0

Moving Across the Country: Packing Your Boxes on a Budget

As a singer, you will rarely stay in one place for your whole career. Maybe you live your life out of a suitcase or live in the same town for a decade, but more likely than not, you will make a location change someday. Moving can often be expensive and happen fast. Here are a few recommendations for how to pack your boxes on a budget.

 

Thank It and Let It Go

Moving is the perfect opportunity to downsize. Take the time to consider what clothing and other objects are actually worth hauling across the country. Are you sure you want to take that blouse you haven't worn in 6 months? To quote Marie Kondo, does it spark joy? If not, let it go. You'll be happy to have less things to deal with when you're packing up everything you own.

 

Can’t Take It With You

Unless the bed you’re sleeping on is a prized family heirloom, it doesn’t make financial sense to send your furniture across the country. Instead, try to make some cash for the move by selling your items locally. Craigslist used to be the favorite for buying and selling these sorts of goods, but Facebook Marketplace and local Facebook buy/sell/trade groups are helpful as well. Plus, you get a picture of who you are expecting to meet. Apps like OfferUp or Letgo are specially designed to help you sell items you no longer need locally, and the Nextdoor platform allows you to post items for sale alongside the warnings about package thieves from your neighbors.

If you’re trying to get rid of clothing or home goods, Poshmark and Mercari allow you to sell new and used items to buyers across the country. They do take a percentage of each sale, but easy shipping labels and sharing features on the websites make sales easy and straightforward. Recognized name brands tend to sell better, and items should be in like-new condition to attract buyers.

 

If It Doesn’t Sell

If you have items that don’t sell or are not in great condition, donating is an excellent option. Rather than dumping everything at Goodwill, see if your items may be a better fit for different local charities; you may have unused toiletries that could go to women's shelters or sheet music that can go to a local school or library. If you have larger items such as furniture, see if there is a donation center in your area that will pick up items rather than you having to deliver them. Also, try to make sure you know where your donations are going. Some charitable organizations may support causes you don’t agree with.

Unfortunately, some items like old pillows or mattresses cannot be donated. See if your trash collection offers bulk item recycling and schedule a pickup date as late as you can for the move. It’s a more considerate option than just tossing everything on the street corner the day you roll out of town. Also, your old landlord may insist that all trash be gone at the same time you are. If trash pick up days aren't fitting your schedule, call a local junk hauling company to make sure everything is out when you leave. These companies can book up, especially around the first of the month so schedule in advance if possible.

 

Pack It Up, Ship It Out

If you know your future address or know someone in that area who will temporarily store your stuff for you, try to ship your belongings ahead of time. For items like books, scores, sheet music, CDs, DVDs, or anything under the “media” umbrella, USPS Media Mail lets you ship these items for a fraction of the cost of other companies. For non-media items, UPS or FedEx will likely be cheaper than the post office. Pack in as few boxes as you can to save money, weigh them on your scale, print the labels at home, and pay a small fee to have them pick your items up. This is much easier than hauling everything you want to ship to the local UPS store. If you don’t have any boxes, Craigslist and similar websites are frequently full of other people who just moved offering up their packing containers for free, or local stores may have boxes to give away. See what you can get before you buy a brand new box. Not only is it free, but it’s recycling, too!

 

Stay In Touch

One thing you can't take with you is the people you've met in your current town. Saying goodbye to these friendships and other relationships is the most difficult part of saying goodbye to a place you've called home. Fortunately, social media keeps us all more connected that ever before. Yes, sometimes it feels like social media can often be nothing more than politics and people bragging about jobs they got over you, but for the sake of keeping in touch with long distance friends, it comes in handy. More over, in this business you never know who you will encounter again. Even if you're moving thousands of miles away, you will likely encounter some of the same people at future gigs. Interacting on social media is a quick and easy way to keep everyone updated on what is going on in your life and your career.

More importantly, make sure to go beyond social media for friendships you treasure. It's easy to give a like or a retweet, but sending an actual email or scheduling a phone call to stay in touch with friends will bring you a great sense of comfort as you begin this new chapter in your life. Even if your friends are far away, they have your back. Speaking to them will remind you that you are not alone.

 

Start Fresh

A move is an incredible opportunity. It is basically a reboot on your life. Even if you are moving with a partner or for a specific job, there are still hundreds of brand new opportunities and people to meet no matter where you are going. Embrace them! You have carte blanche to try anything you'd like with the line "I just moved here." The world is yours. Try new restaurants, outdoor activities, join a meetup, or try something you never would have attempted in your old town. Embrace the newness in your life and push your comfort zone to its limits. Moving is one of the most stressful things we can do, and the only way to make it work is to see the change as an opportunity. Try to keep your head on straight during the most anxiety-causing moments and focus on the positives. You are bound to find something unexpected about your new home.

Related Posts
5 German Arias for Tenors You Probably Didn't Know About
Modern Singer Podcast Episode 1: New Year, New Goals
6 Benefits of Being a Stage Manager