Moving sucks.

[Tom Montgomery]

.
This will be the sixth move I've made since coming to Louisville from northern Ohio in 1997.

Sunday and Monday I packed up my library. Sixty-two 12" x 12" x 16" boxes. Today I rested. Back to it tomorrow. On the 23rd I return to northern Ohio.

My sister asked, "Do you really need all those books?" She does not understand the sickness.

[LeeG]

Big time

[Robbie 2]

Agreed.

[CWSmith]

I love books, but sometimes I feel like I'm watching a slow wake. There are whole subjects that are no longer published.

[hawkeye54]

Tom, 'I feel your pain' - I (we) have moved 18 times in 49 years (12 years military / 32+ years with major computer company ) - on our last move -after downsizing - we brought literally hundreds of books on our self-paid relocation, after donating many to our local library before the move.




Rick

[David G]

Two bookish sorts here. Who have moved WAY too many times. I really do feel your pain. At least I finally convinced my sweetie, years ago, to lose the piano until we settled somewhere. Good thing, as moving back to Oregon put us in a house that already had one. If we pull off this 'family compound' project, we'll move one more time. But she's angling for a baby grand... so we might not have to move the upright.

[The Q]

I've moved 29 times, if you count periods down to 2 months, 23 if you only count longer than 6 months. Dad was in the RAF then the Civil service in a job that also required postings. Then I joined the RAF and got posted around and then moved twice since..

However in only two moves was I with SWMBO, and because of that we acquired a huge amount of stuff..
The last move took 10 trips of 136 miles each way in a hired high top long wheel base van...

WE are NOT moving again except to a hole in the ground.. We've lived here almost 21 years now..

Next task.. moving the library, yep one bedroom was set up as the library. Now that's to become her craft room, and the living room will become the Library.. I have to line the walls with Shelving....

[Rich Jones]

My bachelor moves don't count because they just involved throwing a few things in the back of my truck.
In 40 years of marriage, we've moved twice. Once from an apartment to our first house. Again, everything fit into a pick-up truck and a station wagon.
Second move was to our retirement home in Vermont. However, that was our vacation home for years, so already had stuff in it. Also, I was able to move stuff a bit at a time. Final move was done by a moving van.
The hard part was cleaning out the house of 32 years of stuff. It's amazing what gets accumulated over the years.

[Figment]

We're in that "last 5% which takes two years" phase of the move.

I finally sold the mower yesterday. I'll sell the snowblower after thanksgiving.
Still have a king bed for sale but no rush.
Need to put up a wall to make a bedroom, then that bedroom's worth of stuff can come up out of the basement.
A bunch of photos and other arty stuff needs to be reframed before it can be hung.
The dog needs to be solid-housetrained so we can pull the rugs out of storage and finally quiet the place down.
and on, and on...

[David G]

We've got boxes in the attic we've never gotten back to opening. Desperately needful stuff, I guess. Though some of it was kids books & toys, which have now come down to be used by the grandbabies...

[Tom Montgomery]

.
Wednesday, September 23rd is the BIG DAY. The truck gets loaded in the morning, we travel northeast for about 320 miles, we unload the truck in the late afternoon, and I sleep in my new (to me) house that evening. I first arrived in Louisville on September 23rd in 1997.

A few days of unpacking... and then early in the morning of Sunday the 27th I head southwest 320 miles for a final time. I've booked a room for two nights in a spanking new Residence Inn by Marriott not 4 miles from my apartment. I'll spend the rest of the day Sunday and all day Monday cleaning as needed (and let in the carpet cleaner). Then around 9:00 am on Tuesday I turn in my keys to the landlord and bid my final goodbye to Louisville.

I truly have mixed feelings. I have come to love Kentuckiana. But I am returning home where all the rest of my family still resides. Perhaps if I were married with children I would stay. But being divorced and childless I think it best that I live closer to family and my kid sister in my remaining years.

I am SO SICK OF PACKING. I have been apartment living since my divorce in 2003. It is stunning how much stuff can be accumulated and stored in a two-bedroom apartment! And with how little of it I am willing to let go.

- sigh -

[Tom Montgomery]

​
So... A good source told me that if I hired movers for an interstate move, “Expect to be fricked.”

I have been in Norwalk, Ohio since Wednesday. But my belongings did not arrive until this morning.

The truck was loaded Wednesday morning in Louisville. The truck arrived in Norwalk this morning (Friday). The story behind that frick-up is too long to go into now (I’m tired and will soon go to bed). So I had to arrange for two night’s lodging spur-of-the-moment. Luckily I have family up here who gave me a bed to sleep in.

My moving estimate included 6 hours total labor. The 3-man crew who loaded my things Wednesday morning took from 8:45 am until 11:15 am. They claimed it took 5 hours, The 2-man crew who unloaded my belongings today took 6 hours. Any hours over 6 were to cost me $55/hour/man. I have been excused that added expense to compensate me for my aggravation and inconvenience over what was supposed to be a one-day interstate move. Probably also because I threatened legal action.

Good night. I am going to sleep tonight in my own bed in a new home.

[Domesticated_Mr. Know It All]

Now you know why I quit the moving business and got an honest job as an auto assembler.

[Tom Montgomery]

I’ll give details tomorrow. Suffice to say that I communicated to them late in the day on Wednesday, “I do not like feeling like I am being scammed. I expect any labor hours over 6 to be comped. And don’t think you can hold my belongings in any attempt to jack me around further. If my belongings do not arrive by 8:30 am on Friday, then by 10:00 am I will be speaking with an attorney.”

