Address Change

Shifting our residence is the time to bring in lot of changes! Not just the change in address, but a change in our outlook too!

It requires a lot of planning weeks before the actual shifting happens, to inform the gas agency, internet and telephone people, post office and banks regarding the address change. We need time to discard the old calendars, forgotten books, shoes, medicines, old ointment tubes, etc... Thank God, the house owners provide fans and lights, one job less for us; else, we would be carrying them too from place to place!

Its time to book calls for all the consumer products like the AC, television and the washing machine to be re-installed and re-connected at the new place. We would actually come to know how they treat their customers through these calls. This time, the digital TV Company tested our patience and we called them at least 15 times before someone came to disconnect!

The next task is finding the packers and movers. Some charge exorbitantly like a minimum of 10K even if the distance is just 5km and some others charge nominally but we don’t know the size of the 10 carton boxes they are planning to bring. They know very well that shifting a residence is not an easy task at hand and we would be having all stuffs like table, vessels, etc...

One that they would promise to be home at 7 am and would never turn up until 9! Secondly, once they are in, they just want to dump everything in to their boxes and keep moving! Sadly, the boxes weren’t as large as expected. Since I had 3 of my own large boxes, we could manage with them. Next is unpacking at the new place. I had the shock of my life when they wanted their boxes to be returned! Though I started to unpack as and when the boxes were brought home, I still had 5 boxes out of 10 to be unpacked! They said they would wait or will collect them the next day. Hurriedly, we unpacked those and last one box was left out. They just took out everything from the box and kept them on the floor, took the boxes and left the place.

I was determined to throw the unused stuff before setting things up. My hubby and I both ensured that only necessary things would be at home and rest all will be discarded. After moving in, we threw out so many things which missed our operation cleaning like the old magazines, our college books, old calendars, etc... We separated the rarely used vessels and kept them in the loft. Since the puja room is very compact, even God’s laminated photos all went in to the loft. The dresses that weren’t used in the last 6 months were given to the watchman and unused shoes and slippers were thrown out of the house. All the old plastic boxes, old earrings, jeans, clothes hanging ropes, all found their way into the dustbin.

It’s advisable to keep the carton boxes that come along with the TV, oven, grinder etc, as it reduces the scratches and using zip lock covers for the groceries and oil which have been half used, avoids spilling and the mess.

It’s a learning experience if we ourselves (people living in the house) set things up in their respective places as it reduces dependency and all of us can decide upon which things really need a place inside the house. Shifting brings in a shift in our thinking too to have only the required stuff in the house, which could be easily cleaned and maintained and more than everything, easily located!