Moving Update: This Isn’t for Sissies
I’m laying with a heating pad on my back and wondering if 3:30 is too early for a glass of wine 😉 Every muscle in my body hurts and I haven’t lifted anything heavier than an empty box for days. We’ve been packing nonstop for weeks and I’ve been getting more stressed by the day.
There have been moments of levity which always keep things fun. I howled when my husband covered our couch cushions to keep them clean during the move. For a week we sat on black plastic bags which kept sliding off the couch and making the rudest noises when we sat down.
Our storage container arrived last Friday and was shoehorned onto our driveway. We thought it looked huge but managed to fill it and still have a lot of stuff left in our garage. One of us has a hard time tossing things out. 
The name on the side of the container might give you a small indication of who. I’ve been calling my husband a packrat for the last few weeks. He packed everything and decided he’d declutter when we unpack. I’d rather toss out now and move less junk but each to his own.
I number each box and keep a detailed list of what’s inside. That way we can reuse the boxes without crossing out tons of words…been there, done that before.
Sunday we hired 2 young professional packers to load the container. The more things that left the house the lighter and freer I felt. At this point, I don’t care if I ever see 3/4 of that stuff again. I’ve collected many things throughout my life but what’s most important for me to collect now are memories. People and memories are priceless, things are just stuff.
We’ve still got lots to do before our house hits the market and things are getting pretty crazy around here. We’ll decide later if we unpack that container or live sparsely while we rent and explore where we want to buy.
Is your husband a pack rat? Are you?
Thanks for reading ladies and have a great day!
Not moving, but trying to pretend I am 🙂 Three huge trash sacks from stuff in my closet are waiting to go to Goodwill – and I can’t even remember what I put into them! Suspect I could make another sweep of the closet. Good luck!
I love how you think. I will be doing that on a regular basis from now on!!
I feel for you. All this is before me. Our new build is at the tile laying and painting stage and I have started to pack up books to donate that I don’t want to read again. We have been in our temporary house for two years and have TWO storage sheds full of STUFF. Some things I have missed, some are seasonal or sporting, but there is a huge amount that I really haven’t thought about or needed to access during this time. Will they be delightful old friends or will they have lost their magical hold on me and be sent off to charity?
I wish you luck Melissa..these are not easy times
I moved in January. It was a brain and heart twister—17 years of stuff had to be downsized. Aaaauuugh! So I feel you, Sister!
I have the same type of problem here with my husband keeping everything he can. I think hisbpavkratcsyndrome was inherited.
You are so smart to get out of your house then sell it. This gave you time to gather things and go.please rest and allow your muscles to recover if possible then take it one room at a time to unpack.
You got this!????
Thanks Linda!!
It sounds like your husband needs the Marie Kondo book.
My mother was a packrat. It took two years to empty her house.
He does! It’s driving me batty
Hi Jennifer,
As always, love your blog posts. My husband and I are both pack rats. (!)Hurricane Harvey did a lot of our tossing out for us. We still have 40 boxes left to unpack in our brand new house…your wardrobe tips have helped me streamline my wardrobe. Good luck with the move.as a former career Army wife and now flood survivor, moving is never easy, even by choice..keep the wine comin’ it will all be worth it!
Holly in Houston
Sorry you lost things in the Hurricane. That was beastly. Moving sounded more fun when we started and I hope we’re happy after!!
Oh gosh, moving is probably the WORST. It was hard enough to pack up 20+ years’ worth of stuff just from our kitchen and bathroom prior to the renovation. I dread the thought of ever having to move out of this house. Yes, my Monsieur is a bit of a packrat too. I’ve been very judicious about what I’m bringing back into the kitchen from storage in the garage, and it’s so wonderful to live with less and only have around what we actually USE.
I aspire to that Susan. Gone are the days when I want to keep something just in case!!
Good luck:) hope to see you settled in this area soon. A lot of the garages around me are still storing moving boxes, so you won’t be alone, they never got around to emptying all of them, because they downsized to a smaller house. I sold a lot of my things before I moved, bought some new things that fit better when I got here. Rest up, it all works out.
Thanks Eileen. I’m sure our garage will be packed for a long time!!
I moved last May and I’m still wondering what happened to some things I can’t find. I loved your numbering boxes method. I’m afraid I was the packrat, but have been liberating myself by periodical cleaning out of specific things. It’s very freeing . Love your post, i’m beyond 50 more like 70, but there are no post out there for us, but yours suits me to a T.
Welcome Heather!! I’m glad you found us.
I feel your pain! I helped my Daughter pack her house last week. Yesterday we unpacked her kitchen in the new house
on a tile floor for 6 hours. My feet hurt and back hurt so bad. I was ready for bed by 7:30.
Ouch!! We have a hard floor too and it’s brutal…never again
I love the numbering and contents system that you’re using, present tense! I’m sure you’ll be relieved to have this finished. Always enjoy your blog. ☕️ Sheila
I can’t wait!! I’ve used this system several times and it great to know which exact box to unpack when hunting for something.
