Moving is the mature counterpart of middle school—everyone is super zealous about the thought, but it's only the people with sensible expectations who end up having a trouble-free move. Sure, it is a new abode, a new beginning, and the opportunity of a wonderful new life--but once that last empty truck heads down the road and you are standing there amidst your boxes, you've still got to do the real work.
Managing your move with realistic expectations is the key to beginning that new life on a positive note--and that equates to not only coming to terms with the fact that a new abode won't wondrously melt off the thirty pounds you want to lose, but that moving is emotionally exhausting even in the best circumstances and you and your family should allocate the time and space to accept that.
One of the odd things about a local move--new house, neighborhoods, schools--is that can be more difficult on the children than a long-distance relocation. A new house in another state eliminates the constant requests to go see their friends in the old neighborhood, and it could be less difficult to embrace a new life and new friends when your old ones are in a different time zone.
But back to the main point. There are three Ps when it comes to managing your move to or in Austin--Purge, Pack, and Pay. What you don't purge must be packed, and the more you pack, the more you will pay. Expectation—I'll get rid of old stuff and only keep what I love. Reality--you love a lot more than you realize you do. No matter if you handle your own packing or hire professional movers, you have got to decide what is worth the time and money to move with you.
Purge
Purging is one of those strange phrases you do not hear all the time, at least in a good connotation. However, letting go of the old baggage is one of the wisest ways so that you can empower your new home to grant your expectations of wonderful. There are all kinds of directions and suggestions to help you figure out the best approaches to get rid of your old things, from practical--"if you haven't used/worn it in a year get rid of it"; to a little off-the-wall--"toss all your negative energy out with the old towels". At its least complicated level, purging is simply sorting through all the cabinets, closets and drawers and making three piles: hang on to, get rid of, donate. Or you may have four piles if you have got a lot of very gently used items that you do not need anymore, and consign those things.
A difficult thing about purging is retaining the neutrality it requires to be merciless about tossing things. If you saved all those pre-school paintings, how can you toss them and be a good parent? Here is how—have a friend help you sort through items and talk you through why you're keeping things that are really best out of the house. Having someone ask you out loud why you want to save the 1980s cassette tapes does put things in relative importance and you will have a pain-free time growing the toss pile if you have got someone to back-up your decisions.
If your partner is the one with the pack rat habits, here is a suggestion for assisting an unenthusiastic participant part with their treasures. Think small, and start with the kitchen junk drawers, try to limit handling of old matchbooks and out-of-ink pens to one time only and steadily get to more important possessions, like collections (for instance, choose two or three porcelain bunnies and donate or consign the rest).
Catch us next time as we discuss managing your move subjects: Pack and Pay, in Part 2 of this blog series.
