Subcultural engagement for the 21st Century...
Barbelith is a new kind of community (find out more)...
You can login or register.

Underground > Conversation >

Packing advice sought

15:56 / 11.01.06

The friend who was going to drive across the country with me on the 21st bailed - he's staying in London. So I had to call in a favor from another friend, who agreed to drive to Oregon with me (From New York), provided he can fly back on the 23rd.

This means I leave Saturday. I'm not ready.

Does anyone have any packing tips? Because in the next... what, three days? I need to box and/or bag the things I'm bringing, chuck the things I'm not, bu a car, and plan my route.

I'm trying to be sort of detatched about the situation - if my friend hadn't bailed, I would still probably have waited until three days pre-departure to start packing. But somehow, the abruptness of the change in plans is nearly paralyzing. I have no idea how to sort through all this... junk, and so I'm going to have a cup of coffee and smoke a few cigarettes and read barbelith until I'm feeling more settled.

16:11 / 11.01.06

Depending on what you can afford to buy twice, I suggest you chuck/donate anything you can't honestly say you use on a regular basis, other than things like tools that are meant to last forever whether or not they're used frequently. I can be hard to get rid of things that are perfectly good, but no sense storing them indefinitely when somebody out there could be making good use of them.

In any new place, there's a general tendency to accumulate Stuff, so going in with less of it than seems quite comfortable is okay -- you're giving yourself room to grow.

16:23 / 11.01.06

i'd say start now.
doesnt matter how small an effort you begin with, just get it started.
whack on some good uptempo tunes(if you like dance music i'd plump for something in a dirty bass and clickety snap snare but something at around 137bpm is best, whatever the style) and then get cracking.
barbelith watching is not a good game played continuously. all that time spent waiting between posts is wasted, so set yourself a schedule of ten minutes lithing followed by forty five packing, followed by a cup of tea, followed by ten minutes lithing, etc.

that way the lityh will always have something nice to look at, but also you'll be getting your shit done.
oh, and remember to pack stuff you dont need first. first in will be last out.

main message is start now.
no, now. not after a fag, not after a cuppa, not after anything at all.
start NOW.

17:27 / 11.01.06

Don't be tempted to put all books in one box and all clothes in another. This will lead to boxes that you can't lift. I had some nifty tall thin boxes the last time I moved and, after putting a layer of records, then a layer of junk, then topped off with clothes wrapping up breakables, I could lift each one on my own.

18:56 / 11.01.06

Ikea bags - those big blue ones - are fantastic for moving. They're very big and strong, and ideal for just filling with random bulky stuff. I never move without them.

19:12 / 11.01.06

Yeah, mix books with clothes. Books are fucking heavy. Be prepared for the fact that you might have to give away some of your books.

The most important thing, though, is getting the shit into boxes (or bags). Get out some boxes (or bags) and just get everything in your room and put them in them. It doesn't matter where. Once you've done that you can start worrying about exact placement.

07:33 / 12.01.06

Think about labelling your boxes, I never do this but I wish I had

. If any of your stuff has to go into storage it saves you having to go through ever bloody box to find something later.

07:34 / 12.01.06

I am the Queen of moving. Highly recommend arming yourself with strong tape, big marker pen, plenty newspaper and bubble wrap, big strong bin bags and plenty music.

First off pack yourself a rucksack with three or four days worth of clean clothes, toiletries, medicines, alarm clock and other essentials so that when you get to the other end you have all your basics in one place. Have another bag or box for domestic essentials such as loo roll, kettle, tea bags/coffee, mugs, basic cutlery/bowls, cleaning stuff etc, easy food. Sort of a survival pack. If you're moving animals I'd have a third box/bag with all their things in. I'd also have a bin bag with clean bedding, duvet, pillows, towels etc. clearly labelled.

Re: the books/clothes combination - definitely. Also use any towels/linen/blankets etc. to wrap stuff - blankets and quilts are good to wrap round tvs, computers, stereos etc. then have one big box for all cables, leads, remotes. If you've got shelving or any furniture that can be disassembled do it ASAP and but all screws etc. in plastic bags and tape firmly to item. Put screwdivers/pliers/allen keys etc. in your rucksack.

If you're moving a fridge I'd try and clean it out in advance of the move 'cos they stink pretty quickly after being switched off.

Sure I could think of thousand other Martha Stewartesque tips but I'm starting to be embarassed at my own analness....