-local print shops, including Kinkos. those paper ream boxes are perfect size for moving. One of my printers also lent me a tape gun so I wouldn't have to buy one.
- ABC liquor stores are good because they have the dividers for fragile things like glasses, wine bottle collections, etc
How do you think Wendys gets all their fries/salads/hamburgers into the store?
In boxes.
I know someone who manages a Wendys, and we did almost our whole move with fry boxes, which are very conveniently sized for that. They also have a variety of other sizes. I imagine going during a slow time and asking could yield a regular pickup rotation - they save the time having someone break them down before putting them in a dumpster.
My mother has done similar things with grocery stores. Egg boxes are the winner for size and sturdiness.
Lest you worry that food boxes would be smelly and soiled, they really aren't. Clean as office supply boxes.
I guess it works for some people but I would rather pay with cash or debit and have no credit card balance. It's too tempting to charge more than you can pay back immediately. Personally, it works better for me to budget $60 a week spending cash and when it's gone it's gone. Otherwise, "wants" become "needs" very quickly.
What will I do when gas hits $4 a gallon? Not a darn thing because I'm car-free! I'll keep taking the bus and train.
You can't imagine the feeling of freedom I got when I sold my car. No more gas, no more maintenance, no more insurance, no more parking tickets.. the list goes on...
Hit the big chain bookstores! They always seem to have a ton of sturdy, perfectly-sized boxes that they're happy to give you if you ask. It works best if you're a regular customer - the manager at my Borders recognized me and basically gave me every box they had, which ended up being more than enough to move.
U-haul (www.uhaul.com) has a box exchange message board, where people who have recently completed moves offer up their used boxes. Some people charge but many give away their boxes for free.
I use that one quite a bit. It gives a fresh surface, and you don't have to come up with a label to cover anything up. Then I don't have to use paper either.
I simply wrap the books I send in reused brown paper bags! If I can't find any free bags, I pick up a 99 cent roll of brown paper at the drug store.
Thanks for the tips!
Just a reminder that, as you said, you must use USPS shipping materials as they are intended to be used. The Post Office has the right to open packages, and if they figure out you have -say- turned a box inside out to use (even if you pay postage) they'll return it.
I do a lot of shipping for my ebay sales too, and this is an excellent list you've assembled. I'm highly in favor of reusing every darn box and puffy envelope that comes into my house. Lots of folks at the office building I work at put their boxes outside their office suites for anyone to grab, and grab I do!
Here's one additional GREAT resource of shipping materials -- the postal service itself. If you ship via regular mail (and these days, cost is a factor so I ship as much as I can regular mail) you can get FREE supplies that you order online and are brought to you free of charge by your mail carrier. Here's a link where you can order exactly what size boxes you want, does it get cooler than that??
Xin! Thanks for sharing. You mentioned Amazon.com but didn't explicitly mention that one of the best ways to get boxes to reuse is to order from them. With larger shipments, there'll sometimes be boxes within boxes, too. Amazon.com has some sort of box-numbering system, and I don't know which codes correspond to which sizes, but I've seen a good range.
About a month ago, I decided to simply budget $35 per week for gas. My 95 Toyota Avalon (with 194,000 miles on it) gets around 22 mpg and we also have a Honda Accord that gets a little better than that.
I don't normally "work from home" very often, but I am free to do so pretty much any day I want to. So, I'll probably do that one day per week and drive less on the weekends doing errands.
About a month ago, I decided to simply budget $35 per week for gas. My 95 Toyota Avalon (with 194,000 miles on it) gets around 22 mpg and we also have a Honda Accord that gets a little better than that.
I don't normally "work from home" very often, but I am free to do so pretty much any day I want to. So, I'll probably do that one day per week and drive less on the weekends doing errands.
Unfortunately, there is little we can do to bring prices down. But like everyone here has suggested, you can find ways to cut down the effect of the high oil prices. For me, moving 4 miles from my job has been a blessing. Not only have I saved on money, but I have more energy after work, and I get to enjoy more time with my family. Nervetheless, I miss the good ol' days when it took about $18 to fill my car : )
My husband and I live in Phoenix, Arizona and never had a car. We take the bus or walk, or have heavy things delivered. Now with the soaring price of gas, transport costs affect everything here -- medical care, food, utilities, rents. Even the bus pass has gone up. We had a couple luxuries, like ordering Chinese food on Friday nights, and cable TV (only way you can get a TV signal in apartments). We have stopped everything but the internet because I use it for work. Stopped buying bread and canned soup and made our own. Stopped using the bus to go to the store, walk the mile each way, hauling a cart back. Our clothes are recycled/repaired jeans and T-shirts plus one "Sunday" outfit, and we each have one work and one good pair of shoes. There isn't a lot left to cut out.
