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Sample Excerpt
Excerpt from
Shape Up and Move Out
You’ve pared
down your belongings as a result of loot parties and the stuff sale, yet,
at this point, you may still feel somewhat baffled as you survey stacks of
cardboard cartons and plastic-sack blobs. Where did all this stuff come
from?
Your home has
taken on the appearance of a warehouse. The sacks (labeled, of course), you
will recall, contain the clothing, towels, bed linens, blankets and pillows
you will not need during these last few days before the big event. The
boxes teeter in stacks from corner to corner reminiscent of a famous
Italian landmark.
About the
only familiar pieces still in place are your TV and your favorite chair.
With all this confusion, your bird, your cat, or your dog—if these are a
part of your life—will be especially needful of your attention and
reassurance, and giving it to them will provide the same for you.
Items for
sale on consignment by your friend—such as the microwave, toaster oven, and
blender—will be picked up a day or two before the move. Which
brings us to this question. If you pack, give away, or sell all your
dishes and furnishings before you move, how do you manage meals and normal
functioning during these last days?
If you have
ever gone camping, especially backpacking where you must carry all food,
clothing, utensils and sleeping gear on your back, you will recall the need
to travel light. If you have never indulged in any kind of camping, it may
surprise you to learn how few toiletries, clothing, bedding, and cooking
pots are essential for your daily needs.
Normally, you
will not have given away or sold your refrigerator, range, or washer and
dryer. In most instances, if you are leasing your home, some or all of
these appliances remain with it. If your destination requires that you take
them along, they will be disconnected and loaded by movers or gracious
helpers on the last day. The moving instructions furnished by a moving
company will include information about disconnecting appliances. Make sure
a knowledgeable person does this. Failing to properly drain washing machine
hoses and ice maker plumbing can result in extra messes to clean up.
Let’s say you
are single and have five days until move-out. On the first day of that
countdown, pack everything but the following: a coffeemaker (if required),
one small pot to boil water for tea or to cook cereal or vegetables, a
small fry pan, a plastic bowl and a set of eating utensils, a sharp knife
and a tablespoon. Retain paper plates (from the loot party), a coffee mug,
and plastic drinking cups. Paper towels, handy for many last-minute chores,
can be used as napkins.
Make your own
choices and adjust this list for the length of time you will be in transit
and for any changes in climate between here and there. For the five days
before move-out, basic essentials are: underwear, nightwear, comfortable
shoes, a pair of work pants and top, a second pants and top or other
garment for travel or for errands away from the house, a jacket (depending
on weather), your medications, toiletries, and a couple of towels.
Pack these in
the same bag you would take on a short vacation trip. All other clothing
and incidentals can be boxed, placed in suitcases, plastic sacks, or left
in garment bags in the closet until final day. You can always use the
public laundry if necessary during your last week before the move.
Clear the
fridge and clean it at least two days before your move. You may want to
freeze a container or two of water to use in a food cooler for the
perishables—perhaps milk or pet food—for your last day in the home.
Neighbors are usually happy to have gleanings from your fridge, but you
will be too busy the last few hours to deliver the quarter pound of butter,
the stalk of celery, and the half-quart of milk. Such chores involve
conversation which you do not have time for. Take your leftovers to
neighbors and say your good-byes at least two days before Move Day.
Confessing my
greatest fridge faux pas may be useful here. On one move, to save the
renter electricity before he took over the home a week after I left it, I
cleaned the refrigerator and turned off the power but failed to leave the
fridge door open. The tenant sent me a bill for mildew removal. My
intentions were good, but the execution was brainless.
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