The Preparation
Welcome to The Preparation!
In this blog, I will discuss the process I used to prepare for leaving America. Interesting enough, I did it all in less than a week.
Let's begin.
I've been planning the big move since August/September 2017. I wasn't sure when or how I was going to make this happen, but I wanted to be as prepared as possible. The first thing we needed to do was to downsize. I had all the girls go through their property and get rid of everything they were not using. If it couldn't fit in their suitcase and carry on, it couldn't go. It was challenging and heartbreaking knowing that your whole life would dwindle to a couple of bags. But my babies were troopers. They knew they had to make some sacrifices to make this move successful.
Next, I went through all our memorabilia (baby books, school info, etc.) and necessary documentation. When I say, 'get rid of' I meant digitizing. I spent two weekends going through and scanning pictures and essential paperwork. I end up dwindling two feet of photographs and documentation to a couple of inches. You never know how much you have accumulated until you must move.
We were living out of our suitcases. The next couple of months flew by quickly due to birthdays and holidays. We even went as far as purchasing a Christmas tree because we wanted our last Christmas in America to be memorable.
Now, this is when it got hectic. Christmas came and went. I worked Christmas and the following Tuesday and Wednesday. My brother previously mentioned that he was going to purchase my car but was waiting on a check from his 401k. On Wednesday, December 27th the money was deposited into my account. Friday, December 29th, my kids had dentist appointments. After which, I met my brother to do the title change. I rushed home to meet my other two brothers who were interested in purchasing everything in my apartment. They spent the next couple of hours moving out the furniture.
While my brothers were busy moving; I was busy trying to find cheap air flights to Malaysia. Take into consideration that I also needed to book proof of onward travel from Malaysia, which would be Thailand. Some countries require that you provide evidence of onward journey from their country; in this case, Malaysia. They want to ensure that you’re not overstaying. The flights were for January 1st.
The reason for the rush is that I knew that I had to be out of the apartment by January 3rd or spend another $1300. Initially, I was going to stay until January 3rd to give me more time to get everything in order but based on the ticket prices; it was advantageous to leave on January 1st.
After spending hours online, I finally got all the traveling and hotel stuff all situated. The next morning, Saturday, December 30th, we got up early because we had a lot to do. First, we packed up the SUV (even though my brother purchased the vehicle, he allowed me to drive it – isn’t that sweet!) with items we needed to donate and some other things that didn’t fit in the moving truck. Our first stop was at a thrift store, and then I had to go to the bank. Since Monday was a holiday and the bank only opened for half a day on Saturday, I needed to get out enough cash to hold us over in Malaysia, which happened to be $3k. We then rushed across town to return the cable box and router before they closed. We still had a vehicle full of household items, so we dropped it off at my brother's place. Luckily, they lived a few blocks from each other. Part of the original plan was to go to my mom’s, but it was getting late, and we were getting tired and hungry.
The next morning, Sunday, December 31st, we arose early again to find out the temperature had plummeted to blistering 15 degrees with the northern wind gusting to 42 mph. Let’s not forget the snow flurries. When I say it was cold; I am not exaggerating. Could you imagine stuffing last minutes items, four suitcases, and carry-ons in an already stuffed vehicle? Five minutes was the longest any of us could handle in the weather. The day before was a sunny 42 degrees. I shouldn’t be surprised considering we’re talking about Texas weather. Sunny one day and snowing the next.
Well, we got the apartment cleaned, took pictures of it, delivered everything else to my brother and headed to my mom where we said our goodbyes. Of course, a couple of the girls cried before we got there. I told them that this wasn’t actually “goodbye” but a “see you later” kind of moment. After biding mom farewell, we got a pizza and headed to a hotel close to the airport. It was pertinent due to the forecast prediction of ice on the bridge the next morning. Since our flight was at 8:00 a.m., I thought it would be in our best interest and safety to stay somewhere close.
Around 7:30 p.m. my brother, his girlfriend, and my niece showed up at the hotel. The plan was for him to come pick up the car. After they left, we went to bed. We usually bring in the new year watching the ball drop, but since we had an early flight we decided to celebrate later (which never happened.)
Let's begin.
I've been planning the big move since August/September 2017. I wasn't sure when or how I was going to make this happen, but I wanted to be as prepared as possible. The first thing we needed to do was to downsize. I had all the girls go through their property and get rid of everything they were not using. If it couldn't fit in their suitcase and carry on, it couldn't go. It was challenging and heartbreaking knowing that your whole life would dwindle to a couple of bags. But my babies were troopers. They knew they had to make some sacrifices to make this move successful.
Next, I went through all our memorabilia (baby books, school info, etc.) and necessary documentation. When I say, 'get rid of' I meant digitizing. I spent two weekends going through and scanning pictures and essential paperwork. I end up dwindling two feet of photographs and documentation to a couple of inches. You never know how much you have accumulated until you must move.
