuff being left behind is definitely growing. Some thing are temporary - I have a sewing machine that I definitely don't want to get rid up, but just don't want to pack and ship. There's a growing pile of clothes for freecycling. I never did sell off the bulk of my furniture. I hope my parents will be able to enjoy at least some of it. I am constantly catching myself finding one more thing still on a wall, still in a shelf, hiding in a corner. Amazingly, I'm still finding piles of books to pack. I knew we had a lot of books, but I hadn't realized just how spread out they all were.
And then there are the last few things that won't be packed, but will go with us in the car. The computer. The bundle of boken, shinai and jo staffs. The sword. The badminton rackets. The golf clubs (my husband will have to share his caddy with his daughter, as there's no way I can fit two in there. We've got a big trunk, but not *that* big! *L*) Then there's the 3 bikes to go on a rack on the back - one of the very last things to be set up.
It's with relief that we were finally able to adopt out our rescued kitty to a sweet older couple from the city who's current cat is 15 yrs old and may not be in this world much longer.
My biggest concern right now is weight. My budget allows for 1000 pounds, and I don't have a scale. My little bathroom scale can barely handle me or the kids, never mind boxes and storage bins of the sizes we have. I'm hoping one of my brothers can come by with a truck and the old meat scale my parents have - that thing itself weighs about 200-300 pounds. It's on wheels and I was able to get it to the door of where it's stored (in the spare house in my parents' yard... gotta love country living. *L*) but we still need a truck, something to use for a ramp (we are NOT lugging that thing down stairs, then lifting it back up into a truck!) so we can wheel it directly into the truck, then directly into our house. Once I have that, I can weigh my boxes and if I do go over 1000 pounds, I'll have to decided which ones to leave behind. Ironically, it's the smallest boxes that concern me. Those, of course, are the ones with the heaviest items. Books. My FIL thought I was nuts when I told him we had two encyclopedia sets (that's not even counting the specialized sets). Don't we have the internet? He asks. Well, yes, but sometimes things are still easier and faster to look up in a book. Still, it looks like we might not have quite as many boxes as I thought. The fact that I'm using 4 large storage bins and a few other larger boxes probably made the biggest difference there. Most of the boxes I have are relatively small, and one of those bins would need probably 5 -6 boxes to pack the same things. Especially the odds-n-sots that would take up so much space while not allowing for very many other items to be packed with them. I still can't figure out what to do with our Spirit Shield. I don't think it'll fit in even our largest boxes. I hope I'll be able to get it into the trunk with the rest.
Meanwhile, I still have one last shift of work after this! It's the last night training my replacement, too. I really feel for the store. This guy is *not* ready, and the more time I spend with him, the more I think he won't ever *be* ready. He doesn't seem to have any short term memory, but won't use the notes I gave him where what he needs to do is spelled out step by step. After leaving my binder at work for him but forgetting to tell anyone why I'd left it, I came back to discover the store manager had photo-copied the whole thing. It seems she liked my notes so much, it's now going to be *the* book for staff to use. I found that rather funny.
Well, it's past 4:30 am. Time to get some food in me, then get back to work. The girls are still sleeping. Hopefully, I can be done before they wake up - at least with the stuff the truck will be picking up.
After that, it's count down time again. A couple of days to clean. One last pay check to pick up. One last family gathering to get to. We'll be on the road on the 17th.
I won't pack up the computer for a couple days yet. Since it's going in the trunk, I can keep it set up to talk to my husband on MSN while he's at work for a bit longer. Even he commented last night that we talk more now than we did when we were together. I pointed out that when we *are* together, we hardly ever talked at all. Real conversations were getting few and far between. He agreed that we need to keep that from happening again. We'll see. It's far too easy to get complacent.
Oh, I almost forgot. Once we're there - the car is going to be repossessed! We're still not sure what happened there. We'd made the arrangements and haven't missed a single payment since. No phone calls to worn us (or threaten us). Then out of the blue, my husband gets a phone call from a sheriff (yes, we do have those in Canada, but they're not the same thing as in the US). It seems he'd beed looking for the car but couldn't find it. Well, it being in another province might have something to do with that. My husband asked him why it was being repossessed, but of course, the sheriff didn't know. He gave my husband some toll free phone numbers to call, only they weren't any use to him - he got a recording saying the numbers couldn't be reached from where he was, so I assume they're in our home province. So my husband put a stop payment on the check he just wrote to the bank that's financing our car, called the sheriff back and told him when the car would be in our new city. The guy seemed pretty taken aback by our reaction to it, and actually told us to just call him early in the week I arrive with the girls, giving us a few days, at least, to settle in. I doubt he gets a lot of people who are so co-operative about getting their cars repossessed. Quite fankly, once we're in the city, we don't care anymore. We'll have access to public transit. Plus, if the bank is going to screw around with us like this - well, we don't play those games. They can have the car. We'll take the almost $1000 a month that will be freed up once we no longer have car payments, insurance payments, maintainance costs and, of course, gas to buy - not to mention the cost of a parking space at the apartment block we'll be living in. We like the car, but cars can be easily replaced. It's not worth the hassle. The move is stress enough, thank you very much.
