A cross-country move is bound to create a laundry list of fears. I have them, spectrum A to Z style. And even though I’ve done this move before, almost to a tee, the same fear gets me every time. Will all of my precious-to-me cargo arrive safely to my new home?
I can tell you with fair certainty that it probably will. And I can tell you with complete certainty that the three-hundred pound man with a goatee and two-size too small muscle tee that’s moving my stuff won’t want anything to do with my favorite orange work dress, uber faded LBD, and brand new yellow jeans. But! The fear remains. And it will be there, annoying me softly, until every last container is unloaded and unpacked.
So thirteen moves. This will be my thirteenth move since my mom dropped me off at college 10-1/2 years ago. And yeah that’s too many moves to be having this same darn fear. But I’ve become a pretty solid packer/mover in all other aspects along the way, so that’s got to count for something, right?
Like contractor bags are a must. Don’t pack your clothes in garment boxes, stick to contractor bags. They’re tough (tuff), cheap, and hold more than you could ever imagine. Tie the tops carefully and you can probably use them again for a hefty chore at some point down the road.
Storage totes. I used storage totes when I moved back from Dallas and it was a total game-changer. No worries about too-heavy boxes with no handles. No trash when you arrive. Just storage for the stuff that isn’t meant to be unpacked when you get there. Who knows, they may even come in handy for your 14th move.
Pizza. Eat crappy pizza while you’re packing. Don’t dirty every dish in your kitchen, eat pizza and pack your dishes instead.
Oh and music. Music is key. Listen to songs that remind you of the time you spent in your current space (maybe on repeat). I promise you that there will be a time when you miss these moments more than you could ever imagine. These songs will forever give you a solid dose of nostalgia about the last nights you spent in your current town, the nights you spent stuffing your clothes in contractor bags, packing heavy storage totes, and eating way too much crappy pizza.
Oh my goodness – 13 moves!?! So many!!! I’ve moved 5 times since high school and I thought that was a lot! Good luck getting everything packed up and off to Texas!! 🙂
SO many! If HLS doesn’t make it’s way to Austin we should totally have a blogger get together there!
I have never been to Austin, but have always wanted to. I will totes come down and visit!! 🙂
Consider yourself invited!
Wow, 13 moves is intense! I’ve only moved twice (other than dorms/home/dorms etc) and wanted to scream at both of them. I’m pretty sure my bf wanted to scream at me too for the last one, in which I waited till the morning of to pack…
Haha I’m way to compulsive to save packing til the last minute!
13 moves is a-lot! I just counted mine…10 total. 5 in Florida, 3 in LA, and 2 in MASS. I border the line between compulsive and spontaneous so most of the packing is super organized and the rest is a sloppy tossing of random don’t-care-if-this-disappears-forever type objects into a few hugely disorganized boxes. That will probably remain disorganized until my kids send me off to the nursing home and have to sort through them. Gotcha suckas!!
Good luck!!
I’m exactly the same way. The little stuff at the end is the worst!
Great ideas and happy packing! I’m sure your clothes will arrive just perfectly. Can’t believe you’ve moved 13 times! Ugh….I hate moving (and the fear of the unknown). But your new adventure sounds so exciting!
Thanks you! Fingers crossed!
Ugh. I feel you on moving. Fortunately I haven’t moved 13 times, but I’m not far behind. I feel like you know you are moving too much when you realize that investing in all those Tupperware containers is actually a good idea instead of boxes.
I think you’re exactly right!
Using reusable totes in a genius idea! I should probably invest in something similar I seem to keep deciding to move to other parts of the country. Also, I am originally from Texas, and Austin is a uber-fun city with awesome food culture. You are going to love it! 🙂
You know, they were on sale after Christmas since they’re green and they ended up being around the same price as boxes from the moving company. I know you’re right! I just need to get there already! 🙂
Those totes make a WORLD of difference in moving! You can also stack them nicely and use a dolly (if you have one) to move 4 or 5 at a time.
We are excited to have you in Austin!
Two weeks!!