An F250 truck weighs about 4,250 pounds. A full grown adult giraffe can weigh up to 4,250 pounds.
It’s also the weight of the household goods that we will be allowed to take to Japan. Everything else will go into non-temporary storage while we PCS.
Key:
Household Goods= everything we own, except cars
Non-temporary storage= Crates of the stuff we decide we can live without for three years, which will be stored stateside. We will open the crates in three years and sigh, wondering what we were thinking storing all this junk.
PCS= Permanent Change of Station= Where we have orders (Japan- 3 years). The word “permanent” means “permanent for a year or two or three or until we change our minds.”
Most people are normal and have no idea what their stuff weighs. I only know because it was all weighed before we crossed the country less than two years ago with our 14,000 pounds of household goods.
Great! Only 10,000 pounds to store, sell, or otherwise discard. Ugh.
I knew we would face weight restrictions, but I didn’t realize just how much we would have to leave behind. That first hour after Matt emailed me, I had a small panic attack. Then, I did what all military folk do– I sucked it up, and emailed friends who are stationed there to find out what is really going on.
They confirmed my 4,250 pounds. No furniture is going. Stay tuned for the Weems Purge-o-rama, or How to Lose 10,000 Pounds.