I Hate Moving

I feel you. Currently having to move twice so on the second move I decided to upgrade my system using this time as an opportunity (insanity) to ship all my equipment that is going to be replaced to the vendors rather load them up to my new place first. Did I say opportunity...I meant rationalization to spend more money.

@bondmanp 'I cried because I had no shoes, then I saw a man with no feet.' Wow, your situation is difficult to say the least.

Thanks everyone for your input, it feels better knowing that I'm not alone. I believe Sunday afternoon will be move the stereo day.

If you go to a Budget rent-a-truck location, they can probably give you the number(s) of guys that only load and unload trucks. This saved me last moving day. Also helps if you move everything to the room closest to the exit door. Finally, hand trucks are great as are floor dollys (medium and small). Not too expensive.

P.S. when packing amps, preamps, DACs, etc. always put the front in first (into the usual big plastic bag). If you don't, there's a chance you could scratch the front, cutting the tape that is sealing the bag.

It's funny, we haven't moved that many times since adulthood, but in some ways I find it cathartic, even though it leaves me exhausted. If you are anything like me, you throw stuff in a box that makes its way to the basement. Ten or twenty years later, you find that you never bothered to open the box! So much for keepsakes.

I've done moves literally around the corner and virtually across the country. To some degree they all involve the same amount of work. We tend to pack our own high value things-- much like you would your hi-fi gear. 

My point, if there is one, is that it is a good opportunity to "deaccession" or dump stuff you don't need. Not all may be junk- it's just that it outlived its usefulness for you. 

We downscaled on our last move, partly b/c we didn't want the upkeep, cost or running expenses of a big house. That required even more careful planning in terms of what to keep and what to get rid of. Many things made their way to friends, so I viewed that as a positive- not just increasing the size of the landfill/dump, but giving away things that people actually appreciated. 

May also be a stage of life thing. I'm at a point where I want less- I like quality, I like good things, appreciate a fine rug or a piece of art, so some of this stuff will probably remain until they haul me off to the nursing home or burning pyre. But, the process of sorting through the artifacts of your life can be liberating in a way if that makes any sense. 

Good luck on your move. 

Don't forget to label your cables before taking down the system.