The beginning of the end

The preparations for my upcoming move have now officially started. On Tuesday I contacted the call centre of my insurance company to change the ‘insured risk’ (aka the apartment) as from February 1st, the date on which the new lease takes effect. But because my current lease only comes to an end on March 31st, I need to insure this place till that date. At first I thought this would cost me extra, but then the charming lady of the call centre informed me that the insurance policy includes a special clause made to cover situations just like these. There is an automatic overlap of three months, without any extra charge!

Next step was to buy some moving boxes. Usually, when people move in Belgium they start ‘collecting’ banana boxes. These very sturdy cardboard cases are excellent to stock and move heavy objects … like bananas or … books, kitchenware, etc. Supermarkets are often ‘raided’ by people who are preparing a move. The banana cases are therefore hard to get and you have to be on good terms with manager and/or supermarket employees to get them.

When I moved into my current apartment in 2001, my cleaning lady – who knows most of the people in the village – started collecting the boxes for me in February (my move took place in May). Although she volunteered to do the same this time, I kindly declined as these cases – bulky as they are – are also very difficult to stock while you’re preparing your move. On the internet I had found the name of storage company – Shurgard – which also sells packing cases, plastic bubble wrap and tape. You can buy these items separately or in a pre-packed kit; the kit-version being cheaper than the ‘à la carte’ option.

Although I had no idea of the size and the weight of these kits, I thought it wiser to ask my friend to accompany me to the nearest Shurgard shop to go and buy a 2-3 bedroom kit. Here it is:

The black plastic bag doesn’t come with the kit, but contains strips of paper that I shredded during my vacation, using the new paper shredder that I bought last summer. It'll come in handy to protect fragile items.

When I saw the size of the kit – and its weight (22 kg) – I congratulated myself on taking my friend along. The box would never have fitted in my little Opel Corsa. Moreover, its awkward size made it very difficult to handle. The shop attendant helped my friend to fit the box in the back of his Ford Mondeo Break, while I tagged along carrying the feather-light role of bubble wrap!

Next we went to a nearby kitchen store, as I need an extra cupboard to store my large assortment of pots and pans. The place was very crowded and there was more than half an hour’s wait if you wanted to see a specialist who could computer-design the appropriate piece of furniture … and to give you a quote. The man who helped us therefore suggested we’d make an appointment. We agreed on this afternoon, 3 p.m., but then I did something completely different this morning, which made me change my mind. So I’ve called them to postpone the appointment till Jan. 21st.

What did I do then? I’ll tell you tomorrow!