Housewarming Party “contest was made for us,” says winner

 

 

Lisa admits she is loath to throw out even the most meaningless relic accumulated over the years. It’s a trait that has caused Lisa’s husband Aaron to refer to her as a “pack rat.”

So when the WREN and BOB 99.9 FM recently held a House Warming Party contest with the main prize being two months free PODS (Portable On Demand Storage) service, Lisa told her husband, “this contest was made for us.”

For Lisa, the contest was the motivation to finally “declutter” the family’s current home in preparation for the move to a new home then under construction. 

Lisa, Aaron and their children, Dylan, 5, and Adam, 2, expected to move into their new home by September. In the meantime, they have to remove the “junk” from their current home in order to prepare it for sale.

“The problem is we encountered one obstacle after another that seemed to prevent us from starting,” said the contest winner.

“First, when we had the -30°C deep-freeze, we planned to start,” she explained. “But then the furnace stopped working, so we had to replace the entire furnace.”

When the family transferred some boxes into a basement office in order to get at the furnace, they noticed a “wet moulded mess.” They determined that the “mess” was the result of a plumbing problem, as water had leaked down the outside wall from the kitchen sink into the basement.

They were forced to remove drywall and insulation in order to rectify the water problem. Tackling the leak was helped by a $500 gift certificate from Rona that was part of the contest’s prize package.

Then came the spring thaw and a new issue, added Lisa. “We noticed a foundation problem on the other side of the basement and water was leaking by the washer/dryer.

“We had been desperately trying to ‘declutter’ by June, but with those problems  and two small children under our feet it has definitely been a challenge.”

Still, the family persevered and all the house-related problems have been repaired.

Jo-Anne Wood, the general manager of the Winnipeg Real Estate News, said Lisa’s family was chosen as the contest winner due to their plight.

“We simply felt they needed our help, because of all the problems they encountered,” she added.

“It sure seemed like a rough start,” said Lisa, “but I’m so glad we got help with this contest.”

The prize package also includes Swish products to start the cleaning process.

The PODS will be on-site until the family has finished cleaning and getting rid of their clutter.

Actually, Lisa admits being a “pack rat” may make it a little difficult to decide what has to go.

“I still have my roller skates — yes, I said roller skates, not roller blades — from 1982, as well as my high school cheerleader jacket.

“The job of cleaning out the house in time will be a challenge,” she conceded.

When the clean-up is well underway, a Salvation Army truck will be on-hand to collect any unwanted material. Lisa is encouraging her neighbours to get rid of  the clutter in their homes in order to find items to donate to the Salvation Army.

Once the clean-up challenge has been overcome and the family is in their new home, a house warming party will be hosted by BOB FM’s Beau and Tom, who will help Lisa and 20 of her friends and family celebrate with a dinner complements of Santa Lucia Pizza.