Packing

[JimT]

Man .. we have lived here 20 years! I can't believe the stuff we have accumulated! But my daughter and her husband came and helped us get started .. sorting out what to keep, what to sell, what to throw away.

I packed up my reloading room. Amazing all the junk I found. One cool thing .. I found 10,000 primers I didn't know I had!



It is happening ... strange but true!

[Hobie]

We still haven't completed Mom's house! I'd hate to think what it would be like in our own house. I feel for you.

10K primers, now that must have been one of the good parts of the day...

[DBW]

Best of luck with the move. Did that chore a couple of months ago after my wife sold her house. Sold what we could, gave to charity what we couldn't and packed only keepsakes that we've stored at her parents place until her immigration paperwork clears and she gets her Green Card. Then we move that stuff to Oklahoma at which time I have to build a cabin for my bride.

[Sixgun]

Jimbo,
My heart goes out to you trying to figure out what to do with all your accumulated stuff. I could not imagine having to move. I figured I'd stick my kids with all this mess like my Dad did to me. You know, paybacks in another way.

Your 10,000 primers? Can I have them? I need to add to the 55,000 that I already have. While your at it, send me that real nice Model 71 Winchester, old model Rugers, or nice Class 3 stuff you have. I'll pay shipping.

Your good friend,
Jug Johnson

[JimT]

Sixgun .. you are a real pal! You'd even pay the shipping!! I tell you, the guys are this forum are THE best!

[crs]

JimT - I feel your pain + 20 years.
The movers come next week to haul 80% of our stuff to our house in the country - everything but the guest bedroom and my office. We have been preparing for this for months, but after 40 years of accumulation, this move will require two - three phases. I have to stay here for a few weeks to work with the painters and tile guys to finish the "fresh up" to make the house sell quickly. I have already been through my reloading stuff and it is all packed, but today, my son and I opened a Time Capsule, many boxes of my older brothers reloading stuff. I have bullets, brass, dies, and powders for cartridges for which I have no guns.

Then there is the workshop! And this is after I have been hauling yard and carpenter tools out there for four years.

Good luck with your move and rest assured that many members of the forum can relate to your experience.

[rjohns94]

moved 16 times in the military. got good at. Still didn't like it. My prayers are with you.

[Ysabel Kid]

Score!!! I wish I'd find some hidden caches!!!

[Hanzerik]

moved 16 times in the military. got good at. Still didn't like it. My prayers are with you.

I have not moved that many times, 11 for me, PCS'ing, on-base to off-base, off-base to on-base, etc, etc. You get used to it, but like you said...still don't like it. I moved to Wyoming a little over three years ago and still have stuff in moving boxes from my move back to state-side in 1998. I plan on retiring at 22.5 years (1.5 years from now) and staying right where I am.

[JReed]

moved 16 times in the military. got good at. Still didn't like it. My prayers are with you.

I have not moved that many times, 11 for me, PCS'ing, on-base to off-base, off-base to on-base, etc, etc. You get used to it, but like you said...still don't like it. I moved to Wyoming a little over three years ago and still have stuff in moving boxes from my move back to state-side in 1998. I plan on retiring at 22.5 years (1.5 years from now) and staying right where I am.

Ahh yes got to love PCS. Still have a few more of those in the future.

Jim best of luck with the packing always funny what you find when you are loading up.

[El Chivo]

I used to have to move a lot, glad I've been in one place for 7 years (a record).

My first year after college I moved 14 times, one disaster after another.

Ebay can put a different light on your accumulation, it depends what kind of stuff you have, but nearly everything is worth something to somebody. I've been in a 'get rid of it' mode since spring and have taken in quite a bit of money. Of course you have to be packing and shipping things all the time.

[Modoc ED]

Packing is not fun. Got to the point while in the Navy that I'd just leave the stuff in storage and rent a furnished place for 6-months to a year before moving on to another duty station or ship.

Anyway, good luck in your future endeavors Jim.

[NonPCnraRN]

In Stockton, CA we have a spring cleanup where we can put all kinds of junk out on the curb and the city hauls it away. Our neighbors set up lawn chairs and get a supply of adult beverages to watch me and my wife put on an annual comedy show. I haul stuff out to the curb and she hauls it back in. This goes on for hours and the neighbors have a great time. One year they had a pot luck and the wife and I called a time out to eat. Then my daughter shows up with a car load of "treasures" that other people threw out and I wound up with more junk in the garage than what I started with. One year I got even. While my wife was carting some stuff back into the garage a friend dropped off a couple of guns I bought from him. I left them in the driveway and the wife sees them and says and I quote, "You moron, you can't just throw guns out. You want to get us arrested? Now go put them back in the safe where they belong." It's the only time I ever got away without even a raised eyebrow for a gun purchase. I still need to get rid of a lot of junk though.

[JohndeFresno]

In Stockton, CA we have a spring cleanup where we can put all kinds of junk out on the curb and the city hauls it away. Our neighbors set up lawn chairs and get a supply of adult beverages to watch me and my wife put on an annual comedy show. I haul stuff out to the curb and she hauls it back in. This goes on for hours and the neighbors have a great time. One year they had a pot luck and the wife and I called a time out to eat. Then my daughter shows up with a car load of "treasures" that other people threw out and I wound up with more junk in the garage than what I started with. One year I got even. While my wife was carting some stuff back into the garage a friend dropped off a couple of guns I bought from him. I left them in the driveway and the wife sees them and says and I quote, "You moron, you can't just throw guns out. You want to get us arrested? Now go put them back in the safe where they belong." It's the only time I ever got away without even a raised eyebrow for a gun purchase. I still need to get rid of a lot of junk though.

[rjohns94]

[adirondakjack]

If ya have gobs of time, ebay is your friend. If not, a local auctioneer, a storage compartment and a dumpster and just triage ruthlessly.

AAMOF if I was planning on being back in a year or three, I'd think seriously about buying an old 40' trailer, stashing my stuff inside, and finding somebody who had a back forty where we could park it out of sight..... It'd beat the cost of commercial storage, especially when ya sold the trailer later and got that money back.

[Ray Newman]

Eight years ago, we made an interstate move. We lived in the same house for 30+ years. Packing is no fun.

But I did take some advice from a realtor:

--If it all possible, have boxes that are all the same size. It makes the job easier as the load will pack in a more uniform manner. You can often buy "used" boxes from movers or shipping stores.

--Good packing tape is relatively cheap insurance to hold the boxes together. Plus it will act as a seal and let you know if it the was tampered with.

--Poly strapping tape really holds a great deal of weight.
http://www.uline.com/BL_2752/Poly-Strapping-Kits

We bought one of these kits and none of the boxes that we shipped or moved ourselves came apart. Plus it is very strong and you can pick the box up by the tape. I still use it to secure some storage boxes.

--On all four sides as well as the top and bottom, label each box as to what room it goes. Then put a number on that box and make a list -- by room -- of the box numbers and the contents.

Will take some extra effort, but it will save you time looking for something or deciding what should be unpacked first. For example, I had 15+ boxes of reloading equipment and 30+ boxes of woodworking tools and supplies.

--A hand truck and a few dollies are back and time savers.

[JohndeFresno]

Adding to Ray's advice, having been through many moves in my earlier years - some obvious advice that we frequently forget -

Don't over pack the heavy objects! Sure, you can move them; but you'll get the job done much more quickly, especially if stairs are involved, with several lighter loads. A large box of books makes an unnecessary burden on the mover - usually you and/or friends and family, at one stage or another or your move. Get a bunch of smaller boxes for uniformity and stacking purposes for your heavy objects, such as manuals, paperwork and books.