Keeping your Marbles During a Move
By DaLona Niland
Trying to prepare for a move from one home to the next can be a daunting task. I did this recently and can see how some people may just about lose their marbles! And I’m above average organized! My deprived children would tell you we’re woefully lacking in unnecessary stuff! “We don’t even get to have marbles,” they lamented to me one day. I told them they could have marbles if they didn’t mind if I lost my own while trying to keep track of theirs! Whether you’re relatively organized or a packrat of the highest order and plan to box up all your junk mail from the past 8 years just in case…, changing residences isn’t easy.
So where does the savvy relocation expert (in this case, that’s YOU) begin? With a garage sale! You have got to rid yourself of excess stuff; you know, the stuff that’s still in boxes from your last move. I’d be willing to wager you can’t recall one useful thing in those boxes that you haven’t already replaced. So sell it all and buy one last round of pizza for the neighbors! And the stuff that’s been nooked and crannied in your garage, closets and attic for so long that its usefulness is highly questionable, do you really want to expend the energy and expense to relocate all that stuff? Before you answer that, think for a minute; when you get to your fresh, new, uncluttered home, you either have to find a place to put it or store it all in your garage again until you are ready to buy the new neighbors some pizza. I’m not knockin’ treating the neighbors to pizza, but let’s just have a party, not another relocation! Now, if you’re not into garage sales, you can take a nice tax break by donating your treasures to a good cause and many of them will gladly come and take it off your hands for you. If you’re really clever, perhaps you can convince them to pick up a pizza for you on their way over.
Once you’ve rid yourself of all the stuff you shouldn’t pay the movers to move, you need to think practical packing. It’s quite simple really; it’s the exact opposite of what the professional movers do. Let two simple rules be your guide: pack by rooms and mark your boxes on the SIDES. That way you can stack them and still know what’s in them. Packing by rooms, for those of you scratching your heads, means you’ll want to keep kitchen stuff all together while resisting the overwhelming urge to pack your child’s marbles with your husband’s tools. Also, please refrain from packing your clothing in garbage bags. Can you trust me when I say that, in general, it’s just not a good idea?
Another tip is to set aside one room in the house to use for neatly and logically storing packed boxes so you’re not battling them daily. While it may seem the obvious choice, the garage is not necessarily the best place. The house is climate controlled while the garage is not and in the humidity the tape starts popping off, the boxes begin to mildew and fall apart and the spiders get on them and in them and the neighborhood cats use them as watchtowers and ugh! Not to mention the fact that if you choose to ignore my first step (remember the garage sale) you’ll get the nice new boxes mixed in with the old smelly boxes and now you’re in a heap of trouble.
So, if you care to keep your marbles during your move and be able to locate your children’s marbles to keep them occupied while you unpack, consider my advice: if you haven’t used it, lose it; practice practical packing; and set aside one room in your home to neatly store your pre-packed boxes.
Life Your Life on Purpose