How to Survive a Move - Part 1
At the end of the month, Joshua and I are moving into a spacious, bright, second floor apartment in a fabulous St. Louis city neighborhood. While I am thrilled to bid farewell to both my tiny 500 sq.ft. duplex-cage and my twenty-something next-door neighbor who really really loves throwing all-night dance parties, I am not as thrilled about the stress, sweat, and expense associated with the process of moving. So this time, I decided to do it differently.
Box Acquisition
A week ago, I started collecting empty paper ream boxes from our Administrative Services department and have amassed about 30 really high quality boxes (with lids!) perfect for all of those small, awkwardly sized tchotchkes. The friendly folks at my local Einstein’s also gave me their old bagel boxes that are sized just right for our larger lightweight items like clothing, linens and shoes. The best part? They were free.
Packing
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Instead of feverishly shoving everything into unmarked boxes just a few days before the move, this time Joshua and I decided to pack “a little something” every night when we get home from work. Breaking the monotony and stress into little segments make us feel like we’re accomplishing something every night. Correctly labeling boxes with numbers and assigning “destination rooms” with detailed descriptions of box contents will not only help us when we are unpacking, but assist our friends and family when they help us the day of the move.
Procuring Help
Asking for help can be about as stomach churning as the move itself. Literally no one likes moving. Knowing all of this, I decided to contact my friends about a month in advance. I have found over the years that if I can provide a date, time and game plan for the move, there are far fewer moments of miscommunication, grumpiness and disorganization. I have also found that beer and pizza help soften the blow of a move–especially really good beer and pizza...which is still far cheaper than hiring movers.
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Starting with the basics and proceeding in an orderly, reasonable manner has made this moving process much less mentally crippling than some of my past moves. While I understand this is just the beginning of a long, potentially frustrating process, and that I might feel completely different next week, I’m ready to tackle the next major issue: Saving money during the move.