Well, now I've really babbled on. It's almost 5 am. Got to go! I should be able to post at least one more time before the computer is dismantled and our phone line is closed. If not, then the next time I post will be from our new home.
Monday, August 01, 2005
Another dud...
Well, my second day of the sale was even worse than the first. I'm just amazed by how few people came out. I guess everyone was going to the festival or the beach or something. I've decided to just keep having them every weekend. I've got to get rid of this stuff, and I've got to raise more funds for the move, so I don't have much choice.
I've never particularily enjoyed having these things. I know people who hold garage sales every weekend of every summer - the troll other garage sales to pick up new stuff to sell at their own. It's a way of making some extra pocket money for them, rather than needing to get rid of excess and un-needed items. I doubt I'd have the patience for that. I couldn't put up with the idiots that often. :-P
The majority of people who come to these are nice enough, but you just have to wonder at the gaul of some others. I've had people show up the day before, expecting me to open my doors just for them. "I came all the way from X to be here..." they whine, even though X is only a 10 minute drive away. Funny, the people who came out from Y, which was almost an hour away, wheren't complaining.
Then there's the ones who ignore my signs saying that only the stuff in a certain area are available. This house has been used by my family for quite some time to store stuff, so some of the things in the room I'm using for the sale aren't mine to sell. I've also not finished sorting through things, while others are missing pieces I'm still looking for, etc. So I basically walled off an area with shelves and stuff an tried to make it at clear at possible that the stuff behind it isn't for sale.
Now, some people are making honest mistakes. They start digging around, then notice the signs or I tell them and they get kind of embarressed, apologise and start looking elsewhere. I've got no problem with that and pretty much expected it. No, what gets me are the people who litterally fight their way through the "wall" I created to get at the stuff behind it, and when I tell them that area isn't part of the sale, they make snide little comments about how it should be, or how it's "too bad" I haven't gone through them yet.
Message to people who do this... I may be moving and need to sell things, Folks, but that doesn't give you the right to tell me what I should be selling, or the right to start going through personal stuff and get offended when I tell you to stop. If you don't like it, don't buy anything. I'll happily give nice customers a bargain, but if you're an a$$hole, I'd rather not sell anything to you at all!
I've never particularily enjoyed having these things. I know people who hold garage sales every weekend of every summer - the troll other garage sales to pick up new stuff to sell at their own. It's a way of making some extra pocket money for them, rather than needing to get rid of excess and un-needed items. I doubt I'd have the patience for that. I couldn't put up with the idiots that often. :-P
The majority of people who come to these are nice enough, but you just have to wonder at the gaul of some others. I've had people show up the day before, expecting me to open my doors just for them. "I came all the way from X to be here..." they whine, even though X is only a 10 minute drive away. Funny, the people who came out from Y, which was almost an hour away, wheren't complaining.
Then there's the ones who ignore my signs saying that only the stuff in a certain area are available. This house has been used by my family for quite some time to store stuff, so some of the things in the room I'm using for the sale aren't mine to sell. I've also not finished sorting through things, while others are missing pieces I'm still looking for, etc. So I basically walled off an area with shelves and stuff an tried to make it at clear at possible that the stuff behind it isn't for sale.
Now, some people are making honest mistakes. They start digging around, then notice the signs or I tell them and they get kind of embarressed, apologise and start looking elsewhere. I've got no problem with that and pretty much expected it. No, what gets me are the people who litterally fight their way through the "wall" I created to get at the stuff behind it, and when I tell them that area isn't part of the sale, they make snide little comments about how it should be, or how it's "too bad" I haven't gone through them yet.
Message to people who do this... I may be moving and need to sell things, Folks, but that doesn't give you the right to tell me what I should be selling, or the right to start going through personal stuff and get offended when I tell you to stop. If you don't like it, don't buy anything. I'll happily give nice customers a bargain, but if you're an a$$hole, I'd rather not sell anything to you at all!
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