I have some resentment for those who ran around in gas guzzling Humvees and SUVs living the high life, and now the rest of us are paying for it. But mostly I feel sad for those who cannot even imagine our kind of life, and are suddenly thrust into it. The areas served by public transit tend not to be the suburban jewels. I know what street trouble looks like, and how to dodge it. My feet are used to pounding the pavement: if public transit lets us down again, I know my town and I can walk the safer ways, even if it does take 3 hours to get home (true story).
It is one thing to be an able bodied adult and adapt like this. What about the elderly or disabled, moms and dads with little kids? Hauling a week's worth of groceries is not fun for me and my husband when it's over 100 degrees out, nor is 20 minutes waiting for the bus to show so you can arrive at work late and soaked in sweat. I cannot imagine doing daily errands here with small children in tow, or in a wheelchair.
We saw this coming a year ago. We've been working overtime for the past year, cutting back on literally every aspect of our lives. We saved just enough to move to a better climate. Phoenix is not a happy place without cheap utilities and cheap transportation. I wonder how many other people will find themselves migrating in search of more liveable climates with better public transport?
These are the first rumblings of a nasty discovery for a lot of commuters: when you can no longer afford the 30 minute drive, your bus commute will take 1-1/2 hours each way. The utilities keep going up, and the apartments and houses here are not well insulated. $145 a month for a 1 bedroom apartment with the a/c used sparingly. It is 90 degrees in the living room as I type this. Those prices are not going to drop any time soon, either.
Here's a hint from a veteran of the "no-car" lifestyle: Use one of those trips to the mall to get a comfortable pair of thick soled shoes and some cushy socks. Maybe in the future middle class people will show off the brand of their shoes the way they talk about their Lexus now.
Good luck to everyone as we learn to improvise, make do, change our daily habits. Creativity is what humans do best, so maybe we'll make it through this with our honor, dignity and sense of humor intact.
Listen, the Fed cries "systemic meltdown" everytime they charge off to the rescue of Wall St. Look at S&L, LCM, etc. etc. Helloooooo, where do you think these people come from and go to after their Fed jobs?!?
This is just socialism for the rich and capitalism for the poor. Let the market deal with it...The cost of this so call rescue will be more then the reason for doing it in the first place!!!
Folks on Wall St. are afraid all right, afraid of losing their job after a bull market of lose credit that got us into this mess...
I stopped saying "someday" and "tomorrow" a while ago. If you want to do something, try and say "today". Or take steps towards doing it, today. I'm well-educated, I have great job experience, I live in a country with great social programs (Canada) so there are many safety nets to help out in times of adversity. I'm also healthy (for now) so even if I lost my job tomorrow, I could lift boxes to make money.
But we all die. And we don't know when. I have four young children and a lovely wife. I'd rather spend time with them, or spend money on them now, than spend all of my time "planning for tomorrow". Tomorrow might not come for some of us.
It is a balance of course. That's why I liked your post today. Thanks for your words - Brett
I talk about jacking a bit up above in comment #10.
As far a I know, it not only works, it's even legal. It's also free (no still, and no energy cost for running it), if you live someplace where it freezes overnight.
It does concentrate everything (sugar, flavors, etc.), rather than just the alcohol, so it gives a rather different result. It also won't get nearly as strong as distilling will. But, if you start with something that tastes good (like hard cider), then moderately concentrating and strengthening it can be good. And, after all, most people don't drink their distilled spirits straight--they mix them with something, and the result is probably about as strong as what you can get in the first place by jacking.
of businesses that are good for boxes:
-local print shops, including Kinkos. those paper ream boxes are perfect size for moving. One of my printers also lent me a tape gun so I wouldn't have to buy one.
- ABC liquor stores are good because they have the dividers for fragile things like glasses, wine bottle collections, etc
King Soopers has been my best bet historically: they have a ton of extra boxes sitting around in the back and they are very willing to give them away.
How do you think Wendys gets all their fries/salads/hamburgers into the store?
In boxes.
