xcountry move: GPS tracker?

[Spock]

Is your new to you home another 5 bedroom 3 car garage house? If not, where are you putting all that stuff?
I understand sentimental things, but is there any way you can sell the majority and repurchase? Yes, a childhood piano is worth moving, as long as your wife still plays and its not a current dust collector
DH and I have worked on reducing "stuff" since we retired, but I realize if we were to move or God forbid, something happed sooner than we planned, we still have way too many do dads and what nots for our kids to chuck in the garbage LOL.
Our small ranch home is still a work in progress, I can't imagine trying to haul it all someplace. I would go serious Marie Kondo beforehand.

Best of Luck in your move. Enjoy your new place!

Well... I always joked that my next move would start with a can of gas and a match... but that's easier said than done.


We've thrown out our previously precious multi-decade collection of National Geographic magazines (I weighed a batch, each 2.5 foot of shelf is 62lbs, so thats about 400lbs...).
Last week I managed to throw out most of my college text books (electrical engineering, so while old the physics hasn't changed).
Yesterday I pitched a couple of boxes of status reports and performance evaluations... worthless now, it felt like I was throwing away "ME".
To us it feels like we're tossing a lot, but it's still barely making a dent.

1 stall of the 3 car garage is full of motorcycles... since I'm moving to the land of ice and snow the bikes gotta go. But winter is a very bad time to sell motorcycles even in AZ. And the ads draw scammers like flies to a politician.

The worst part is throwing away perfectly usable items. My folks experienced the last bit of the Great Depression so I was ingrained with a re-use everything mindset. Throwing it out just feels like waste when it was frugality that allowed me to turn a layoff at 55 into early retirement.

 

[tfudtuckerpucker]

Well... I always joked that my next move would start with a can of gas and a match... but that's easier said than done.


We've thrown out our previously precious multi-decade collection of National Geographic magazines (I weighed a batch, each 2.5 foot of shelf is 62lbs, so thats about 400lbs...).
Last week I managed to throw out most of my college text books (electrical engineering, so while old the physics hasn't changed).
Yesterday I pitched a couple of boxes of status reports and performance evaluations... worthless now, it felt like I was throwing away "ME".
To us it feels like we're tossing a lot, but it's still barely making a dent.

1 stall of the 3 car garage is full of motorcycles... since I'm moving to the land of ice and snow the bikes gotta go. But winter is a very bad time to sell motorcycles even in AZ. And the ads draw scammers like flies to a politician.

The worst part is throwing away perfectly usable items. My folks experienced the last bit of the Great Depression so I was ingrained with a re-use everything mindset. Throwing it out just feels like waste when it was frugality that allowed me to turn a layoff at 55 into early retirement.

We just went through this exact thing, including throwing away all my physics and EE textbooks. Even with a huge estate sale, we threw away or gave away so much. It was a bit painful to then buy back things that we just got rid of, but considering the cost of shipping, prices were discounted (if we paid to ship them instead). After all the smoke has cleared, I was glad we purged. It helps to think about this as moving to a new chapter in your life.

 

[COcheesehead]

We look at our house now and very few things have stayed with us over the years. Only some small family heirlooms. We sold so much over the years, replaced it with something contemporary, rinse and repeat.
Somebody, someday will throw out almost everything in our house.

 

[Koolau]

well... there is the matter of my wife's piano that she's had since childhood...

Okay, that one I understand. I've mentioned before that my mom's piano was the only keep sake I wanted after she passed. We moved it 3 times (15 miles max). I eventually gave it to a young lady who was learning to play and could not afford anything other than a cheap keyboard. I was sure my mom would have approved.

 

[HarveyS]

The worst part is throwing away perfectly usable items.

Sell what you can sell for whatever the buyer will pay. Don't ship it and then plan to sell it for more in the new location.

Find a charity that will take the perfectly usable items. When we got rid of everything and started traveling full time (in May 2020 - remember Covid?) we found plenty of takers. A few items on facebook marketplace - must list as 1st come, 1st served - no holding items. A few items went to consignment shops. A shelter actually sent a truck and took the beds, mattresses and sheets included. (Never underestimate the needy). We sold the dining room table for 1/10th of what we paid. That hurt as we had many a great dinner party around that table......

We kept a 10x15 sized storage locker for the sentimental items.

You are moving on. Move On! Now is the time. Purge.

Consider hiring professional packers. hireahelper.com They will pack the cubes better than you will. Also, I'd get a full service mover quote to re-evaluate the space you need - especially if you hire professional packers. 1 or 2 less containers will pay for itself.

Look for people moving in to your current area and see if you can take their boxes off their hands. Especially dish packs and wardrobe. If not, buy boxes. They are designed to fit together to fill a container. A mishmash of odd boxes is not the way to go.

I think the shipper will track the units better than you give them credit for and I would not track separately. However, if you want to, I think AirTags are the way to go.