About

This last year was a challenging one for myself and my family.  We found ourselves in the need to move twice in a year.  This was in the end a wonderful experience, but it was nonetheless very difficult.  We found ourselves in need at first to move out of our apartment because the heating bill had become outrageous.  We were paying half our rent in heating this apartment for the winter.  This was caused by poor insulation and it had simply gotten to the point of insanity. Plus we found out they were going to raise rent several hundred dollars for upgrades they were doing to other apartments and not ours.  So our bills would only increase and our unhappiness would keep climbing.

Our first move we used old cardboard boxes that I collected from big box stores.  We went to local Kroger stores, Marsh Stores, and Walmart’s to collect them.  I was able to do this mostly for free minus the gas money and time and it seemed like a good idea.  On moving day several of the boxes collapsed or tore and we ended up with damaged goods.  Another downfall to the used boxes was that they were very flexible and caused shifting to occur when you would carry them.  It was a bit painful and pulled a few muscles.  We eventually made it all moved into our new apartment and it all worked out just fine. 

Several months later we found a deal that we simply couldn't pass up.  We had been looking for a house in the area we moved, but understood that the cost of owning a home in the preferred city was about 50 thousand dollars above our budget.  Luckily we found a home that popped up on the market that was a renovation.  We called a good friend who works on houses and took a look.  

Good thing we did it fast because the house was on the market only for one day.  We saw the opportunity to purchase this home for 50 thousand dollars under its actual value.  As long as we were willing to put in the work the repairs were manageable for us to do on our own.

So we prepared to move again. This time I went to a local hardware store and actually purchased new cardboard boxes specifically meant for moving.  This time we were met with zero broken boxes and no damaged goods.  The boxes held firm and surprisingly it was worth the extra 10 dollars it cost to buy them.  Next time you move, buy some good boxes. Trust me, its worth it.