moving - how long for one person packing up and throwing out?

[2Design]

moving out of two bedroom apartment - no bedroom furniture and other bedroom is office

I am a pack rat
How long should I reasonably give myself to pack up and throw out stuff?

What do you keep?
How do others keep so little?

I have three large bookshelves and 4 small full of stuff.

Too much to store

It is all going into storage while I go to florida and find job and place to live

how big storage?

woman packing - and I am not young - seems like it takes forever

still putting stuff on ebay too

seems junk sells better on ebay - jay leno had some last night on his show - and they went for a good amount of money for not much

so how much time to pack?
How long to move it?

[skygazer]

1. Hard to say

I would think it couldn't take more than a week but it all depends on you.

I've taken as long as a couple of weeks and as short a time as one day. So it all depends.

Sorry. Lousy answer. And my sympathy - I hate moving.

[NV Whino]

2. All I can tell you

is be merciless when you toss stuff. If you haven't looked at/used it in a year, out it goes. Get some young high school studs to help. You supervise, they pack and haul to dump/library/wherever.

As for time, I moved my mother north from L.A. two years ago. I went down two separate weeks and tossed and packed about 6 hours a day for each of those weeks. When I got her up to Napa, everyone asked how she was (she was 89 at the time). I said she was fine, I was still in recovery.

Good luck.

[Shakespeare]

4. I STRONGLY second that!

I just moved about 6 months ago, and got rid of as much stuff as I could (sold some stuff, donated some stuff, threw stuff away).

PURGE, PURGE, PURGE. It's a very satisfying, cleansing thing to do--you may find it psychologically therapeutic.

[2Design]

6. I did that throwing out when I came here 7 years ago - but

I then regretted some of the things I tossed because I did not have the money to replace them - like a bed - but it was too much to store for a year - I put everything into a 5 by 5 and packed it really well to the top - furniture had a different place - not many pieces

but thanks - just going through boxes and boxes of papers that I have saved from classes taught and taken has been a trip down memory lane

yet I remember the regret part - so it is a tightrope

but that is a good gage - 6 hours a day for two weeks - whew I need to work harder - just going through paper takes so long

[sbj405]

3. When I moved into storage,

I got a 10' by 10' unit for a 2 bedroom. This will allow for all furniture and not a lot of stacking. Depending on where you are and how long the stuff will be there, you might consider getting a climate controlled unit. More money, but worth it to preserve your stuff.

In my last few moves between states, I've come to realize that most stuff is not worth moving. Trucks or professional movers are expensive. Not to mention that any furniture which required assembly probably won't survive or not well at least. "Uhh your dresser disintegrated" was the comment by my professional movers re: my Ikea dresser :-) Seriously, it's often more cost effective to sell off what you have on craigslist or whatever and buy new or used when you arrive.

Good Luck!

[2Design]

5. I was getting climate control - I have pictures and negatives

and a few pieces of china - the storage person said with winter and the fighter jets flying over - the china would crack -
so climate contol is the answer

5 x 15 seems to be coming in as 80-90 dollars

figured press board goes - although I have moved bookcases

when I moved here from CT- everything had been in storage and some furniture at sisters house - I flew up and took a cab to rental truck place
penske has unlimited mileage - they are the only one I would use
I went to storage space and packed truck - next day went to sisters - spent the night - packed furniture - drove to va by myself - no car in tow

not comfortable towing car

I rented the truck for 350 dollars = prices are up during the thanksgiving - christmas time period and in the summer

I don't have a place to live yet - so storage is it

[sbj405]

7. Re: trucks

I usually go for Penske, too. The trucks seem to be newer and in better shape. UHaul has been a horror anytime I've tried to use them. I say try because I would get there and then thwy wouldn't have a truck. check out http://www.dontuseuhaul.com/

[2Design]

8. what drew me to penske was the unlimited miles

it seemed whenever anyone rented they would go over what was allocated and it ran up costs a lot - plus I need the truck as transporation while I was there - I forget how I got an extra day put on but that allowed me to do what I needed to do and drive around the ct area from New Haven to Fairfield - go to the dentist and others things in the two or three days I had there - it was something

I was extremely happy with the whole thing - and I think the other plus was the penske here was closed on sunday so the exact time gave me a little leeway - although I believe I got it back in time anyway -

so I have to call and price but - not yet anyway -
getting it to storage is the other part - some have truck for free with some catches - so I am checking my options - have to hire some guys to help with the move -