The Art and Science of Moving
The fact of the matter is that I am moving for the third time in four years. It's a process that is annoying and overwhelming. I thought that after I graduated college and moved into my boyfriend's place that would be it. No more moving. No more shuffling.
I whittled all my belongings down to 170 square feet from 2300 square feet in 2013. I threw a lot of items out, mercilessly. Kitchen items that were functional and storage units that could hold plenty of stuff. Knowing that I had little space to work with and lacked funding to rebuild a materialistic empire, I only purchased yarn, books, and art supplies in the past few years.
I try to keep a tight lid on spending despite the fact that I would like to buy one of every item from my part-time job at a craft store and I check more books out of the library than I buy. Which does not count for much since I can check two or three books out and buy the book I must have from Barnes and Noble the same week. But don't worry about me, dear reader, I have been strict with myself and keeping track of my book hoarding on Goodreads. You can follow me there if you wish. I also run an online book club on Facebook called Bookmarked. I'm happy if I can read one book per week, my mom can eat about two to three per week.
I should have moving down to so much of a science that it looks like art. My Virgo-ness dislikes clutter and dust. It seems that there is plenty of both between the houses. I can tell when I have not been in one particular house for a long time. My expectations are...
but reality is....
I catch myself sounding like my dad, "The trash can is only five steps away..." or "it only takes five extra seconds to put that back". OCD at it's finest.
But hey, let me give you a few tips on moving.
I whittled all my belongings down to 170 square feet from 2300 square feet in 2013. I threw a lot of items out, mercilessly. Kitchen items that were functional and storage units that could hold plenty of stuff. Knowing that I had little space to work with and lacked funding to rebuild a materialistic empire, I only purchased yarn, books, and art supplies in the past few years.
I try to keep a tight lid on spending despite the fact that I would like to buy one of every item from my part-time job at a craft store and I check more books out of the library than I buy. Which does not count for much since I can check two or three books out and buy the book I must have from Barnes and Noble the same week. But don't worry about me, dear reader, I have been strict with myself and keeping track of my book hoarding on Goodreads. You can follow me there if you wish. I also run an online book club on Facebook called Bookmarked. I'm happy if I can read one book per week, my mom can eat about two to three per week.
I should have moving down to so much of a science that it looks like art. My Virgo-ness dislikes clutter and dust. It seems that there is plenty of both between the houses. I can tell when I have not been in one particular house for a long time. My expectations are...
but reality is....
I catch myself sounding like my dad, "The trash can is only five steps away..." or "it only takes five extra seconds to put that back". OCD at it's finest.
But hey, let me give you a few tips on moving.
- Those re-usable dollar bags at A.C. Moore are your best friend. I find that they are also the perfect size for laundry. One bag in every room in which you take off clothes.
- Pack by room. It's a no-brainer but I have helped people move the day that they are supposed to be out of their place and they haven't packed at all.
- Don't wait until the last minute. If you can box things up, do it. If you are allowed to store your stuff in the new place, do it.
- Don't delay unpacking. I know people who are still unpacking three years after they have moved. Guess what? Take that box and donate it to a clothes closet or a mission. You honestly don't need it or remember what's in the box at this point either.
- Carry trash bags and clean your old place as you go. That way you won't have to come back the day of the walk through and clean stuff at the last minute.
I should get back to bagging up what is the local library at the old house. Maybe I'll even paint the old lockers we pulled out of the NAVY shipyard over twenty years ago. Steel grey gets to be a bit boring. Nah...
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