I’m always disappointed when I can only find a hardcover version of a book — how else am I supposed to carry it in my purse without the strap breaking?

Also re: food, if you can’t take it with you because of space, give opened things to friends, colleagues, and unopened items to food banks/community cupboards

Also, moves always suck and are always stressful, but you can do it! The goal is to get things from one place to another, and if it happens in several garbage bags rather than neatly packed boxes, so be it!

Selling v. Giving away: you just have to think about if the money is more important or the time. Selling things typically takes longer and requires more mental investment from you. Getting rid of something that Value Village, a local shelter, etc typically is just the effort it takes to drop it off.

For my adult years, my big move was across the country, and for that I just had to prioritize. What was replaceable on the other end? Would it cost more to move it or cost more to repurchase it? (E.g. mattress and bed frame would have been more to ship than to just re-buy.)

A lot of the moves were when I was a child, so that would have been my mom’s department haha. But I do remember really cutting down on grocery shopping in the last month and doing a lot of “interesting” meals to get the fresh and frozen food down. Pantry staples often moved with us in boxes/coolers.

There was a period in my childhood when it was pretty much once a year, but it has slowed down now!

Packing: Liquor stores often have good sturdy free boxes. If your boxes will be in different locations at the new house (ie kitchen, storage, bedroom) use different colours of duct tape for easy labelling.

Decluttering: if it had poop on it, would you toss it?

Source: 14 moves in 30 years

Saw your stuff at the fair! Congrats on the v. important wins 🏆

Do I maybe have a novel idea based on this very premise, with the main character eventually being forced to attend council meetings and public hearings to turn her dream into a reality? Is it maybe inspired by hours and hours of watching local council meetings? Who’s to say.