Sometimes, it is time to let the pros do the work. I have reached that point a lot younger than you have, ML. It is a big step, sometimes.

Have DH look into moving and shipping scams. It may be better to pack a POD or a SAM. When I was looking into having my kitchen from Green Demolitions shipped to Michigan, it was SCARY to read about drivers refusing to deliver until you paid extra. That is why I rented a Budget truck and flew a son of a coworker of a friend to Hartford CT to drive the kitchen home. Plus, it was no more expensive. What a racket moving is!!!

I have moved without planning and sorting and discarding and it is STILL a mess down in my basement, to prove it. Bad idea.

Hope all goes well or your trip South!

I vote for paring down and shipping less. It's not easy, but it's so worth it. My mom had such a difficult time downsizing, but she is now SO glad she did it. She said that having stuff in the garage and basement was just easier than going through it. Now she knows where everything is...and if she doesn't use it, she gives it away. Watch out, because it can be kind of addictive :)

OH YES Paring down moving less gets my vote too. I am so much happier so much stuff is gone. Unfortunately a lot of it got moved here only to then go away.:^((( Still I am SO much happier things are cleared out. Live is so much easier. I can find some thing with out having to tear the whole house apart. Most times anyway. I honestly believe it is less expensive in the long run to shed the stuff now and buy it new again if you find the need for it down the road some day.

Sympathies ML I am not a fan of moving. Sending you cyber energy.

Nancy, I wanted to do a POD, but he said it would be close to $10,000 to get one delivered. I thought not, but he went into the calling movers, and we've been swamped with phone calls from all over the country. I wish he'd not try to be so cheap, sometimes security is the best route.

Like you say about the scams, I am totally aware of what happens especially to women, they hold you hostage or think they have all the trump cards, and you cannot stop them. The place that DH talked to which he LIKED, said a space in a van which is 4 foot wide x 8 foot long by about 8 foot high, no more than a ton weight, they will load it. But I do not think they PACK IT. And then if it is in the back of the van, it must be offloaded FIRST, or rehandled a couple of times. I'm not sure about that arrangement.

So what is a SAM? I don't know how to look it up, like I did the POD. They had PODs all over town after Hurricane Katrina, and they sat in driveways for almost a year, so folks who've lost almost everything sure cannot afford a $10,000 storage cost. That much does not sound right to me. I called them, and they can leave a POD in our driveway if it is 15 feet wide and does not have a steep incline. The open end will face the top of the driveway next to the garage. You put your own lock on it. Then they can store it if needs be, or deliver it to your destination and let it sit for as long as you are needing it there. I would not mind it being in the driveway for months, but I suppose DH would be unhappy about disrupting his routine.

Well, I go look for SAM and compare to POD.
Thanks for the input, guys.

I vote for paring down too. Soooo much easier than packing and shipping it. And for what? So you can save it to give away later? Do yourself a favor and get rid of it now if it is nothing you use or is a family heirloom.

I agree with that, Marti.
Today I was getting estimates, and I think a 8 x 8 x 16 container will give us plenty of room for even my garden stuff, plus a couple of BIG ROCKS.....sigh, I do so want some rocks.....

The SAM did not go to Mobile, so I'm leaning toward the PODS. I KNOW those are all over Mobile, because they have been on my side of town especially since Katrina.

And, folks who are redoing houses are now tending to store building materials inside a PODS on site. Much safer than leaving it inside the house or outdoors.

The smallest PODS and the largest PODS are the only two sizes which they give for long distance moves. The 8x8x12 is only a storage, local moving I suppose. And between the two sizes, there is only a $300 difference in ultimate cost. So why not the bigger one if I can get DH's tools and his riding lawnmower and my garden stuff included as well.
We cannot take all the good furniture yet, because we must "stage" the house here to sell it. And of course, next spring DH will be back here to wind up several projects. Like a new roof and new carpet on the remaining floors of the family room, the study, and the two upstairs bedrooms.

Today I heard a bang-bang-bang-bang repeating for about 20 minutes, and I went to a window to see what it was. A hole in the soffit beneath the gutters was being dug out by a small red-headed woodpecker. Quite diligent he was too. But do they nest in holes for the winter? It is not a mating season climate now. Very strange. But yesterday DH was measuring the existing hole to make a repair, and I told him he might better remeasure before cutting the patch. It is now somewhat BIGGER. We could not figure out what did the hole, but now we know. I bought a cake of suet to hang outdoors for this little guy. I worry about the poor birds who stay up north for the winter. They say it won't be exceptionally cold this year, but it will be very snowy. So maybe we'll get our shot at the white stuff in Alabama as well. Our last snow was Christmas of 1997, when it was a powder coating on the grass but not beneath the trees.

Sending good thoughts your way, ML. I hate moving, too. Every time I've moved (even when it was my idea, and I really liked the new place), I've spent a few weeks wondering what I was thinking!

We're moving in three weeks and we're going with a tough system.

1: Do you need it?
2: I mean REALLY need it?
3: Is it heavy? (moving company charges by the pound!)
4: C'mon, really, do you need it?
5: Can it be replaced for a small amount of money?
6: Be honest, do you really need it?
7: Will it go with the decor of the new house?
8: I'm really questioning if you need it.
9: Is it something of sentimental value?
10: If it is sentimental, are you sure you're not just saying that because you know deep down that you really just don't need it?

The heavier, smaller things, like silverware we are taking in the car with us, along with stuff we'll need until the moving company arrives and we've reserved each other enough space for stuff that we REALLY REALLY think we need, even if the other of us thinks we don't.

I think some of the joy of moving should be that we can rid ourselves of some of the clutter we just couldn't part with before. Yes, there are times when I'm feeling the pang, but then I realize that in most cases, it was something I forgot I even had until I stumbled across it again.

ML, before you go, buy a rubber snake and put it near the repaired hole, or the woodpecker will be back. He may just move to another location anyway. They are destructive little rascals.

Our SAM was from Mayflower Moving. I have ours almost empty, but the scrap wood and a few other things are still there. I spent the last few days down with a terrible headache and stomach flu - head hurt so much I thought the Shingles were back. Anyway, I did not arrange for DH and our friend to empty the SAM, so we get it for another month. $65 - cha-ching!

I think we paid $59 to have it delivered,$65 per month,and will pay $59 to have it taken away.