How many bags is your life?

[anat0l]

I'm at the stage where I'm thinking of my life after Grad School (finally!) and really, strongly thinking of getting out of the city where I was born, raised and still reside in.

This would, of course, necessitate moving all of my stuff. This means throwing out the junk, deciding what's essential and then storing the rest somehow, if it really mattered. And perhaps palleting / packaging the furniture or what not.

It got me thinking about this, though: how many bags would I need to pack up my life? Obviously my desk can't fit in a bag (but that's a separate issue). I'm not sure if I'd carry my amenity kit collection (hey, a lot of us like to collect something, right?).

How many bags would you need to contain your life?

(Some of you who have seen Up In The Air might draw an allusion to Ryan's question, "What's In Your Backpack?")

 

[simongr]

We have a a double garage - half of that is things that don't fit in the current house...

 

[Princess Fiona]

Way too many bags ( and shoes) for me :mrgreen:

 

[medhead]

A 30ft shipping container last time we moved.


Sent from the Throne

 

[LiamR]

12 Archive Boxes, a 46" TV and a brand new Toyota Corolla.

Before I flew over to San Fran for 5 weeks I moved out of my previous apartment and purchased a new one, which becomes available the day I get back. Everything's in storage at the moment so it's pretty easy to calculate the weight of my life.

(In Three weeks I arrive into MEL at 9ish from LAX, shower, pick up new key, move into my new apartment and then sleep there that night. Fun day huh? Did I mention I'm on the 9am to SYD the next day?)

 

[drewbles]

Last time I moved with a truck, a 1.5 tonne truck was required to move, and a half.

The actual last time I moved was a cluster.... In a nutshell, the cars in the parking lot were in front of my apartment entrance, one being mine and the other my neighbours. We shared an porch and his car was directly in front of it. He decided to go on holidays (which he's entitled to of course) for 4 weeks, rendering access to my front door useless for all but people being able to walk down next to the car. As a result, my housemate and I ended up moving on New Years Eve, in 40 degree heat, with my car, and a few friends. We ended up having to leave the fridge until he got back, but fortunately the owner was moving in, and was having re-modelling done, so we could leave it without penalty.

I also downsized considerably in the last property, so the 1.5 tonne x 1.5 was probably just a 1.5 tonne truck. Regardless, It's a pita. I'm considering moving o/s in the very near future, and now have the fun task of deciding if I should put it into storage indefinitely (expensive) or selling it all and buying it if/when I move back to AU (potentially even more expensive to re-purchase everything).

And good luck with the move Liam. Fortunately I don't have a ute so I can't be roped in to help move (my car won't move more than a suitcase ).

 

[LiamR]

And good luck with the move Liam. Fortunately I don't have a ute so I can't be roped in to help move (my car won't move more than a suitcase ).

Thanks drewbles​, thankfully I've got a friend with a ute picking me up from the airport. Hopefully things go relatively smoothly.

I was surprised at just how much I could fit into my car.

 

[drewbles]

Thanks drewbles​, thankfully I've got a friend with a ute picking me up from the airport. Hopefully things go relatively smoothly.

I was surprised at just how much I could fit into my car.

I was surprised too with my old car. I'm not surprised with my current '2 seater sold as a 4 seater to make it better for insurance' vehicle though

 

[LiamR]

I was surprised too with my old car. I'm not surprised with my current '2 seater sold as a 4 seater to make it better for insurance' vehicle though

Oh the other hand, your number plate impressed me.

(Back on topic.... sorry anat0l​!)

 

[ozmille]

When we moved to Oz 5 years ago we had one suitcase each of about 30kg, if we decide to move again a shipping container will be needed :shock: (unless if I get my way and we sell the lot and buy shiny new stuff wherever we move to )

 

[drewbles]

Oh the other hand, your number plate impressed me.

(Back on topic.... sorry anat0l​!)

(quickly off topic again)
Yes. I had that on my old car too. I was an aviation geek well before I developed an interest in dark, shiny pieces of plastic
(right, back on topic again!).

