Moving is stressful whether you're headed across town or across the globe. Devra Jacobs, author of A Happy Move, shares stories, insights and practical tips for moving with the U.S. and internationally.
Travel enthusiasts and those facing the prospect of relocation, gather around for a rich tapestry of stories and insights with me, Christi Cassidy, and our special guest, Devra Jacobs, author of A Happy Move. Discover how Devra's adventurous spirit, cultivated during her formative years in the Bay Area and later in New Jersey, has led her through an enriching journey of frequent moves within the U.S. and across the globe. Her story offers a refreshing perspective on embracing change, moving with loved ones and pets, and the intricate dance between staying connected to family while exploring new horizons.
Thinking about what to pack and what to leave behind? We unravel the complexities of downsizing, balancing sentimental treasures with practical decisions, and weighing the cost of shipping versus replacing items.
Now approaching her 30th move (from Flagstaff to Arkansas), Devra shares strategies for researching your new home’s weather, language and culture, and the importance of being prepared for the challenges of moving. These handy tips are not just for those crossing oceans but also for anyone tackling the logistics of a local move.
For those yearning to understand the nuances of adapting to new environments, Devra’s anecdotes from moving to Korea in the late 70s as a young military wife and new mother—complete with unexpected cultural surprises—serve as a guide. From understanding pet regulations to harnessing the power of community, each tale is a stepping stone toward finding your own sense of home. Packed with personal stories interwoven with practical advice, this episode is your gateway to making any move a seamless and rewarding adventure.
A Happy Move: Everything You Need to Know Before and After the Boxes Are Packed by Devra Jacobs and Brit Elders (Beyond Words Publishing, 2024, distributed by Simon & Schuster)
Contact Devra, read her blog and watch practical videos on packing and moving: https://ahappymove.com
Chapters
(00:03) - Personal Stories of Travel and Relocation
(12:07) - Moving and Downsizing
(17:32) - Moving Tips and Cultural Insights
(25:35) - Moving Stories and Reflections
(30:40) - Moving Strategies and Tips
[00:00:00] Christi: Welcome to Moving Along. My guest today is Devra Jacobs. She is the author of A Happy Move. She is from San Francisco and lives now in Flagstaff, Arizona, although she is considering another move, which would be her 30th move in her young life. But the great thing about Devra is that she has moved internationally.
[00:00:30] Christi: She has experience. Moving from in the military, moving with children, her book, A Happy Move has absolutely it's jam packed with tips on planning and driving and not just traveling with kids, but traveling with pets. And I particularly like her tips for moving abroad. And for anybody who's considering it.
[00:01:00] Christi: Especially you hear so many people who say, Oh, I'm going to retire in Portugal. I'm going to, I don't know, pick up and go to Alaska or go to Hawaii and that'll be my life. And I don't need anything beyond a duffel bag or three. Do I? Welcome Devra.
[00:01:19] Devra: what a great introduction. Thank you.
[00:01:23] Christi: Well, thanks for being here. I wanted to ask you, You grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, not in San Francisco proper, and I wanted to ask you, what did travel and moving mean to you when you were a child?
[00:01:38] Devra: Nothing. My parents were the type that. Buy a house and you stay there. And it wasn't until about two weeks after I graduated high school that my dad took a job back East and we ended up moving to New Jersey. But until then, you know, that had never come up. We, we were all raised in the exact same house in Sunnyvale and that was all I knew. I will say I always wanted to travel though. My parents every year would like take us to deep Mexico for a month or go backpacking in the high Sierras. My parents believed in learning about other cultures and I just kind of took it a step further than that by moving to other cultures.
[00:02:27] Christi: So your parents Really believed in having how many how many siblings do you have?
[00:02:34] Devra: I have two older brothers but You know, they left as soon as they graduated high school and went away to college and my dad had been an aerospace engineer and we did the whole like white picket fence kind of life growing up and when My dad decided he wanted to go into nuclear energy. We moved to New Jersey and they said, if you want to go, you can go.
[00:03:00] Devra: And I was like, Oh yeah, let's go.
[00:03:03] Christi: Wow, so I was just thinking about the outdoorsy stuff. It must have been really different going from well The Bay Area's from Sunnyvale to New Jersey where there are no high Sierras to climb But tell me did you did you explore the shore and when I mean, what was your life like in New Jersey? Well Did you travel around and explore
[00:03:30] Christi: the East Coast?
[00:03:32] Devra: My, main goal at the time I was very young and I wanted to be a professional singer and dancer. I wanted to be Shirley MacLaine. So my intention was to go be on Broadway and So my parents had made me a deal, if I was willing to move with them, they would take me into New York once a month to see a musical, and it just so happened about three months into us living there, Broadway was on strike, and so I kind of ruined that.
[00:04:04] Devra: I only spent a year there. And then my dad was transferred to San Diego, and I said, Sure, I'll go, but New Jersey was interesting because I felt like I'd stepped into a 1950s mobster movie coming out of, you got to figure this was 1974 and everybody in San Francisco area were kind of hippies. You know, it was the end of the hippie time.
[00:04:29] Devra: I moved to New Jersey where all the girls were wearing these high glittered platform heels and fancy, you know, tops and things that my hair was down to my shoulders and completely unruly. And I just didn't fit in at all. So when he said, well, You know, let's move to San Diego. I was like, okay, so they sort of started that moving bug in me.
[00:04:58] Christi: You didn't feel yanked around going just for a year in New Jersey and then back, out west, although San Diego was a whole new experience, right?
[00:05:09] Devra: San Diego is totally different than the San Francisco area. San Diego at the time was like where we moved to outside of San Diego was a surf town and, you know, I, I grew up kind of. In my teen years in that hippie era to move to San Diego was like, going into one of those old surf movies.
