I recommend against moving. Live the life of a mussel or sponge. Once you settle down just stay there; the alternative can be a trying experience.<\/p>\n
My wife and I are not the moving type. Our first apartment consisted of one bedroom (her old bed and bureau went in there), a combination dining\/living room, and a kitchen. The kitchen came furnished. We purchased a dining room set, bentwood rocking chair and a couch for the living area. That was it. Neither of us had many personal possessions other than our cars and clothes. Our collection of books was a one-shelf deal.<\/p>\n
Apartment living lasted for one year. We decided to move after only one month because that is how long it took for my wife to become pregnant. The move to our second home, a nice new mid-70\u2019s raised ranch, involved only slightly more work. We contacted the movers and they promptly relocated us in a matter of a couple of hours. How much stuff can you accumulate in one year?<\/p>\n
We raised three children in the new home. All of our children eventually grew up and left us. We became grandparents. We spent a total of 33 years in our \u2018new\u2019 home. The neighborhood aged and some nearby homes (not on our street) were either abandoned or not kept up. It looked like the time for another move. After several starts and stops and many arguments over a period of about nine months we finally purchased our dream house, our final home. It was time to pack everything up and move it ourselves. The plan was to leave only the furniture for the movers. What does it take to pack 33 years of hobbies, toys, clothes, files, books, collections (78 rpm records, guns, cameras, computers, irons, radios, etc.), and tools? Exactly four weeks. We completed the move one day before the closing. What did we do during those four weeks?<\/p>\n
\u2022 Five trips to the town dump (one over the limit\u2026a bill will come in the mail).
\n\u2022 Four trips to Symposium Book Store for free boxes.
\n\u2022 Four massive trash heaps left on the curb every Wednesday for the town trash collection. The sanitation worker said it was OK so long as I didn\u2019t try to help him (I got in the way).
\n\u2022 Six trips to the library used book donation bin.
\n\u2022 One 3-family yard sale that netted us slightly under $100.00 and four hours of quality time with our neighbors.
\n\u2022 Two visits to the Salvation Army with a loaded pickup truck of donations.
\n\u2022 Two Craig\u2019s List curb alert notices that disposed of about 250 lbs of old electronics.
\n\u2022 Twenty two (that\u2019s an estimate) trips in the fully loaded 2007 Honda pickup truck to the new home located 30 minutes away.
\n\u2022 Two trips to the police department, one to dispose of a deactivated shotgun and one to report the theft of all our patio furniture, ladder, and ham radio antenna from the front yard the day before the big move.
\n\u2022 One family armada day when all three children and their spouses & friends helped clean out almost everything that was left.<\/p>\n
We are now in the \u201cWhere is it?\u201d stage of our move. I predict that all those boxes will be unpacked and new storage created in about six months (don\u2019t tell my wife\u2026her schedule is a bit more aggressive).<\/p>\n
The next time we move one of us will leave in company of the undertaker and the other with a loving child who will take him\/her in. Now I know why our precious neighbors thought we were crazy to move. We will have them over just as soon as the cardboard boxes are all gone or right after Thanksgiving, whichever comes first.<\/p>\n