Moving = $$

Originally posted to Livejournal on May 26, 2007.

I was about to post this to My Space, but realized that a lot of people would consider it bragging or bellyaching about good fortune. Heaven forbid I just gripped, ya know?

As I was talking with Candy earlier, I came to a startling revelation. Moving costs a whole bunch of money!! Not just the cost of the house. I mean, we’re getting a heck of a deal on that. But let’s take a minute to look at the unexpected expenses that come from “bettering your situation”. Before you read this and assume we’re made of money, I’d point out that I’m changing jobs namely so we can afford this dang house (and to avoid the therapy that would result from me continuing in my current line of work), and that we are rolling spare change to make this work. This is by no means any matter of braggy post, but is also not so much a rant either. It’s just a statement of fact. Let’s look at said facts….

Things that our new house has that our old house does not:

2 ½ more bathrooms

Another bedroom

A whole other living room

Carpet

A front porch

A deck

More windows

A daycare!!

These things all involve spending money.



A brief inventory of what we’ll need:

Things like soap dispensers, shower curtains, toothbrush holders and all that stuff that bathrooms involve.

There is NO furniture in our second spare room.

We only have one couch and one rocking chair for two living rooms. We don’t have a functional vacuum cleaner because we have hard wood in the old house.

We will only be able to stand on our deck or porch because there is no furniture out there.

Thank God the window shades convey, cause we won’t be having curtains at most of the windows.

A new washing machine because our disgusting water ruined our old one.

3 port-a-cribs, 2 highchairs, 2 swings, and a collection of sippy cups and other baby paraphernalia.



A look at the cost of what we’ve already either purchased or will soon:

$1600 for furniture for the family room

$1200 for a new washing machine

$60 per port-a-crib, swing, or highchair, minimum

This is unreal to me. I don’t spend money without serious remorse. I’m about to take a load of gift cards to Target to get towels and such that we had on our registry, and to get it all matched up and such. I feel bad spending gift cards, for crying out loud!!!! So, $1200 for a front loading washer last night made me nearly puke.

Now here’s the kicker: most retail chains have started using reusable plastic totes for shipping. That’s fantastic, and I applaud their green efforts. But that means you can’t get boxes when you’re going to move. We NO KIDDING had to buy boxes. Costco sells a moving kit. It includes like 50 boxes, 5 rolls of bubble wrap, packing paper, tape, and dispensers. Unbelievable. We’ll use them about a million times, I promise. But I feel so consumery.

Okay, I have to go pack in said boxes. How can moving be so fun AND suck so much!!??!