Is there anything that sucks more than moving? Well, probably. But moving sucks pretty hard IMHO.
One advantage I have is that I’ve known that I was going to move for a long time. My current place is on the second and third floors, and getting Ian and his wheelchair up those stairs is getting harder to do the bigger he gets. So since I’ve known the change was coming, I’ve been looking at places for a while now and finally found a place that meets the qualifications I’ve been looking for:
- A house instead of an apartment
- First floor bedroom
- First floor full bathroom
Since I’ve known the move was coming, I’ve spent the last year or so going through my storage bins consolidating and purging. I’ve gotten rid of a ton of stuff, and Good Will has made out like a bandit.
Another advantage is that I’ve overlapped this entire month in both places so that I can move at my own pace. This is so much better than the out by the 31st in by the 1st method that gives you one day to move everything and clean up the old place.
As much as moving sucks, it is also such a healthy thing. It’s always good to weed out the collection of crap that amasses when you live somewhere for a while. I find it healing, too, to look inside those boxes that only seemed to get opened when moving, the ones with the old letters and pictures from days gone by.
I know this post has nothing to do with music, but you don’t mind, do you? 😉
My questions for today are:
- What are some cool ways to pack stuff?
- What things do you refuse to throw away but only see when you move?
One last thing: I’ve added the “Categories” widget on the side. I think when you first enter the blog, all categories are displayed, and then you can filter on certain categories. It’s just an experiment. Enjoy!
Scott's Blog 
Don’t pack in boxes. Just rent a box truck and throw everything in it! I refuse to throw away my “Cosmic Wimpout” game and “Lord of the Rings” action figures with sounds from Burger King.
This is the stuff we all want to read besides the music. Moving is one of those things that is never easy no matter what you do. By the way the wizard costume would be sweet for Pearl St.
I hate moving too. Which is why I bought a house. 🙂 My suggestion about packing to move… ask Sufi. I have officially dubbed her the one and only Rubbermaid Gypsy. haha. I refuse to throw out my yearbooks, my keychain collection and my childhood stuffed animals… but they all stay stored safely in the basement.
Moving totally sucks… Hopefully I never need to do it again… My basement is full of stuff that rarely gets looked at… vinyl records, old magazines, Max Creek tapes… an yup… childhood stuffed animals…
Is there such thing as a ‘cool’ way to pack? Just get it done and hope the breakage is minimal… IMHO…
moving is a giant pain in the “you know what”, but it at least with this move you and your family will be much better off. (((family)))
geez, i’ve moved 6 times in the past 6 years (such a gypsy, i know). contractor bags have proved to be very useful.
and i’d hafta say pictures are the biggest culprit when it comes to something i refuse to throw out but really only see when i move.
well, enough outta me. pleasant moving ~vibes~ scott
i didn’t move, but i had to clear everything out of my bedroom to redo the hard wood floors and move into new furniture. i lived/slept in my living and dining room for 2 weeks while it was happening, and tons got thrown into the yard sale pile in the process. (its this weekend if anyones in the RI area) ; b
i used different size boxes, and only a few needed help from kyle to trek up/downstairs. its such a great workout, huh?!!! my arm muscles were defly more tone.
anything that had attached, a memory i like remembering, and/or i thought i would use again, stayed. everything else…goodbye w/much thanks : )
I still have dibs on those rubber gloves. 🙂
Yeah, moving’s no fun. When Amy and I moved in to the place we’re in now, we said we’d never move again! Yeah, like that’s going to happen. I agree that there’s really not a “cool” way to move, just be as efficient as possible and Get ‘R Done. For the longest time I held onto my childhood baseball card collection, but I just recently decided to get rid of them. It was hard, but I was strong. LOL
Pictures are another big category too. I’ll never thow those away.
Good luck on the move Scott!
Moveing does suck, I still will never again, move everything like I did from Maine to NY
Yeah, moving does suck! Going thru it now. Best way to pack – bubble wrap and popcorn ($12 Walmart). Halloween costume – You’d make a great Indian Chief. Costume Closet in Springfield.
