After two weeks without a car, our upstairs neighbor stopped by on Thursday to ask if he could get anything for us and we asked if he could possibly take us to the airport before 1:00 on Friday so we could pick up our rental car. No problem, he said, and told us to text him when we were ready to go. We sent a text at 12:45 on Friday that we were ready and he replied he’d be down in a moment, but then didn’t show up until 1:30! When we finally got to the airport the wait to get to the rental desk was over two hours long, but because I was checked in with Budget once I got to the agent everything went quickly and smoothly, and a car was waiting for us, a Hyundai Kona (compact SUV), a better grade of car than what we had reserved. Although we were completely exhausted by the time we finally left the airport, we somehow got all our errands finished and were home at 5:30. We finished up our yard sale tasks, made our signs, and then collapsed for the night.
Saturday morning . . .
We had thankfully almost completely set up our yard sale by the end of Thursday, with everything cleaned, sorted, tagged and priced, so the last chores on Friday wouldn’t be overwhelming. Saturday’s sale turned out to be an amazing success, far beyond anything we imagined. We started at 9:00 a.m. and by 2:10 in the afternoon we had only 14 items left (priced at a total of $39), and when the last four people came on Sunday to pick up their things they bought 13 of those leftover items! We ended up cancelling the sale on Sunday, and took the $595 we earned to the bank on Monday. Everyone we met on Saturday was incredibly friendly, we never had to quibble about prices or haggle, and we “talked story” with everyone, one of the things we have enjoyed most about living in Hawai’i.
. . . and Saturday evening.
We sent two more packages to Massachusetts yesterday, filled with winter clothes, boots, and wooden hangers as well as some odd pieces for kitchen organization that we didn’t want to have to buy again in Tennessee. The one item leftover from the yard sale (a lamp) will go to the thrift store tomorrow.
The apartment is almost completely cleaned and ready for turnover. The weather was rainy and overcast most of last week (and still is mainly), so during one nice stretch Brett cleaned the exterior of all the windows and the screens while I cleaned the interiors. Since we were pretty much stuck indoors, whenever Brett wasn’t reading he had the vacuum cleaner out and was cleaning something or another while I worked on getting the yard sale organized. I was able to get the refrigerator and all of the kitchen cabinets, drawers, and pantry shelves cleaned as I organized for the sale.
Meals have been . . . interesting. We picked up several quick microwave meals on Friday at Target, a package of Asian chicken wrap sandwiches at Costco, and takeout from Panda Express for that evening’s meal along with a luxurious piece of haupia (coconut) cake from a local patisserie for Brett’s birthday. We went back to the deli yesterday and got a couple of big (delicious) sandwiches so I think we’re set for the rest of this week. We’ll pick up a few more things on our way up to the condo on Sunday but we’re mostly set now for food until we leave. Desserts until we depart Kaua’i are some very yummy carrot cupcakes from Costco and some very yummy vegan ice cream we found at Target.
We now spend most of our free time on our inflatable mattress reading because there’s no place else for us to sit and really nothing much else for us to do, although weather permitting we’re going to go up to Kukuiolono Park and walking the Pavilion loop a few times in the afternoons. I’m getting a manicure and pedicure later this afternoon and am looking forward to that – it’s been too long – and Brett’s getting his last hair cut on Wednesday from his favorite barber. We’ll deep clean the bathroom on Saturday, and otherwise will just have the floors left to mop.
It’s honestly kind of boring, but in a good way.
The Occasional Nomads 
Wow! Great that you sold all but one item at your sale! Sounds like you are down to the wire with everything in good shape for your move-out. Good work!
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It was amazing! We have had several yard sales but have never sold everything. We priced everything low this time, so maybe that’s what did the trick. But this time several people bought $50 worth of stuff at a time.
Pretty much all we have left in the house are food and our clothes.
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You two are so organized. It’s a beautiful thing. 😊 Looks like everything is falling into place and what a tidy sum you were able to pocket from the sale. Woo hoo!
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Time has really been on our side this time. Although it’s not been easy going without furniture for so long, it did make a difference getting things out of the apartment sooner rather than later. Plus, I’d like to think that none of the stuff we got rid of this time was “junk” – most everything was something purchased within the past couple of years. And, we priced everything low to make it more attractive.
The amount we made shocked us. We honestly didn’t have that much to sell but enough to make it interesting, and I think we marketed everything well to make it look attractive (true story: I put a couple of dirty kitchen towels on the laundry rack we were selling, and one in the basket we used for a hamper to market the items. A lady asked if she could buy the towels! We gave them to her because we were going to be tossing them when we left).
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This amazes me! I’ve never moved or helped anyone move without HUGE crises, drama, panic, anger, tears. I’m sure it’s not easy but admire this and you very much!
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We have always had drama in one form or another with every move, but not this one. Oh well – there’s still time for something to go wrong LOL. The most drama we’ve had has been courtesy of our upstairs neighbor – he really is a jerk.
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I hope your landlord appreciates all your hard work.
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Our landlord trusts us enough that he’ll get the keys from us in the morning and the new tenant will move in that afternoon. We’re not going to disappoint him.
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I am seriously impressed with your organization. Kudos to you for selling everything in the yard sale. I think being ‘boring’ is a wonderful goal and a result of all of your hard work thus far. I can’t believe your upstairs neighbor. What a jerk!
And happy belated birthday to Brett!
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We seemed to have planned our departure well this time – no scrambling to get everything done, but a slow march to getting moved out and getting everything cleaned and ready for the next tenant (big difference is not having kids to herd as well).
And yes, our upstairs neighbor is a jerk. He won’t be missed.
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Since I have seen your place full of furniture and memories from all over the world, the photo of the bare living room made your adventure all that more real to me.
As others have said, you two are organized and focused like few people I know. From Betty and me, best wishes for a spectacular few years full of adventure that lie ahead. We are so happy we had the chance to meet you and Brett on Kauai.
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We may meet again, Bob! One of two options we’ve decided on following our stay in Nashville is a road trip around the U.S. and we’d definitely be coming to Arizona!
We realized this morning that the big difference this time is that we’re not having to also corral and motivate any children – it’s just Brett and me. The last time that happened was nearly 50 years ago! What a difference, and so much easier to organize.
We’ll miss this place – it’s been absolutely perfect (other than a noisy neighbor upstairs).
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I wish I was half as organized as you and Brett are! It’s amazing you were able to sell (almost) everything. Wow! I hope the weather cooperated and you were able to go for your walks for the last time. Looking forward to your posts from Princeville.
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We still can’t get over that we sold EVERYTHING except for one lamp. Everything was clean, nice, and priced low and people are really into yard sales here . . . apparently that was the winning combination this time.
We’re almost ready to head out the door tomorrow. Just a few small things to do today and we’ll pack the car tonight. We’re looking forward as well to the change of scenery for our last days on the island.
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Congratulations on your amazing yard sale! Your hard work and planning really paid off. And here’s to your reasonable landlord, so much better than the last one! Happy memories, and on to making new ones.
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We were out before 9:00 this morning, and it still feels a bit strange (and sad) not to go “home.” Such a different experience than the last time when we couldn’t wait to leave.
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