The couch stays in California. Everything else, I'm not so sure...

We have moved nine times since we got married. That's nine times in 6.5 years. No, we don't like moving. Each move had a very important and specific purpose. We moved to SF for school, and then we moved back, but before we found a place we had to stay with family. Blah blah blah six-and-a-half years later.

We have gotten pretty good at keeping our life empty of useless junk, mostly because we dread moving the boxes of useless junk on an average of once every nine months. Still, there are items. Useful items, that might just be more expensive to schlep across the country than to replace when we get there. Like the couch. The beds. But pleasepleaseplease let me keep my kitchen.

We have checked out several moving options and it is shocking how differently some things are priced. Definitely something we need to do more research on. The most expensive thing we have seen is called "PODS" they will let you pack a storage container at your home, store it for you until you're ready for it, and then ship it to any location on the continent. They quoted us almost $5,000. And we would still have to pay for flights for three across the country. NEXT.

Another option is renting a U-Haul and driving us and all our stuff to NYC. This option sounds like fun to me. U-Haul will give you 10 days and 3300 miles to use for about 2500 bucks, so you could really make a fun road-trip out of it. But it's still very pricey. Especially considering the fuel costs, conservatively estimated at $1200.00, and any hotel/motel stays, national park admissions, and meals along the way. Still about $1000.00 cheaper than PODS.

Another option is to only take what will fit in our suitcases, and leave everything else behind. This thought is absolutely terrifying to me. And I'm not a material girl or anything. I don't have a lot of sentimental attachments to the objects in my life. It's my kitchen I'm worried about. I can't leave it behind. That's where I make my food. And everyone knows that food is my favorite thing in the world. I have shopped for each pot, spoon, knife, and linen with such great care and attention. It has taken me years to figure out what I like to cook with, and even more years to find each high-quality item at a price that fits my budget. I love my kitchen. It makes me feel like I'm at home. If I have to leave it behind, I think I'll be deeply disappointed. Also, there's the replacement cost. I estimate at least $1800.00 to replace everything, and that's IF I can find good deals on everything again.

Lastly, there's actual freight rated shipping with UPS or FedEx (or a similar company). This option might be perfect for us, because the highest value possessions we own, aren't large things like furniture. Instead, it's clothing, small appliances, linens, and kitchen objects. These are things we could easily pack on a pallet and have lifted into a truck. Depending on the weight of our stuff, we could get away with shipping it for between $500 and $1500. Add about $700 for airfare, and it's definitely the cheapest option where I get to keep my kitchen. The downside is of course that we will have no furniture when we get to New York. And that means shopping. Which means we're spending more money.

Are you sufficiently bored yet? Imagine if you have been thinking about this stuff for a month, and knowing you'd have to keep thinking about it for the next four months. That's what I'm doing. Joy of Joys.

In the short-term, I do have a chore that is going to make the ultimate decision quite a bit easier. I have to move a family of three from a one-bedroom apartment into just one bedroom in twenty-five days. I will start by removing at least one large object (or a box of small objects) from my life every day until July 15th. Today, I have two bags of clothes for the goodwill truck. Tomorrow I will list my couch on Craigslist.

Thanks for reading!

Loveseat and ottoman for sale. Soft leather, very comfortable, good condition. Make me an offer!