It’s been a whole lot of years—like 20—since I’ve moved. But that’s exactly what I’m doing. Moving.
I’m going to another state and finally going to live my dream of living on the coast! I’m excited for sure.
And a little scared.
In the meantime, I’m making lists. And the lists keep growing. Today we start our first official packing day. You’d think this would be relatively easy. Well, not easy—labor intensive—but not involve a bunch of stupid stuff.
You need boxes to pack, right? Right. Well, finding boxes isn’t that easy. I guess if you don’t mind spending a ridiculous amount of money it’s easy—but not me! I called a couple of moving places about boxes. It was going to cost me $300.00 for boxes and packing tape. HELL NO! I looked in Walmart. Half that price but still a big HELL NO from me. I went online and found a couple of sites that sell used packing boxes. Used packing boxes? Man…this was getting complicated. Those boxes were about the same price as new ones at Walmart.
So what did I do?
I decided that I deserved FREE boxes. Yep, I did. So I went into my local grocery store and asked for them. Took them about a week to get them together as they realized I’d need different sizes, but they did it. Now these boxes aren’t quite as sturdy as the REAL packing boxes, but I don’t care. They’ll do nicely. I’ve got packing tape to reinforce them, and I can manage. I’ve still got to rent a big truck to the tune of $250.00 a day. I figure I’ll need it a total of two days. Basically, I’ve got the packing and moving part solved. But I’ve got a problem.
No place to live yet. LOL
I’ve been online to every site I can find in the area where I’m moving. I’ve written down the particulars on probably a hundred different houses. And boy did it take a lot of work to find those houses. I never realized so many people were against having pets! But they sure as hell are. LOL And if you do have a pet, be prepared to pay a ridiculous non-refundable pet deposit. Yeah, I know why they do it. Not all animals are the kind you want in your house. Hell, sometimes I don’t even want mine. LOL But they are house broken and they don’t chew. My dogs are the kind that just couldn’t survive outside. They each have their own doggie beds but sometimes you’ll find one in a bed, head on pillow!
The other problem I’ve had with finding a house is location. I don’t want to be on the beach. I’m afraid of storms and flooding. But I don’t want to be more than a few blocks away—within walking distance. Then, of course, there is finding a “good” neighborhood. That takes a lot of research. I’ve even made phone calls to the local police to ask them about particular streets/areas.
There’s one thing for sure, though. I’m learning what is overpriced, underpriced, and spot on. Any time anything is below market value, I wonder why. So I mark those with questions about condition and area. If something is overpriced, again I want to know why. For instance, there is a house I’m interested in because it’s exactly what I want in a house. Hardwood floors throughout. Simple floor plan. Big kitchen. Four bedrooms and a sunroom. Two baths. It even has a nice size yard. In the back there is a huge live oak complete with Spanish moss. Gorgeous!
There are three problems. It’s farther away from the beach than I want to be. Ten blocks. And the yard has NO landscaping. Just a bare yard. But the biggest problem is price. Because of its location and the lack of landscaping I think it’s overpriced. So it’s doubtful I’ll be getting that house. We’ll see.
The worst problem I am facing with this move is cooperation from my kids. They are supposed to be helping me do things. They aren’t. It’s like pulling teeth to get them to do a damn thing. I’m sick of it. So this morning I had to pitch a fit. Now I have a headache. They are working—just barely. I’m not happy. There is just no way I can do everything alone and I shouldn’t have to. But it’s not right I have to beg and finally lose my temper in order to get anything accomplished.
Anybody got any really good suggestions on moving in general. AND…on getting the kids to move their asses!!!!
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11 comments:
Good luck with the move! How exciting for you and the family.
I hear you on packing and finding a place to live. Unfortunately I have no idea how to get the kids going as I have only ever moved myself.
ACK! Don't even say the word "moving" to me. When I moved a year ago in May, I thought I was going to croak. I was so tired. Did nearly all the packing and main moving by myself because everyone else had to work. Never been so damn exhausted in my entire life.
I hate moving. But on the plus side...it's the only time we ever sort through our crap and realise 'hey, this stuff is crap' ... and have a clean out.
It's a bit like cleaning behind the fridge: you do it when you move, or when you get a new fridge -- if you clean behind the fridge at any other time you have OCD!
Goof luck!
Hi Tess,
Can you tell your little darlings that if they don't pack their stuff, it'll get left behind?
I feel for you. I haven't moved in over twenty years because I hate moving.
Good luck in finding the "right" house.
Janice~
Good luck with the move, Tess. I know it's stressful. Especially if the kids aren't cooperating. Threaten to leave their lazy butts behind if they don't help. There's no way you can do all the packing alone. Or load the truck when it's time. :(
As for boxes...anytime I've moved, I did like you. lol. Went to grocery and convenience stores and asked. They gladly saved what I needed, and let me know when inventory was to arrive. Saved me lots of money.
So glad you're finally gonna live your dream. :) ((Hugs))
Ugh. All I can say, Tess, is that I've already told my husband: not moving again until we can afford to have someone do it for us. At the rate we're going, that'll sometime after that cold day in hell that's been forcasted I think the day after the Apocalypse.
We moved six years ago and liquor stores also have excellent boxes for free:)
My only advice is to tell your kids not to label their boxes 'Kid X's Krap'...years later, the kids are STILL going through boxes and 'Oh THIS is where I put that!' is heard.
You must be moving close to me! You start talking spanish moss and I know you're nearby! LOL
We moved to four states in three years and I learned how to streamline the process. Including the last time getting rid of nearly all of our furniture and having the mother of all garage sales. I told the DH my adventure days are over and I'm sick of looking like the Beverly Hillbillies. All we needed was a freaking grandma in a rocking chair on the top of our moving van to complete the picture.
Good luck and big, sympathetic hugs! I hope you find the perfect home, too!!!
Move? That's a four letter dirty word in our house. It's been a while since the last move because I grew tree roots out the bottoms of my feet.
Kids helping? I would rather the young ones stayed out of the way in their room. What we did was pack up everything but their essentials and keep out the necessities in one child's room. Because of confinement to one area, the oldest was motivated to help me more in packing...He wanted out of proximity to his siblings.
The last thing we packed was the kids' happy toys. We moved. The first thing unpacked was the kids' happy toys. Then the oldest was motivated to have his own space, so I had helping hands again.
I wish you all the best as you move and find that dream house.
I'm with you on the boxes. My favorite boxes are the banana/produce boxes. Yes, sometimes, they are icky, but they are very sturdy with a top and handles built in. Of course, you already have your boxes, but just in case you need a few more, you can always call the grocery store again and find out what day and what time they break them down and recycle them.
As for the kids, yeah, I don't know. Mine is young enough that I can make threats (and follow through with them) that she'll do what I want without a blow up...most of the time. (g)
I don't know. I'd probably tell Lily that whatever she didn't pack would be donated to some deserving charity. If she lost half of her wardrobe/toys, it would be up to her to replace them because she obviously didn't care enough about them to pack them. Charlie would protest, but I'd be the hard ass. LOL As I've done similar things before, she knows I'm serious when I say it's gone. It becomes drama (drama I don't care to deal with), but it does work.
Good luck with your move! I hope you find exactly what you are looking for in a place and that you love where you live.
Oh, yeah, label everything. And I'm not just talking about "kitchen stuff," "clothes," etc. I mean "pots," "dishes," "short sleeves," etc. It makes it so much easier to find what you are looking for and only takes an extra minute or so to do.
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