Preparing for a self-pay move

[mtbc]

mst3kmoxie and I moved around plenty, most notably Ohio to Rhode Island to Massachusetts, but my next impending move is my sixth transatlantic one, and there is nothing like those to encourage downsizing, especially as I am heading to a British furnished apartment which means negligibly much storage space for anything that I might bring.

A cost of applying for remote work is that relocation tends not to be included. Furthermore, shipping containers remain in short supply, meaning that the quote I ended up choosing will cost me $3.565/lb. I have plenty of stuff but how much of it is worth that much? A small fraction, and a fair chunk of that is in sentimental value, like the landscape painted by my grandfather's friend. Much more of it is interesting stuff that I picked up over the years, or supplies that I knew would probably come in handy sooner or later, like computer cables and adaptors, but that could be rebought if necessary. At least, rebought for less than the shipping would cost. And, in some cases, like the frequency-hopping walkie talkies, the noise meter, the stethoscopes, etc., probably never.

I have thus started out on the sorting and the harder decisions. Fortunately, not much of what I own is rare in any important sense. Soon I shall own very much less.

Update: As I am shipping less, the quote is now just over $5/lb.

Comments

[armiphlage]

It's rather liberating, in a way.

[thewayne]

I did a major purge of my library a few years ago and have been very slow in re-acquiring physical books. My ebook library continues to grow, which isn't a problem. If I had to move across an ocean, I'd sell my iMac and get a Mac Mini, live off my laptops until I got a large monitor. My DVD collection would definitely be my biggie. I'd like to rip it down to a media library, but DRM on Blurays would be an issue.

[mtbc]

My media collection has definitely significantly shrunk over the past fifteen years but I do like having physical books, especially for situations where I don't want to be lugging electronics, also if I retain those physical tokens then I figure it both more clearly records that I did actually buy the thing and ensures my continued access to it.

My DVD collection is down to not much over sixty, certainly more books though. My wife wonders why I have CDs at all given streaming. Maybe even toward a couple hundred of those, not sure.

[thewayne]

I buy CDs then rip them to MP3 at highest quality settings.  My ebooks I break the DRM on them, so no danger of losing those.  You don't want to know how many DVDs I have!  I used to be the president of a science fiction film society and also used to do the film programs for local sci fi conventions back when they were actual 16mm film, so let's say it's big.

[mtbc]

Mmm, I rip my CDs when I first get them, I just like having the physical confirmation that, yes, I did buy it. A fair few of the DVDs that I do have are science fiction. (-: Never saw much value proposition in upgrading to BluRay though.

[thewayne]

I only buy Blurays when I can't get the DVD or there's significant bonus content.  We don't have a huge TV with mega-resolution.