Packing for the big event

[qarylla]

So, in about 2.5 weeks we're moving. It will be an adventure in condo-land, and we're trying to have everything ready for well in advance of the end. However, it is harder than I remember to pack, because, well, packing just isn't any fun.

I have nearly finished packing 2 bookshelves, and have good starts on two more. Now, bookshelves are presumably the easy thing to pack. I mean, books. Yes, there are tons of them, but they are compact. I am just not sure that I have enough boxes for them. (Oooh, actually, I have another bookshelf that is packed enough to refinish, but it is very small, so I am not surprised.)

Any suggestions?

Comments

[hedgehog39.livejournal.com]

1) Enlist the aid of several hulking grunting alpha males, or the nearest facsimile you can arrange, for assistance moving said books. I've moved a lot in the past few years and I can tell you that boxes of books were easily the second-heaviest things to move behind large blocks of wood that normally house clothes or hold up futon cushions.

2) Boxes. Get more boxes. Then get some more. Then grab some spare boxes for good measure. Chances are good that after you've neatly labeled several of them 'books', 'clothes', 'videogames', 'books', 'severed heads', and 'books', you still have about four million and six little nicknacks that you can only stuff into a box and call it 'stuff'. make sure they go on the top of the stacks as they are likely the lightest and flimsiest.

3) Have you any idea how you and jigglius wanna set up your condo-world? e.g.: entertainment center there, torture rack in the corner, dining room table here, etc. If you know where schtuff should go beforehand, moving the furniture in becomes a bit easier.

4) Gatorade!

5) For the love of the Unconquered Sun, reserve the moving truck early. If you're lucky enough to not be required to make use of one, skip this.

Hm... maybe I went off on that one with a bit more force than necessary. I'd try to think of more and say it more intelligently, but I still have to complete street puzzle mode on my gba.

[qarylla.livejournal.com]

Actually, the question was mostly rhetorical. I have boxes and work in a library, so getting more boxes is relatively painless. I have enough strength for each box of books I have packed so far (umm, other advantage of library work is that the boxes are the right size to be full of books without waying a couple of tons).

We're really not that behind or anything like that. It just feels overwhelming.

[hedgehog39.livejournal.com]

Heh. Sorry. I get kinda bored at work so I have a tendency to pounce on things.

[meranthi.livejournal.com]

Enlist friends to help pack. Thankfully, you have people just upstairs! :) Music would also help. Something you can either sing to or bop to.

[lizzielizzie.livejournal.com]

Pack the books in many small boxes rather than a few large boxes. Makes them easier to move. Get *way* more boxes than you think you will need. You'll need them.

Put aside one bag or box with the essentials: a set of sheets for your bed, bathing/grooming items you use daily, a towel, a set of clothes, and a roll of toilet paper.

On the day you move your stuff, set up the bed and make it the first chance you get. Then, when you want to collapse from exhaustion, the bed is waiting for you!

Good luck. I am moving in a few weeks, too!

[whispercricket]

We have not yet unpacked much of our masses of books, and it's been almost a year (yikes!) since we moved. We're waiting to make bookshelves.

One thing we did was buy banker's cardboard file boxes from one of the office supply stores when they were on sale. They're not too large (easier to lift), fairly cheap, and sturdier than many other cardboard boxes. Most of our books, however, are in plastic bins because our old basement leaked - plastic bins are wonderful for stacking, but they do cost more. I think Building 19 has some right now, though, so you could get them there cheaper than at Target, etc. if you wanted something more permanent than cardboard.

Don't worry - moving what seems like way too many books is completely doable as long as you have enough people (I can help - I should be available - let me know when), and eventually, they'll all fit into boxes, even if it seems like there's way too many of them. :)