Coveting at IKEA

The Kelly girls were off of school today so we all took a field trip to IKEA. It's about 30 minutes from our house so we planned it to take up a good portion of the day.

This was our first trip to IKEA. It's been around here since last year but I really didn't need anything that I couldn't get from Bed, Bath, & Beyond or on-line for that matter. I really prefer to shop on-line whenever possible. Shipping charges are usually worth it to me. I not only save on gas but I save on taking the girls shopping. With or without a stroller, it's always a hassle. PLUS, I really didn't NEED anything anyways.

BUT with our pending move and being part of the Relocation Team, I thought I had an obligation to go check the place out for ideas : ) Boy was it ever FUN! Storage heaven. I sure do love me some new storage containers. An organized junkie's heaven for sure. We only stayed about 2.5 hours but we saw most of the showroom which was what we wanted to do. They showed how you could live in less than 550 square feet! After seeing that, I can do 700 EASY! I honestly want to simply and this is going to force me to. If it wasn't for homeschooling, I could probably even par down more. But I do like book and crafts .....

So my dilemma: do I sell just about everything we have and start from scratch or try to make what we already have just work? I think I know the right answer but shopping for all NEW stuff (even if only new off of craigslist) sure would be fun : )

I already know we are not taking any of the girls bedroom sets. We need to get them lofts so they can all fit and still have a few inside toys. We might not take ours either if our dresser doesn't fit into our bedroom. Then we will need to get a bed with drawers underneath it.

Here's the most pressing issue. We already have the Pottery Barn Madison Wall System (I did sell part of it), Bookcase, and Desk with Hutch (partially pictured here in white). But I could sell it and not have to worry about storing it in the meantime and then moving it OR I could keep it and make it work. IKEA host LOTS of other options that I'd just love to get. What do you think?