I know someone who manages a Wendys, and we did almost our whole move with fry boxes, which are very conveniently sized for that. They also have a variety of other sizes. I imagine going during a slow time and asking could yield a regular pickup rotation - they save the time having someone break them down before putting them in a dumpster.
My mother has done similar things with grocery stores. Egg boxes are the winner for size and sturdiness.
Lest you worry that food boxes would be smelly and soiled, they really aren't. Clean as office supply boxes.
I guess it works for some people but I would rather pay with cash or debit and have no credit card balance. It's too tempting to charge more than you can pay back immediately. Personally, it works better for me to budget $60 a week spending cash and when it's gone it's gone. Otherwise, "wants" become "needs" very quickly.
What will I do when gas hits $4 a gallon? Not a darn thing because I'm car-free! I'll keep taking the bus and train.
You can't imagine the feeling of freedom I got when I sold my car. No more gas, no more maintenance, no more insurance, no more parking tickets.. the list goes on...
Hit the big chain bookstores! They always seem to have a ton of sturdy, perfectly-sized boxes that they're happy to give you if you ask. It works best if you're a regular customer - the manager at my Borders recognized me and basically gave me every box they had, which ended up being more than enough to move.
U-haul (www.uhaul.com) has a box exchange message board, where people who have recently completed moves offer up their used boxes. Some people charge but many give away their boxes for free.
Link: http://www.uhaul.com/boards/default.aspx?ForumGroupID=4
"Sweet. So with the right combination of temperature and pressure, I could have liquid wood? I have something to meditate on tonight."
Yes wood is chemical compound. Read a book
"Sweet. So with the right combination of temperature and pressure, I could have liquid wood? I have something to meditate on tonight."
Yes wood is chemical compound. Read a book
I use that one quite a bit. It gives a fresh surface, and you don't have to come up with a label to cover anything up. Then I don't have to use paper either.
Good post, Xin.
I've turned cereal and other rectangular boxes inside out to use as mailers. Works for me!
I simply wrap the books I send in reused brown paper bags! If I can't find any free bags, I pick up a 99 cent roll of brown paper at the drug store.
Thanks for the tips!
Just a reminder that, as you said, you must use USPS shipping materials as they are intended to be used. The Post Office has the right to open packages, and if they figure out you have -say- turned a box inside out to use (even if you pay postage) they'll return it.
I do a lot of shipping for my ebay sales too, and this is an excellent list you've assembled. I'm highly in favor of reusing every darn box and puffy envelope that comes into my house. Lots of folks at the office building I work at put their boxes outside their office suites for anyone to grab, and grab I do!
Here's one additional GREAT resource of shipping materials -- the postal service itself. If you ship via regular mail (and these days, cost is a factor so I ship as much as I can regular mail) you can get FREE supplies that you order online and are brought to you free of charge by your mail carrier. Here's a link where you can order exactly what size boxes you want, does it get cooler than that??
Link to USPS.Gov Store Site
Nice post. Thanks for the sharing. You've got a very nice blog here. Very informative.
Great article, Nora! I'm always inspired by your fearless attitude and willingness to take responsibility for your own destiny.
Mark P. Cussen, CFP, CMFC
Xin! Thanks for sharing. You mentioned Amazon.com but didn't explicitly mention that one of the best ways to get boxes to reuse is to order from them. With larger shipments, there'll sometimes be boxes within boxes, too. Amazon.com has some sort of box-numbering system, and I don't know which codes correspond to which sizes, but I've seen a good range.
About a month ago, I decided to simply budget $35 per week for gas. My 95 Toyota Avalon (with 194,000 miles on it) gets around 22 mpg and we also have a Honda Accord that gets a little better than that.
I don't normally "work from home" very often, but I am free to do so pretty much any day I want to. So, I'll probably do that one day per week and drive less on the weekends doing errands.
About a month ago, I decided to simply budget $35 per week for gas. My 95 Toyota Avalon (with 194,000 miles on it) gets around 22 mpg and we also have a Honda Accord that gets a little better than that.
I don't normally "work from home" very often, but I am free to do so pretty much any day I want to. So, I'll probably do that one day per week and drive less on the weekends doing errands.
