By last weekend, I've helped 12 friends moving out from their place. I'm not exageratting here, it's true. I've counted how many times I went to see my masseur to straighten my back after carrying those monstrous boxes.
I believe that human continued their nomadic tradition to left their homes in search of new places to live with better land and more closet space. Even back in primitive times, Urrg would complain to her husband Oggh their current cave was too small and she tired of tripping over the growing piles of chewed mammoth bones. They would then have to pack up their family and posessions, find a comfortable new place to live, kill whoever was occupying it, and then moving in.
After helping out these mammals leave their caves and studied their behaviour, I noted that these things could be helpful for those who planned to move out:
First, get help. I mean physical help, not mental (you may need the latter, though, if you can't get the former). There are two types of help: professional movers, and friends and family. Professionals will charge you lots of money to bounce your items around in a large truck, saving you the trouble of breaking them yourself. Friends and family cost little more than food and drinks for a job well done, but will laugh at all the personal junk you've been saving forever and at least one member of your moving crew will remind you for the next millennium he's owed a favor.
On my side, despite its setbacks, you'll find that the Friends method is the best one. If you have no family or friends, you should get some, even if temporarily. Get adopted into a large family, for example. Go to a cafe, buy the next table a round of drinks, start up a conversation, and casually ask if they happen to be available to move some boxes this weekend.
Consider the time you'll spend moving. Don't try moving everything in one day without a team of paramedics on call. Moving over several days is easier, if you don't mind living surrounded by boxes gathering along the opposite walls, making the room look like it's about to perform mitosis. You'll also have to live with temporarily limited access to your things and furniture. It's a bit like camping, only without all the fresh air, atmosphere, fun, and time off from work.
From what I've learned marriage is a BIG factor in the move. Bachelor moves are simple: TV, stereo, two trash bags of clothes, and a few crates of CDs. Recent studies have proven married people, however, collect stuff at an exponentially higher rate which doubles each year together. There are cases of couples who have had to divorce to keep their attics from exploding. Furthermore, moving with young children is a whole new set of challenges. For kids, every empty box is a new toy, and the small ones becomes a Frisbees.
This is not to say there aren't any benefits to moving. Videotaping your clumsiest friends moving the biggest boxes and submit it to "Spontan" would make an extra cash. "Sorry, I can't help you with the fridge down those stairs, I'm trying to keep the camera steady. By the way, you think you could injure that hamstring again? The light was bad on that last shot."
As for me, I'm beginning to think of having my own moving bussiness. Don't worry, I won't charge more then pizzas and drinks. It's only Rp 50.000 per hour. Am I a good friend or what?
