Moving On Up

Reader Contribution by Staff
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I have too many shoes and too many books. I now know this because I have had to pack them — all of them. I can honestly say half the reason I rarely move is because I hate moving. Interviewing Al Gore was easier than packing boxes and pouring through all the memories embedded in my stuff.

Nearly everything I have purchased has a story: the first rug I bought in a village in Indonesia, the art I tentatively studied and procured in India, the ceramic mugs my friend Sam made, the bamboo bowls I ordered from Viva Terra. I care deeply about not only how I spend my money but the impacts of my stuff. Whether it’s a carton of milk or bottle of shampoo, I want to know the hands that made the product were paid fairly and the resources used to manufacture the product will not be diminished beyond capacity. So when it came to shipping my precious cargo from my mom’s house in North Carolina, I was, of course, invested in that, too.

I logged five hours just deciding on a rental van for the move. Here’s how I did it. First, I determined the most wasteful parts of a move — boxes, packing materials, and the fuel it takes to get from point A to point B. Then, I figured out how to minimize them. Boxes were easy. I asked others who had moved for theirs. Yes, it was that simple — and cheap! Had it not worked, I would have reverted to what I’ve done in past moves: ask grocery stores if I could have their boxes. No store has ever objected because the boxes are always destined for the recycling bin.

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