Unfortunately, there is little we can do to bring prices down. But like everyone here has suggested, you can find ways to cut down the effect of the high oil prices. For me, moving 4 miles from my job has been a blessing. Not only have I saved on money, but I have more energy after work, and I get to enjoy more time with my family. Nervetheless, I miss the good ol' days when it took about $18 to fill my car : )
My husband and I live in Phoenix, Arizona and never had a car. We take the bus or walk, or have heavy things delivered. Now with the soaring price of gas, transport costs affect everything here -- medical care, food, utilities, rents. Even the bus pass has gone up. We had a couple luxuries, like ordering Chinese food on Friday nights, and cable TV (only way you can get a TV signal in apartments). We have stopped everything but the internet because I use it for work. Stopped buying bread and canned soup and made our own. Stopped using the bus to go to the store, walk the mile each way, hauling a cart back. Our clothes are recycled/repaired jeans and T-shirts plus one "Sunday" outfit, and we each have one work and one good pair of shoes. There isn't a lot left to cut out.
I have some resentment for those who ran around in gas guzzling Humvees and SUVs living the high life, and now the rest of us are paying for it. But mostly I feel sad for those who cannot even imagine our kind of life, and are suddenly thrust into it. The areas served by public transit tend not to be the suburban jewels. I know what street trouble looks like, and how to dodge it. My feet are used to pounding the pavement: if public transit lets us down again, I know my town and I can walk the safer ways, even if it does take 3 hours to get home (true story).
It is one thing to be an able bodied adult and adapt like this. What about the elderly or disabled, moms and dads with little kids? Hauling a week's worth of groceries is not fun for me and my husband when it's over 100 degrees out, nor is 20 minutes waiting for the bus to show so you can arrive at work late and soaked in sweat. I cannot imagine doing daily errands here with small children in tow, or in a wheelchair.
We saw this coming a year ago. We've been working overtime for the past year, cutting back on literally every aspect of our lives. We saved just enough to move to a better climate. Phoenix is not a happy place without cheap utilities and cheap transportation. I wonder how many other people will find themselves migrating in search of more liveable climates with better public transport?
These are the first rumblings of a nasty discovery for a lot of commuters: when you can no longer afford the 30 minute drive, your bus commute will take 1-1/2 hours each way. The utilities keep going up, and the apartments and houses here are not well insulated. $145 a month for a 1 bedroom apartment with the a/c used sparingly. It is 90 degrees in the living room as I type this. Those prices are not going to drop any time soon, either.
Here's a hint from a veteran of the "no-car" lifestyle: Use one of those trips to the mall to get a comfortable pair of thick soled shoes and some cushy socks. Maybe in the future middle class people will show off the brand of their shoes the way they talk about their Lexus now.
Good luck to everyone as we learn to improvise, make do, change our daily habits. Creativity is what humans do best, so maybe we'll make it through this with our honor, dignity and sense of humor intact.
I don't know if you meant to, but you gave me quite a laugh. I live in "the big city" now, but I am a small town girl and I hear you loud and clear.
Aghhhhh!!!! NOooooo!!!
Listen, the Fed cries "systemic meltdown" everytime they charge off to the rescue of Wall St. Look at S&L, LCM, etc. etc. Helloooooo, where do you think these people come from and go to after their Fed jobs?!?
This is just socialism for the rich and capitalism for the poor. Let the market deal with it...The cost of this so call rescue will be more then the reason for doing it in the first place!!!
Folks on Wall St. are afraid all right, afraid of losing their job after a bull market of lose credit that got us into this mess...
I stopped saying "someday" and "tomorrow" a while ago. If you want to do something, try and say "today". Or take steps towards doing it, today. I'm well-educated, I have great job experience, I live in a country with great social programs (Canada) so there are many safety nets to help out in times of adversity. I'm also healthy (for now) so even if I lost my job tomorrow, I could lift boxes to make money.
But we all die. And we don't know when. I have four young children and a lovely wife. I'd rather spend time with them, or spend money on them now, than spend all of my time "planning for tomorrow". Tomorrow might not come for some of us.
It is a balance of course. That's why I liked your post today. Thanks for your words - Brett
I talk about jacking a bit up above in comment #10.
As far a I know, it not only works, it's even legal. It's also free (no still, and no energy cost for running it), if you live someplace where it freezes overnight.
It does concentrate everything (sugar, flavors, etc.), rather than just the alcohol, so it gives a rather different result. It also won't get nearly as strong as distilling will. But, if you start with something that tastes good (like hard cider), then moderately concentrating and strengthening it can be good. And, after all, most people don't drink their distilled spirits straight--they mix them with something, and the result is probably about as strong as what you can get in the first place by jacking.