Moving: The aftermath

Moving was a fiasco.

• The sticker idea didn't work, the stickers were too small. Next time, use the tape. 
• Very detailed labels are a lifesaver. It takes an extra few seconds to write roughly everything that was in the box, and those seconds add up. But at least include anything specifically important, like NIGHTSTAND FAN or LOCK BOX or what pieces of kitchen equipment are in each box. 
• The idea of packing things with clothes worked awesomely. Do that! 
• Have someone in charge of packing the truck who is well-rested, patient, and good at real life Tetris. 
• Take lots of breaks. It is OK to sit down! Sitting down to pack something doesn't count as a break. 
• Make sure everything is packed into boxes before the day you pick up the truck. Leave as very little as you can get away with until the last minute. 
• Standard-sized boxes are a life-saver. Even if you are using non-standard sized boxes, as long as you have a LOT that are the same size and shape, that's what's important. 
• Non-standard-sized boxes are a lifesaver. Some things just don't fit in the perfectly shaped things sold by moving companies. Sometimes you need something smaller than a Small box or oddly sized to make a nice, sturdy stack in the truck. For these, oddly shaped boxes are key. 

In the future, I will take the six weeks recommended to pack properly and get things labeled nicely. Oh, wait, no I won't. That NEVER HAPPENS. 

It's done. The moving truck is unloaded and returned. Some of the boxes are even unpacked. We ended up having to do some projects that didn't directly involve unpacking boxes, so we aren't as far along as we'd have liked with that, but the unpacking is still coming along nicely. I have a couple pieces of furniture left to acquire, specifically an over-the-toilet shelving unit. We acquired a liquor cabinet at Goodwill yesterday, but we have to stain the shelves so we have somewhere to unpack the glassware. 

It's a whole different kind of to-do list, more urban and less homesteading for a while. We discovered yesterday some sticker shock over produce prices. Some of it is the natural food stores jacking up prices for the name. Some of it is the odd weather. Some of it is that we have been spoiled by out-of-city prices, though the best price on produce in Vancouver was at a natural foods store.

So we will save up for a CSA again for next summer. We will plow through our jars and jars and more jars of plum jam. We will gather our herbs and maybe get a tomato plant in a pot next year. We will scope out some produce stands with better prices and check out the farmer's markets. And soon, soon our lives will be in order.