Packing to Move

When you hear the word, "moving," it can be terrifying. Dread is the next word in mind for most of us, right? Why? Because we have accumulated way too many unneeded, useless, and unused "things" that occupy too much space in our home...and in our minds. Moving means packing and packing means sorting and sorting means decision-making. That is the hard part, the decision tree. Moving requires time for introspection and self-truths. That which we avoid most of the time, whether for reasons of business with daily life, propensity to value fun or relaxation over organization and minimizing clutter, or even for deeper reasons, like sentiment guilt.

Getting started means having and taking the time to “just do it!” It means to get ready to eat that elephant, one bite and a time. My suggestions are to eat a light meal first so you will have the needed energy, dress in loose, comfortable clothes, have your boxes and supplies handy, and keep a big trashcan close by. But let me back up a minute. For those of us that have the bittersweet bug of letting go and moving on, it might be best to pull all the pictures down from the walls and pack them first. Seeing bare walls, makes you come to terms that this is really happening, and it leaves you feeling less “at home” in your current situation.

After the pictures come down, go after the closets. Yes, I said that! Come out of the closet. Dig deep. What are in those boxes that you really need to keep? Are you really going to use it? Will the grandchildren want to use it, put it out for display, or just toss it when you are gone? And if it’s usable, then plan on a place for it to be displayed in your new place or at least, give it to someone who will use it. If you are enterprising, there are apps where you can snap a picture, post, and wait for the sell. Box it as such and move on!

Confession: sorting memorabilia/family photos will take a while….take the time and enjoy yourself without guilt. Realistically, what other time will you ever do this in unless you plan a family event and pull them out for that reason? It’s worth it!

By this time, there should be a small dent in the packing process. I found it helpful to clear out a bedroom, broke the beds down and put them in the garage, emptied the dressers, and made room to stack the boxes and pictures. It didn’t take long to fill the room up with the purge going on. And seeing my accomplishments was very motivating. So basically, what will be left to pack in the house will be functional items from the kitchen and the bathrooms, and then your clothes. I used one box for keeps, one for donations, and one for those apps I told you about earlier. Important to note before you store anything in the garage: it needs to be tackled and cleaned and organized first. (Sounds like a job for a man, right?) So, if you are lucky enough to have a man handy, get him busy with that project while you are on another. Hint: this will decrease stress during the packing.

I have moved many times in my life. This time will be to my retirement abode. I’ve been sorting, packing, cleaning, selling, and giving away now for about two months. I’ve had the luxury of time and help. It isn’t easy, and yes, I dreaded it. Now I’m nearly done (except for the functional things.) I hope these tips will help you, too!