I can’t help but assume that your lists that correspond to the numbered boxes is on a computerized, searchable program like Word or Excel. That would be the only way I could possibly find anything in a numbered box! I numbered boxes that I put in an attic at another house but didn’t record the contents on a computerized document. It was a challenge, to say the least, to find things in my handwritten lists (my handwriting is legible enough)! I entitled the listing “Where is it?” LOL
No it’s just a handwritten list that I photograph with my phone in case I lose the list;)
Enjoy following your move.
I didn’t realize you were moving. Are you shifting to a new home and somewhere different? Either way, moving house is a pain as my husband is a hoarder and hates chucking anything away.
We’re planning to rent in a new location and try it out before we buy.
Yes, my husband is a pack rat, and no, I am not. Over the years, he has parted with more ‘stuff’, but he still has a ton of stuff that I would part with in a heartbeat. Whenever I suggest working on the junk in our storage room, he agrees, but there is never a “good time”. He saw what happened when his mom moved to assisted living and vowed not to have that volume of stuff, but so far nada. I occasionally donate things I know he won’t notice (and he doesn’t), and I’ve learned to contain his stuff in a couple areas of the house so I don’t live with clutter. But he knows our kids don’t want most of it. Oy.
Good luck with the move. And keep the wine cold. 🙂
Laurel, I think I’m married to your husband’s twin! Mine doesn’t want to part with anything either. He has filled up our garage, a storage building in our woods, and his mancave. He never met a box he wanted to part with. I have been known to load my car with boxes and drive to recycling while he was still asleep! I am a neat and orderly person who can’t stand mess! Jennifer, 3:30 your time is cocktail hour here on the East Coast so go ahead and have that wine!
I did! It helped the Advil work better. I need to do what you do. I want a clutter free zone.
Roxane, it sounds like it ! I feel your pain. My husband moved cross country when we got married and the moving company lost several of his boxes. He was never able to identify what was in them. For years he would randomly suggest something he couldn’t find must have been in one of those boxes. Of course, sometimes it turned up in his ‘stuff’ later. But he really has no idea what he lost. That would be a lesson to me, but apparently not. lol
My kids have told us they don’t want it. I’ll keep chipping away at it because I hate clutter too.
We are going to be doing what you’re doing starting in June. We are making the big move and right now I’m looking forward to it and we’re going slowly.
Good luck!!
I have moved my parents twice in the last 4 years and wish I had your number system its a good idea. We are starting now to unload our stuff so my kids don’t have to go thru what I did with my parents!!
I’m going to continue to unload and declutter. It feels so freeing! Good to start early.
Oh my YES….my husband WILL NOT throw anything away! Me? I’m OCD so you’re beginning to get a good picture of what our life is like! Ha! We’ve been married coming up on 56 years so guess we’ve managed pretty well. Good luck on your move. We have moved so many times I’ve lost count and with each move I’ve said ‘NEVER AGAIN’. They say….never say never. I guess that’s true!
You’re probably more patient than I am. It’s so frustration to have all this junk. Life fees easier with less stuff.
We moved a year ago and I got rid of so much junk – my husband did not! And on top of our stuff, we acquired his mother’s storage unit possessions when she passed away . So I feel like we are back where we started with stuff! Oh well, the good news is I’m closer to some of my kids and grandkids!! Good luck with your move!
Oh, Betty, I feel your pain. I have a new appreciation for clearing clutter and purging. Good luck and I can only recommend being brutal about it.
Oh bless your heart! I have moved many times but here I’ve lived the longest, 12 years! Its tough but keep thinking of the outcome. I wanted to thank you for the ways you teach us to be stylish, I went in TJMaxx Saturday and found a great white blouse. At first look it was ok and then you look at the back and it has a cute “tail”? It separates and the whole blouse is long enough and the best part? It fits! I’m getting ready to retire, do some traveling, spend time with my family and friends but I don’t want to be in t-shirts and jeans all the time. Thank you for sharing your life with us and showing us how to be stylish!
Your comment made my morning! Thanks for sharing. I’m so happy I’ve inspired you.
I moved about a year ago- my advice – burn the house down! It was miserable. I had a well-worn path to the Goodwill drop off. I decided after I was in my new place that if I didn’t use, wear, etc. something in the following year, it was going. A year is up and I better get busy! BTW I have a friend that moves everything (over 50 times) and is still carting boxes around she hasn’t opened in years because she was going to go through them after the latest move…..just sayin’! Good luck and you’ll feel so much better after you are settled!
Oddly that sounds appealing. I don’t want to be like your friend so need to be more diligent. If I can clean out my junk,maybe I’ll start in his.
(((Hugs))) from a kindred spirit. I feel your pain. We have four U-Haul Packing Boxes in our driveway that are due to be picked up today. Four have already been picked up. Half of these boxes are filled with my husband’s woodworking tools. I would have liked to sell all of that in a garage sale. But just think–a year from now, we should both be contentedly be launched in the next phase of our lives. And be closer to grandkids. Makes all the pain so worth it!!!!
Wow, we’re traveling a similar path. Good luck Beverly!!
I am just beginning this adventure, girls!! My is 3200 sq. ft. and planning to move to an over-50 aged double-wide (probably)….It is bitter-sweet. Must sell this house first!!!! But starting to pitch stuff, with the cheering-on of friends. LOVED READING ALL COMMENTS! . . .BARBARA
Good luck Barbara!!