Had a great time at highland. They need to serve corndogs! Keep the blog going, this is fun!
i had a bad habit of throwing everything out, now i m wishing i still had those drawings i did of my one yr old daughter now that she s 13. maybe i ll find them the next time i move! safe storage is what i m thinking about, and a good lock box so maybe i can finally write out some stuff w/out feeling the need to symbolically encode it. or maybe i ll just get braver and real-er-er : ) who knows.
You want to know the best way to pack? *Pay* someone to do it *for* you. Moving my parents downstairs from me now, and this is how we’re doing it. They’re too old, and I can’t take the time. But neither they nor I had done that before.
Almost related: don’t pack in suitcases for an extended road trip. Our family of 5 packed in big see through plastic boxes, and were able to bring just one current bag of clothing into hotels.
I HATE moving also! However like you the last time I moved I had the luxury of being at both places for a month and a half. I highly recomend this method. Things I won’t let go of but never see: concert posters,ticket stubs,in this digital age my CD’s,and a bunch of other stuff that I can’t think of because I havn’t looked in those boxes.
Have fun setting up the new house.
I moved over the summer and it does suck big time. I told my wife that the next move I will be making will be into a six foot box. We also had the luxury of being in both houses at the same time so we were not rushed. I’m a creature of habit though and having to find new and different spots for everything sucked. Now that we are settled in it is better but there are still boxes of stuff laying around. Such is life.
Thankfully I have not had to move in over 10 years, but prior to that I moved 8 times in 8 years (yikes!!!) I thought I needed a change of location when all along I just needed to get rid of my (ex)husband LOL… I still have THAT box that never really got unpacked because it is full of stuff that is not easily organized…the ticket stubs, the high school notes, the mug from a senior high event etc…That box still sits in my basement to this day…I think I will go through it this weekend and finally get rid of the box…the items need to be scrapbooked, used in our day to day life or I need to get rid of them…I think I may just take pictures of the items that I really want to remember and then get rid of them :O) hmmm..thanks for the weekend project…(you don’t want to know how I moved each time because my friends would always complain that I did not pack very well) Good luck in your new home ~ it is great to see Ian growing up into such a great young man!!
I hire folks….:) would never think of throwing out the ticket collection.X, thanx for blogging bro….
Cool ways to move….mark each box with the letter of the type of room it will go to , ie , K for kitchen , M for master, A attic , first letter of name of room occupant…when it’s been a year since you’ve moved and you still haven’t finished unpacking , that’s when this idea strikes you. ;))
Having a month to move, that is just great .
Move in the rooms furthest from the entrance first, so you have little obstacles in your way at all times.
Painting party is always cool , getting to know the house and making it feel like home before you’ve moved in.
Totes rule btw . They are useful for life . Keeps moisture out from the basement, dust and fiberglass out from the unfinished attic . And ditto on the bubble wrap for pics .
I have a couple boxes of elements from my life that bring back memories and thoughts . They are great to rediscover at the right time . Gifts from folks , receipts from trips , cards from family, keychains matchbooks and ticket stubs . And etc.
Pack things inside of other items. Also pack them in clear bags or containers. I have a lot of pictures, old clothes, and things that belonged to my Mom that I rarely look at but can’t part with
Cool way to move= Hire someone.
yeah man. I had a blast helping you move in the rain. THank god for Duda-he’s the shit.
One of my many mantras: “my home has a force field through which material possessions cannot penetrate.”
Keeps “stuff” to a minimum.
I enjoy reading your blog.
Man, how did you get to be such a good writer?
You can think of that as a rhetorical question.
Enjoy the unpacking 🙂 I always try to stay positive at the end of a move. Rediscover the “stuff” that has followed you through the years and find the perfect spot for it in your new space. I really don’t like packing and moving, but I always take pleasure in creating feng shui in a new home!