If you are a bookworm like me, then moving out can be quite the hassle on its own because you have so many books to pack that it can be a mess to do on your own. I have a library of almost 900 books; yeah, some may call me a hoarder, but I would call myself a bibliophile who loves books, and before you ask me how many books I’ve read out of these approximately 900 books, I read more than 750 of them, and the rest are currently on my reading list. I had to move from the Bronx to Manhattan, and even though that is moving to the same city, it is still a hassle when you have a lot of personal items. But, I did it, even though if I had a couple of breaks down along the way. So, without further ado, let’s get into the list of how to move as a bookworm.
Cull Your Bookshelves
One of the best things about moving out for me is that it gives you the perfect motivation to do some spring cleaning and where you can clear your bookshelves and get through your massive book collection. To avoid being stressed out, begin planning and getting through your books a month or two prior to your moving day. You can get through your bookshelves once every week and get through your items and pile the books in different categories. Have 3 piles, have a pile for books that you will keep, one that you will donate and another that you are undecided about; we recommended taking the Marie Kondo method. More often than not, the answer for this will be a resounding no, and you will donate some of this book. Once you’ve made your pile, then you can give some of the books to your friends and donate the rest to your local thrift store, and they can make the joy of someone else. Goodwill is also an excellent way to go when you don’t know what you are going to do with some of your books.
Use Small Boxes
This seems relatively obvious or even redundant, but it’s a mistake that most of us first-time movers always make. Try using the small boxes, which are around 16x12x12, and you can get them from Home Depot, and they are reasonably priced, but you fill them with books, especially your hardcovers, it gets heavy and can be quite tricky to carry. If you are rolling on a budget, then old shipping boxes, liquor store boxes, or banana boxes will do the work and work best to carry books because they were made to carry heavy objects. If you want to use larger boxes, then for your own sake, only fill them up at about 75 percent. Your back will thank you for this; trust me on this one. You can add light items like clothes or office supplies on the tip of the boxes to make use of all the space and avoid extra travelling while moving out. You can also fill the tops of boxes with paper or bubble wrap to protect the books.
Use Label and Pack Strategically
When you get ready to start packing your unusually large number of books, you ought to pack them strategically. Be sure to keep books that are usually shelved together in the same boxes because this will make unpacking easier, and you won’t have to rearrange your bookshelves unless you want to give them a new look. If you listen to us and follow this trick, you won’t have to dig around for your books. You just have to label the box according to where they go on your shelves, and voila, packing and depacking for books has never been easier. And take your time to label your boxes, and be sure that you label them in such a way that makes sense to you. I would recommend getting a label maker, but this is the OCD in e speaking, and it is not a necessity. I generally write the genre and read/unread on the box since that’s how I have my shelves arranged. This will save you time and frustration later. If you like the way your shelves are organized, take photos, so you have a reminder of where books generally go.
Sound off in the comments section below and tell if how many books you have on your bookshelf.
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