The Big Move (#1)

This past week was a whirlwind. We closed on our house on the 30th. I took the whole week off to help pack up the house and empty it. I know everyone ends up saying this when they move, but I can’t believe how much stuff we have. Seriously.
Sarah and I had to end up calling quite an audible during the move. We had made arrangements with PODS to have two separate PODS units dropped off and picked up over the week. (if you don’t know who PODS are, they drop a container off at your house, you fill it, they come pick it up and/or store it and deliver it to your new house). Early in the week we wanted one to fill with stuff we wouldn’t need until we moved into the new house. Later in the week they would pick that unit up and drop off a new one, which we would fill as we moved out and have it delivered to the Indiana apartment. Anyhoo, Sarah called a week out to double-check everything (she did a thorough job setting up the PODS a couple months out) and they had not yet secured the permit with the City of Minneapolis to have the POD on the street. Also, this would delay the delivery of the first POD. Sarah voiced her displeasure and made it clear that they should make this a priority. J (I believe something to the tune of “I can’t imagine a scenario where we aren’t the first delivery the morning of the 28th!”) After hearing from them on the 27th via vmail that the first POD would be delivered between Noon and 3 PM, we started to get itchy. Morning of the 28th – called around 9 AM to hear “we don’t have the permit from the city and don’t know when we will get it – might be 24-48 hours”.
(funny story here – Sarah was talking to the local PODS guy. She was deeply frustrated but very respectful. She finally handed the phone to me. I was in a similar state. Finally I said goodbye and hung up Sarah’s iPhone. Sarah and I began to talk about what to do. After a minute or so I look at her phone and it was still on the call screen.
Me: “Hello?”
PODS Guy: “I’m still here.”
Great. I apparently need to work on hanging up an iPhone. I know – the “end call” button in bright red. Did we call this guy anything horrible during that conversation?)
Anyway, we decided to pursue Plan B. Instead of the 2-PODS-plan we switched to a U-Haul plan. We rented a 26-foot truck (“the largest truck you can drive without a CDL”) and I would drive the truck to Indy, load it into a storage unit, and fly back. It would be more reliable than the PODS plan and actually save us like $1,000.
Just to make it a bit more of a challenge, we decided I should take Frederick, the 4-year-old, with me. He was excited about the van and excited about moving near his cousin Noah, and we thought he would like the airplane ride back.
My goal was to leave by 2:00 on Friday and make it to my parents’ house in Illinois that night, which would be about an 8-hour drive in the truck. By the time the truck was loaded, the house essentially cleaned out and we were ready to leave, it was 8 PM. I didn’t want to do the whole thing on Saturday, so off we went. We made it to Portage, WI and stayed the night at the Days Inn. Breakfast the next morning was sketchy – I probably should’ve passed on the B&G the Days Inn had out. Not good.
We stopped a few times on the way to Indy – had a bite to eat with Dad right off the highway in Oglesby, stopped at Culvers in Champaign so Frederick could have a corn dog, and the various stops for fuel (about $250 to get that truck from Mpls to Indy). We rolled into the apartment complex mid-afternoon. Frederick stayed with Noah while Tom and I emptied the truck into the storage unit. We finally wrapped up around 7 PM and took the truck back. We stopped by the land for a minute before going to Tom & Gretchen’s - a hot shower and a cold Crown & ginger ale (or two) helped me recover before bed.
Frederick and I flew home the next morning. We saved $400 by flying IND-DTW, DTW-ORD, ORD-MSP. Three plane rides. Seriously.
Key takeaways:
- A month before you move, start thinning out the belongings. You’ll be in a throw-it-out mood anyway. Moving sale, Craigslist, ARC/Goodwill – whatever it takes. You have too much stuff. Really, you do.
- However long you think packing and moving will take you, double it. Now double it again.
- If you need help moving, pay the 22-year-old next door to help. Most 22-year-olds need the money right now. Young backs are good.
- Red Bull is legalized cocaine, in a good way. Ibuprofen can also be referred to as “four-a-day-vitamins” during moving week
- Before you tear into someone you were just on the phone with, make sure the phone call has ended
- When driving/flying with a 4-year-old, you can never have enough of the following: power for your portable DVD player, gum, candy, water, bathroom breaks
- Driving a 26-foot U-Haul truck is not real good on the back.
- Just because the Days Inn offers a free hot breakfast doesn’t mean you have to eat it.
- PODS can pound sand

Ballpark costs:
- U-Haul truck $1,000.00 one-way (includes dolly and blanket rentals)
- Boxes & packing materials $100 (Sarah did great finding boxes)
- Kid next door, 2 days of truck packing $225 (a bargain – thanks Chris!)
- Fuel $250
- Days Inn $60
- Food $50
- Plane tickets $600
- TOTAL $2,300 (did I miss anything, Sarah?)

Packing and Moving… and Moving … and Moving

This past weekend Sarah and I really started to get serious about packing. We’re closing on our house on the 30th, so the clock is certainly ticking. We’ve only been in this house a bit over three years but have certainly done what we could to fill the house with all kinds of things in that time.

But the real challenge is our living arrangements over the next 6-8 months. Here’s what that looks like:
- April 30th move out of our house on 4th Ave in Minneapolis
- April 30th – June 9th in a furnished apartment on 13th Ave
- June 9th – Fall 2010 in an apartment in Brownsburg, Indiana
- Fall 2010 move into new house in Brownsburg

So four homes in 2010. I believe the term “constant transition” is relevant here. I hope we don’t forget one of the kids during a move.

Packing is one thing, but the big challenge is what stuff goes where? What will we need for six weeks in the furnished apartment? What will we need for five or six months in the Brownsburg apartment this summer? What goes into storage to wait until we get into the house? How much is Frederick going to grow in the next six months? Can we pack away winter coats? (the answer is “no” if we were staying in Minnesota, but we should be good in Indiana, eh?) Should we take the rice cooker to 13th Ave or ship it to Indy? How many floor puzzles will we really need over the next six-weeks-to-five-months? If we pack all the pie pans until the fall, doesn’t that mean no strawberry-rhubarb pie this year? Oh the horror!

Not to get too introspective about it, but this is basically an exercise in looking at every item you own and saying “when will I really need this?” or “do I really need this at all?” (or, more pointedly, “what is all this shit”?) Books, clothing, furniture, toys, housewares – it’s all scrutinized with a new lens. (For me, that lens is “I’m probably going to have to pick up this thing and move it about 2-5 times over the next eight months. Is the corresponding back pain worth it?” also known as the “Ibuprofin Corollary”)

Anyway – if we’re on your Christmas card list good luck tracking us down. I’m sure the USPS is going to assume we’re on the lam this summer. And if you drive by our house in the next week and see a futon with the word “free” taped to it, knock yourself out.