We were living out of our suitcases. The next couple of months flew by quickly due to birthdays and holidays. We even went as far as purchasing a Christmas tree because we wanted our last Christmas in America to be memorable.
Now, this is when it got hectic. Christmas came and went. I worked Christmas and the following Tuesday and Wednesday. My brother previously mentioned that he was going to purchase my car but was waiting on a check from his 401k. On Wednesday, December 27th the money was deposited into my account. Friday, December 29th, my kids had dentist appointments. After which, I met my brother to do the title change. I rushed home to meet my other two brothers who were interested in purchasing everything in my apartment. They spent the next couple of hours moving out the furniture.
While my brothers were busy moving; I was busy trying to find cheap air flights to Malaysia. Take into consideration that I also needed to book proof of onward travel from Malaysia, which would be Thailand. Some countries require that you provide evidence of onward journey from their country; in this case, Malaysia. They want to ensure that you’re not overstaying. The flights were for January 1st.
The reason for the rush is that I knew that I had to be out of the apartment by January 3rd or spend another $1300. Initially, I was going to stay until January 3rd to give me more time to get everything in order but based on the ticket prices; it was advantageous to leave on January 1st.
After spending hours online, I finally got all the traveling and hotel stuff all situated. The next morning, Saturday, December 30th, we got up early because we had a lot to do. First, we packed up the SUV (even though my brother purchased the vehicle, he allowed me to drive it – isn’t that sweet!) with items we needed to donate and some other things that didn’t fit in the moving truck. Our first stop was at a thrift store, and then I had to go to the bank. Since Monday was a holiday and the bank only opened for half a day on Saturday, I needed to get out enough cash to hold us over in Malaysia, which happened to be $3k. We then rushed across town to return the cable box and router before they closed. We still had a vehicle full of household items, so we dropped it off at my brother's place. Luckily, they lived a few blocks from each other. Part of the original plan was to go to my mom’s, but it was getting late, and we were getting tired and hungry.
The next morning, Sunday, December 31st, we arose early again to find out the temperature had plummeted to blistering 15 degrees with the northern wind gusting to 42 mph. Let’s not forget the snow flurries. When I say it was cold; I am not exaggerating. Could you imagine stuffing last minutes items, four suitcases, and carry-ons in an already stuffed vehicle? Five minutes was the longest any of us could handle in the weather. The day before was a sunny 42 degrees. I shouldn’t be surprised considering we’re talking about Texas weather. Sunny one day and snowing the next.
Well, we got the apartment cleaned, took pictures of it, delivered everything else to my brother and headed to my mom where we said our goodbyes. Of course, a couple of the girls cried before we got there. I told them that this wasn’t actually “goodbye” but a “see you later” kind of moment. After biding mom farewell, we got a pizza and headed to a hotel close to the airport. It was pertinent due to the forecast prediction of ice on the bridge the next morning. Since our flight was at 8:00 a.m., I thought it would be in our best interest and safety to stay somewhere close.
Around 7:30 p.m. my brother, his girlfriend, and my niece showed up at the hotel. The plan was for him to come pick up the car. After they left, we went to bed. We usually bring in the new year watching the ball drop, but since we had an early flight we decided to celebrate later (which never happened.)
The ability to pull this off in such a short time is a testament that if I can organize such a feat in such a short time, anyone can. It only takes a lot of dedication, planning, organization, cooperation, family, and money.
In case anyone was wondering how much money did I have for this adventure...the answer is, I managed to save $3k. The money from the sale of my SUV went toward the air flights and hotels, approximately $3k. I'm still waiting for payment on the furniture, and my brother owes $1k from the sale of my car.
I'm sure someone is wondering 'how are you going to survive on $3k with three kids?'...simple, from revenue from my online businesses, Dekism Digital, and CS Dezines Digital Art. It is also important to downsize our lifestyle and live on less. Although this source of income is modest, to say the least, it is possible to live in Malaysia for less than $1k per month, even with kids. It will take a tremendous amount of self-restraint and budgeting. I'm hoping to find a furnished apartment for around $400-500 per month and use the rest for food. We'll see how that works out.
In case anyone was wondering how much money did I have for this adventure...the answer is, I managed to save $3k. The money from the sale of my SUV went toward the air flights and hotels, approximately $3k. I'm still waiting for payment on the furniture, and my brother owes $1k from the sale of my car.
I'm sure someone is wondering 'how are you going to survive on $3k with three kids?'...simple, from revenue from my online businesses, Dekism Digital, and CS Dezines Digital Art. It is also important to downsize our lifestyle and live on less. Although this source of income is modest, to say the least, it is possible to live in Malaysia for less than $1k per month, even with kids. It will take a tremendous amount of self-restraint and budgeting. I'm hoping to find a furnished apartment for around $400-500 per month and use the rest for food. We'll see how that works out.
Stay tuned for the next chapter “The Trip." Don't forget to visit "Resources" from the Home page for more information.
Until next time. Enjoy life.
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