Dumpster Diving- Thinking Inside The Box

Pre-moving my family could often be spotted behind local grocery stores and restaurants digging through the trash. For you people who are fortunate enough not to know what dumpster diving is here is a definition: Dumpster Diving- the act of picking through garbage to find hidden treasure. In the case of my family the treasure was cardboard boxes for moving. I can picture the child version of myself sorting through trash- trying to find the boxes that aren't damp from food, mildew, mold and other atrocities. Oh nostalgia!

 Later after we had packed our valuables in the dumpster boxes and are in the process of schlepping our junk one place to another, I can picture my face turning red and blood pressure rising as the bottom of the box breaks. Books, cd's, screw drivers and all sorts of junk scatters everywhere. I curse, or at least a child's form of swearing, the manufacturers of wonder bread shipping boxes for not making a sturdier product. Now I toss all the junk back in the box wishing I had given it all away or simply trashed it. Who would have thought that boxes that are designed to ship food weren't meant to endure moving and months of storage? Anyone with common sense, now that I reflect on it.

Although the frugal half of my brain winces at the thought of purchasing boxes for moving, I have found it to be the most reliable way to transport all manner of objects. If you think about it, putting your stuff in boxes that have been in a dumpster and lord knows where else is sort of gross, unsanitary and "trashy". This site can give you invaluable tips on why, how and what to box- which you will need!

What Size Boxes- it is the size of the box that counts

One of the greatest benefits of purchasing boxes vs. dumpster diving is being able to choose the size of boxes. Trying to fit all your dishes into an over-sized boxes will result in a bunch of shattered dishes. That money you saved on not buying boxes, will now go to a new set of dishes. Also, nothing is more frustrating then filling up a huge box halfway with books and leaving the rest empty. If you filled up that monster of a box with all your Dean Koontz and Stephen King books it would weigh as much as a grand piano. Warning: shoving a Stephen King collection in one box can result in mental and physical injury.

 Filler 

While some people still get newspapers and magazines delivered to their homes in paper form, the more green (and notably cheaper) way to get subscriptions these days is through the internet. So you may not have a years supply of The New York Times sitting around, ready to put the Style section into good use by using it as protection for your dishes and other breakables. You may need to invest in filler. There are a variety of choices of filler to purchase. Some of the options include cardboard, recycled paper and bubble wrap. Warning: bubble wrap is not recommended if you have children. They will pop it, a bunch! For a very long time. And moving is enough head ache without your child making alarming popping noises in the background instead of helping moving the boxes in.

Um, so what exactly is in the box labeled 'junk drawer box' again?

Invest in some permanent markers, it is labeling time! The importance of this may seem obvious- but your life will be made dramatically easier if you label what is in your boxes and where your boxes should go. Nothing is worse then having to unbox something and sort through the box to try to figure out where it should go or how any of the box's contents are related. (Here is a riddle: what does a screw driver, spatulas, books and barbie dolls have in common?) Prematurely having to unbox something is especially annoying after you have moved this box out of your old house, into storage, out of storage and into your new home. You an this box may have built an intimate relationship in your travels from place to place, you may even build some sentimental feelings toward this box. But abstinence from opening the box before necessary I have found is less time consuming.

Besides marking boxes can be fun! It is the best way to tell your significant other that the various wires and cables that he has been saving "just in case", you consider to be "my husband's trash he insists on moving with us everywhere we go".