If you aren't in on the KNOW, we're moving in with Steve's sister for our last four weeks in San Diego before we head out for North Carolina. So... this week, we've devoted our lives to PACKING and CLEANING.
After being absolutely repulsed by the price of even the smallest cardboard box, I've been up early every morning for the past week, scavenging the earth for anyone who might be throwing away any type of usable box. For your information, and just because... here are a few tips on finding cardboard boxes.
1. Warehouse flower shops have great boxes with sturdy walls and even handles. Perfect for packing all of your delicate items...you know...like everything that's in your junk drawer!
2. Boxes left in the back of restaurants are deceiving. They usually look like the PERFECT boxes for just about anything, but unless you don't mind your car smelling like Thai food on the way home, I wouldn't advise you to use any type of food boxes for packing.
3. You'd think big retail stores would have an endless supply of boxes. And although places like Costco and Albertsons unpack thousands of boxes daily, they usually don't have any to give away. Lesson - the huge robotic looking dumpster thingin the back of the store is a CARDBOARD BALER. Stores who can afford this machine, use it to crush boxes for easy disposing. You could call and ask them to save boxes for you, but usually someone who "didn't get the message" throws them away.
4. Keeping all of my recent learnings in mind, I decided to look in back of a Ross - Dress for Less store behind my house. There was a sign leading to the back receiving area that said "VENDOR'S AND DELIVERIES ONLY", but the gate was open and I was desperate, so I proceeded through. As I drove around the corner to the back of the store, I swear I heard angels singing as I saw this sight:
Not quite as beautiful as sunset at the top of Mount Helix, but definitely more useful! And there were even MORE boxes on the other side of this road. It was like an OCEAN of cardboard! Both dumpsters were FILLED to the brim with broken down boxes. I loaded all I could fit in my car, and thankfully never had to search for boxes again.
As Steve started taking things to his sisters and to our storage space, I started cleaning. If you've never used FABULOSO, you're missing out. It smells really good and cleans really well. It works better than any other industrial cleaner... just don't misuse it as mouth wash, like my dad did a few years ago.
As we officially say goodbye to our apartment today, I am really starting to get excited about our move. I can't WAIT to be a resident of Raleigh, North Carolina. I can't wait to meet new friends. I can't wait to do church in a different setting...
But right now I'm going to sit here and be thankful for cardboard boxes and fabuloso. 2 items that have helped us tremendously in our efforts to get to the next leg of our journey!
2 comments:
I've always liked Ross, I'm ok if that's what heaven is like as long as the shoppers are nicer.
Fabuloso huh? Never heard of it will have to try it.
Hopefully the packing is behind you guys now, howz the new temporary home working for you?
You should've asked JR . . . I know this is a bit after-the-fact, but he can snag a bunch of banana or apples boxes which are really sturdy for packing before they get to the baler . . . for when you decide to move back to San Diego! Jus' kidding!!
I've heard about accidental poisoning from Fabuloso by chidren mistaking it for juice . . . because of the bright colored labeling and the varioud liquid colors. Scary!
Glad you were able to get all your packing boxes!
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