[Domesticated_Mr. Know It All]

I've had shotguns pointed at me.
Moving is stressful and if you mess with people, they snap.
My boss was a jerk who left me hanging too many times.

[Tom Montgomery]

I've had shotguns pointed at me.
Moving is stressful and if you mess with people, they snap.

You bet.

They load nearly every possession you value in this world into a truck and they frick with you?

When I moved to Louisville in 1997 Ford Motor Company paid for my move. I used a mover they recommended. And the mover STILL tried to frick with me. About 2 weeks prior to the move they came into my apartment and looked it over. On moving day they accused me of moving more items into the apartment than were present during the inspection.

I told them they would have to take it up with Ford Motir Company.

[Art Haberland]

I hear you, it's never fun, but sometimes it can be like finding money in an old coat, you find strange things you forgot you had.

[Too Little Time]

...

Moving is stressful and money often eases the stress. That is money that has not been budgeted.

My daughter moved across the country last week. While she has lots of money, I suspect it is all at least mentally budgeted. Prior to her move she was very stressed. My wife sent some money. And the stress went away.

She paid people to pack and unpack. She paid a house cleaner on both ends. She was happy when the movers came. She tipped everyone well.

Attitude is a good part of handling stress and unbudgeted money makes a difference.

[Paul Pless]

While she has lots of money. . .

anything but unpredictable

[AndyG]

I hear you! A couple of weeks ago I cleared my Mum's house. Two car-filled trips to a second-hand bookstore (300kg of books, easy) and I got £120 the lot.

Inspired by this (and now rested) and appalled and ashamed at what my kids would have to deal with at some point in the future, my wife and I are clearing our attic. And...no surprise... there's at least 300kg of books up there, along with stuff I've stored without needing for forty years.

To the dump. The lot of it.

The house, incidentally, feels lighter.

Andy

[ShorelineJohn]

On top of that, Its really hard to build a boat if you keep moving and even harder to move a half built boat.
Good Luck

[Too Little Time]

anything but unpredictable

You don't get much out of conversations.

[Vernon]

Welcome back Tom.

[Tom Montgomery]

[Keith Wilson]

Can't argue. We've been here 20 years now, slowly accumulating crap the whole time, and while we don't have any immediate plans I sure would like a smaller place that's less hassle. When the time comes, I'm considering arson.

[Bobcat]

We may well move in about 2 years. I have been in the house for more than 30 years. Several months ago we started winnowing down what we have. A recent re-roofing project forced us to empty the attic--- fair amount of stuff went to charity or my daughters.

I am dreading going through the garage/shop

[hawkeye54]

A workmate had to clear his late uncle's small 2 bedroom house - when he completed the task, he had totally filled 7 20-yard dumpsters.

[Matata]

When it was time to move to another office, we had to order transportation services. Many companies didn't suit us in terms of price, it was very expensive, because there were so many things. And then we found the website "removal companies london" and chose them. They helped us to pack all the documents and furniture. In general, everything was done very well. We are glad.

[WI-Tom]

I hear you! A couple of weeks ago I cleared my Mum's house. Two car-filled trips to a second-hand bookstore (300kg of books, easy) and I got £120 the lot.

Inspired by this (and now rested) and appalled and ashamed at what my kids would have to deal with at some point in the future, my wife and I are clearing our attic. And...no surprise... there's at least 300kg of books up there, along with stuff I've stored without needing for forty years.

To the dump. The lot of it.

The house, incidentally, feels lighter.

Andy

This was my conclusion after emptying our house to sell it for our move to Poland. So much stuff that we had kept in the house for 21 years without any need for (much) of it at all!

I wasn't sad to see it go (to Goodwill rather than the dump, though). It lightens your life. I hope we have gained the wisdom to be less inclined to accumulate. We'll see...

Tom

[elf]

Books can be recycled. They're mostly paper. They don't belong in dumps.

[JayInOz]

I always feel like a criminal for throwing out books.
Two quotes regarding accumulation of things- first from my Dad- "Mate, what you need is a bloody good fire!" And second, from my wife- "Please don't die and leave me all your stuff." JayInOz

[Robbie 2]

I lived in our last house for 28 years.
My employer paid the moving costs to here in 2014.
We have been here 9 years in July.
I still have boxes unopened in the garage and one wardrobe.
I don't even know what's in most of them but do know we haven't needed whatever is inside them.
I really should deal with this but motivation and time seems to be an issue.

[JayInOz]

Someone told my mother once that you should go through your cupboards and if you find stuff you haven't needed in the past five years, throw it out. So she did. A lot of it was stuff she's forgotten she had. Then when she needed something she would say- I have one of those! No, wait- I threw it out. Which reminds me- six weeks ago I ordered a cheap replacement mesh for one of my fish landing nets (which still hasn't arrived). The next day I was looking for something and found my net needles which I hadn't seen in years! In a barrel in the shed I have the first fishing net I ever made- about seven feet by thirty. I never even tried to catch a fish with it, just really enjoyed making it JayInOz

[Priscilla]

Sold the family home of 40 years and moved North 18 months ago.
Such a stressful experience so much so that I think I will stay the next 40 years in our new abode.

[Steve McMahon]

Books….. as we downsize in preparation for a near future move I’ve been regularly dropping off books at the local post office where they are sold for a buck a piece to support the Children’s Hospital. Still trying to figure out what to do with my Nevil Shute and Jack Higgins collections.
After the books next on the list will be kitchen stuff, then tools….