 

[Berlin]

I moved to Australia seven years ago and had exactly one suitcase of 23kg plus a huge box sent via ship which was 30kg. Everything else had to go into the rubbish or be sold on ebay.

To be honest- I'm quite keen to move somewhere else again at some point just to be forced to throw away all my cough again!

 

[penegal]

I can survive a month with hand carry only (wardrobe permitting - if I need several different suits, I will contemplate checking a bag)


At the other extreme I have a lot of junk at my house. Last time I "moved" (back to Australia), I had about 150kgs worth of checked luggage, and most of a shipping container. The reality is that I didn't "miss" anything in the shipping container during the 6-8 weeks it took to arrive... I think that speaks volumes about the amount of junk we accumulate.

 

[penegal]

(In Three weeks I arrive into MEL at 9ish from LAX, shower, pick up new key, move into my new apartment and then sleep there that night. Fun day huh? Did I mention I'm on the 9am to SYD the next day?)

Good luck. Let me know if you need a hand. I'm happy to help if in the right country / city.

Yes. I had that on my old car too. I was an aviation geek well before I developed an interest in dark, shiny pieces of plastic

They are very cool

 

[serfty]

As Ryan Bingham "said":

How much does your life weigh?

Imagine for a second that you're carrying a backpack. I want you to pack it with all the stuff that you have in your life... you start with the little things. The shelves, the drawers, the knickknacks, then you start adding larger stuff. Clothes, tabletop appliances, lamps, your TV... the backpack should be getting pretty heavy now.

You go bigger. Your couch, your car, your home... I want you to stuff it all into that backpack.

Now I want you to fill it with people. Start with casual acquaintances, friends of friends, folks around the office... and then you move into the people you trust with your most intimate secrets.

Your brothers, your sisters, your children, your parents and finally your husband, your wife, your boyfriend, your girlfriend. You get them into that backpack, feel the weight of that bag.

Make no mistake your relationships are the heaviest components in your life. All those negotiations and arguments and secrets, the compromises. The slower we move the faster we die.

Make no mistake, moving is living. Some animals were meant to carry each other to live symbiotically over a lifetime. Star crossed lovers, monogamous swans. We are not swans. We are sharks.

Now having moved house recently our life fills up 3BR, Lounge, Living, Kitchen, Patio and a Double garage with two cars parked in the driveway!

In about three months the Double garage will hold the two cars and the driveway will be empty ...

Other than that, when travelling, about 10kg on wheels ...

 

[penegal]

anat0l: You have a free call option on a large, secure[-ish], monitored storage facility right where you currently live... They are called parents and will "mind" your stuff forever*.



*Until you achieve black sheep status, and they sell it all

 

[anat0l]

anat0l: You have a free call option on a large, secure[-ish], monitored storage facility right where you currently live... They are called parents and will "mind" your stuff forever*.



*Until you achieve black sheep status, and they sell it all

I strongly prefer not to rely on that option!

That's like the Americans and Australia telling Afghanistan that we'll withdraw our troops because it seems you're ready to do this on your own, and then proceed to do so one serviceman at a time.

 

[penegal]

I strongly prefer not to rely on that option!

That's like the Americans and Australia telling Afghanistan that we'll withdraw our troops because it seems you're ready to do this on your own, and then proceed to do so one serviceman at a time.

I guess I have a good relationship with my storage facility managers... er, parents

 

[anat0l]

I guess I have a good relationship with my storage facility managers... er, parents

Well, it's not that (or that bad), but having to make them look after that stuff just manifests another lead balloon. Seeing as my folks are looking to sell up, move or generally be a bit more mobile-ish (they blame me for not being able to do this), probably wouldn't be a good idea to leave stuff with them.

 

[MadFairlane]

My problem would be cars...

I'd have to do numerous runs with a car trailer to pick up the toys and move them.

Some I could get rid of, some I wouldn't (to the extent I priced shipping and importing to the USA when I was considering a move there) for the collectible stuff.