Mold & Money
To make a long story short (I know, I'm terrible at that), here's what's going on.
We got everything moved into our new apartment, but at a cost. To start with, almost every piece of furniture in the storage unit was covered in mold. The wardrobe and entertainment center were so bad that we threw them out (read: put them on the curb with a "FREE!" sign until someone picked them up the next day). The rest of it had to be treated and wiped down with vinegar, and I had to spend around $30 at the laundromat washing all of the clothes covered in mold. It's still not all done, but we're almost there. It's driving me nuts.
The day of the move was a disaster. There was a huge blowup with the people involved and we lost some of our moving help. To top that off, we were left with only two people who could lift anything remotely heavy (but not really), and it started pouring as soon as we got to the apartment with the stuff. We were able to back the U-Haul into the carport a bit and shield some of it from the rain, but not all. Some of our things got damaged from the water and so we had to park the thing on a huge hill to let the water drain from the back of the truck.
The rain stopped hours later after all of our help had to leave. We were left with quite a few heavy things--including the blasted wardrobe--and no muscle or energy to get them out. Chad and I managed the couch and bookshelves by ourselves, but after a certain point we literally couldn't do any more. I called Jill to see if she knew anyone in the area who would be willing to help, and she and Dave came over at 10 pm to help us finish the last items in the truck. I don't know what we would have done without them, or any of our help, for that matter.
Now, exactly a week later, a lot of things are unpacked, but not everything. We're still cleaning part of the filthy apartment that we moved into, and Chad has to run grounding wire to all the important outlets with computers, the TV, etc. We bought a new entertainment center at Walmart yesterday (let's hear it for a discount on furniture!), and we're very happy with it. It's cherry wood, and somehow, all of our hodgepodge furniture in the living room suddenly matches! We got the two bookshelves and coffee table from a yard sale, and my little telephone table was only $10, and now with the entertainment center it all looks like we did it on purpose.
I'm still incredibly stressed out. I'm working 30+ hours a week at crazy hours of the day, and consequently I'm always tired. There are also tons of problems with this apartment that make my motivation to accomplish things absolutely zero. The back door could be broken into by a child (and obviously has been broken into before), the tub barely drains, the landlord still hasn't moved in the washer and dryer he said he would, and who knows how many other things I can't remember right now. I just want it to all be over and done with.
In short (or long), this move has been very expensive and messy.
We got everything moved into our new apartment, but at a cost. To start with, almost every piece of furniture in the storage unit was covered in mold. The wardrobe and entertainment center were so bad that we threw them out (read: put them on the curb with a "FREE!" sign until someone picked them up the next day). The rest of it had to be treated and wiped down with vinegar, and I had to spend around $30 at the laundromat washing all of the clothes covered in mold. It's still not all done, but we're almost there. It's driving me nuts.
The day of the move was a disaster. There was a huge blowup with the people involved and we lost some of our moving help. To top that off, we were left with only two people who could lift anything remotely heavy (but not really), and it started pouring as soon as we got to the apartment with the stuff. We were able to back the U-Haul into the carport a bit and shield some of it from the rain, but not all. Some of our things got damaged from the water and so we had to park the thing on a huge hill to let the water drain from the back of the truck.
The rain stopped hours later after all of our help had to leave. We were left with quite a few heavy things--including the blasted wardrobe--and no muscle or energy to get them out. Chad and I managed the couch and bookshelves by ourselves, but after a certain point we literally couldn't do any more. I called Jill to see if she knew anyone in the area who would be willing to help, and she and Dave came over at 10 pm to help us finish the last items in the truck. I don't know what we would have done without them, or any of our help, for that matter.
Now, exactly a week later, a lot of things are unpacked, but not everything. We're still cleaning part of the filthy apartment that we moved into, and Chad has to run grounding wire to all the important outlets with computers, the TV, etc. We bought a new entertainment center at Walmart yesterday (let's hear it for a discount on furniture!), and we're very happy with it. It's cherry wood, and somehow, all of our hodgepodge furniture in the living room suddenly matches! We got the two bookshelves and coffee table from a yard sale, and my little telephone table was only $10, and now with the entertainment center it all looks like we did it on purpose.
I'm still incredibly stressed out. I'm working 30+ hours a week at crazy hours of the day, and consequently I'm always tired. There are also tons of problems with this apartment that make my motivation to accomplish things absolutely zero. The back door could be broken into by a child (and obviously has been broken into before), the tub barely drains, the landlord still hasn't moved in the washer and dryer he said he would, and who knows how many other things I can't remember right now. I just want it to all be over and done with.
In short (or long), this move has been very expensive and messy.