Moving is the grown-up equal of high school—everybody is super excited about the prospect, but it is only the folks with realistic expectations who wind up having a smooth move. Sure, it's a new house, a new beginning, and the possibility of a fabulous new life--but once that last empty truck heads down the road and you're standing there amidst your boxes, you've still got to do the actual work.
Managing your move with realistic expectations is essential to beginning that new life on a positive note--and that equates to not only accepting the fact that a new home will not wondrously melt off the thirty pounds you have good intentions to lose, but that moving is emotionally exhausting even in the best circumstances and you and your family should allow the time and space to accept that.
One of the odd things about a local move--new house, neighborhoods, schools--is that can be tougher on the kids than a long-distance relocation. A new residende across the country removes the never-ending requests to go visit their friends in the old neighborhood, and it may be less difficult to embrace a new life and new friends when your old ones are in a different time zone.
But let’s get back to the main point. There are three Ps to think about when managing your move to or in El Paso--Purge, Pack, and Pay. What you do not purge will need to be packed, and the more you pack, the more you will pay. Expectation—I'll sort through old stuff and only hang on to what I love. Reality--you love a lot more than you believe you do. Whether you take care of your own packing or appoint a professional moving company, you have got to determine what is worth the time and money to take with you.
Purge
Purging is one of those strange words you do not hear very often, at least in a affirmative implication. But really, getting rid of the old baggage is one of the smartest ways that you can allow your new residence to grant your expectations of greatness. There are all kinds of directions and tips to assist you in figuring out the best ways to sort through your old stuff, from practical--"if you haven't used/worn it in a year get rid of it"; to a tad off-the-wall--"toss all your negative energy out with the old towels". At its simplest level, purging is basically going through all the cupboards, closets and drawers and forming three piles: hang on to, toss, donate. Or you might have four piles if you have got some next-to-new items that you do not use anymore, and consign those things.
A troublesome thing about purging is retaining the neutrality you need to be ruthless about tossing things. If you kept all those pre-school paintings, how can you get rid of them and be a great parent? Here's how—appoint a friend to help you pick through things and talk you through why you're keeping things that are really better thrown away. Having a friend ask you out loud why you want to save the 1980s Walkman does put things in relative importance and you'll have a less difficult time growing the get-rid-of pile if you have got someone to reinforce your decisions.
If your partner is the one with the pack rat impulses, here is a tip for assisting an unenthusiastic partner 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 progressively build to more important things, like collections (for example, choose two or three porcelain bunnies and donate or consign the rest).
Join us next time as we go over managing your move topics: Pack and Pay, in Part 2 of this blog series.