[00:05:34] Devra: We lived like 3 blocks from the beach. I had never gotten to hang out at the beach growing up. And I was. I will admit I was a complete wild child when I was young, so, you know, it wasn't like my parents were dragging me around. In fact, I generally would live separate from them from the time I was, like, 17.
[00:05:58] Devra: But I always tried to stay near them.
[00:06:01] Christi: bet.
[00:06:05] Christi: I interviewed someone who told me that, let me see if I can find it. The reference that most people live within a 50 mile radius of their family. Does that surprise you?
[00:06:19] Devra: Doesn't surprise me. What I have found in talking to people since this book came out is people either live within an area close to their family or completely on the other side of the country. It's like one extreme or the other. Either they want to be close but you know, not living with, or their family's dysfunctional and they try to move to get away from their family.
[00:06:47] Devra: So it's sort of, or they're in the military or get a job where they have no choice but to move away. I had both experiences where I kept moving to be closer to my parents
[00:07:00] Devra: and, it took me to some really interesting places that I've actually have grown to love and I tend to move back like to the South.
[00:07:10] Devra: I love the South and I've lived in a whole bunch of states in the South and I keep kind of following my way back there. And I would never have known that if I hadn't moved to Alabama when my parents got a job there and I said, sure, I'll go, you know, like I always do, give me a box.
[00:07:32] Devra: I'll pack my stuff and I'll go. I think it expands your mind to move to different places and get to know different cultures and foods and things. And I think that's kind of why I dragged my daughter. Now you talk about dragging. I definitely dragged my daughter everywhere in this country.
[00:07:51] Christi: Does she still love to travel?
[00:07:54] Devra: Well, she, she does like to travel, but like we're about to make yet another move, which is going to be our final move. Because we're actually, she has always wanted to buy a place that be home and stay put. And so this time we're actually purchasing and on this move, it will be, her permanent home.
[00:08:20] Devra: And, I mean, I'm about to be 69. I think I'm kind of over the let's uproot our lives and move again
[00:08:28] Christi: So this will be move number 30 and You're in Flagstaff. Where are you going?
[00:08:33] Devra: Back to the South. Probably Arkansas.
[00:08:37] Christi: Oh, Arkansas. Why Arkansas?
[00:08:40] Devra: It's beautiful. It's called the Natural State and it's just a beautiful place. You know, there's places to hike and natural springs and I love the slow pace of the South. Nothing moves fast in the South, and I love the food in the South. So, yeah, I'm really looking forward to getting back.
[00:09:03] Christi: Wow. And when are you going? Do you know?
[00:09:08] Devra: I have no idea. Totally open.
[00:09:10] Christi: So your daughter's going back and looking for a house and you're saying, okay, I'll come when you're ready.
[00:09:16] Devra: Wherever you want to go. Yeah,
[00:09:20] Christi: Wow. And I guess as a literary agent, it doesn't really matter where you are. And a lot of us learned in the pandemic certainly that we don't have to be tethered to an office
[00:09:32] Devra: As long as I have a phone and a computer, as long as I have internet, I could be anywhere.
[00:09:39] Christi: Do you travel light?
[00:09:41] Devra: When I move or when I travel. When I travel, I travel very light. People are amazed that I can actually put a week's worth of traveling clothes and everything into a carry on. When I move, and it's one of the things I talk about in the book, I always lighten before I move. So, you know, making sure that the furniture I'm taking is going to fit the new place going through everything, including your cosmetics and getting rid of anything that is outdated or you, you know, I have this idea about clothes that if you haven't worn it in a year, you're Unless it's something specific, you're probably not going to.
[00:10:25] Devra: So just purge. You don't want to pay to ship stuff that you don't really want or need. My daughter's very interested in right now. We're doing that and she's going through and she said, I'm taking the approach that I look at something and I say, Does it make me happy? And if it doesn't make me happy, I'm getting rid of it.
[00:10:48] Christi: Wow. That's
[00:10:49] Devra: It's a great
[00:10:49] Christi: very brave. Yeah. I had to do three piles of like, yes, no, maybe, and the maybe pile got so high, but. That was mostly with books and ultimately it all worked out. That was when I moved from New York to Santa Fe, actually. So, but I, it's very hard to let go. It's like, you might need it. Well, I mean, what do you say when people say that to you?
[00:11:14] Christi: Well, what if I need it?
[00:11:16] Devra: Well, I will tell you a couple of my moves were because I was in natural disasters. I learned really quick after a hurricane in North Carolina took out basically everything I owned. What do I need? You know, what is it that I really need? So, like being a literary agent, obviously I need my files. You know, I need the last seven years of my taxes, but when I look around, it's like, it's things that I really like, like certain paintings or, maybe something I inherited that I want to keep I've been collecting a certain kind of dishware and I love the dishes and it's one of those where you buy it by the piece of You know, things like that I'll keep, but there are a lot of things that I've just, you sort of acquire, you know, when you move someplace and you acquire, you'll get this for the backyard or that pot or this plant.
[00:12:19] Devra: you know, what do you actually want? Because moving today is very expensive. Even if you do a DIY move with renting a pod or a trailer, it's still pricey. So you don't want to move stuff you don't really need.
[00:12:34] Christi: What I always struggled with too was. the issue of replacement value because some of what I have is say furniture handed down and then I go and maybe I'll look at Macy's or even Ikea and I'm shocked at what it would cost to replace Even a bookshelf of much lesser quality for more money than I think it would cost me to move.
[00:13:01] Christi: I guess that's the balance that you have to find, right?
[00:13:06] Devra: you do want to balance it. When I moved to Flagstaff, I had an old mattress that I didn't really like. And I knew eventually I was going to get a new mattress. So I went ahead and offed the mattress instead of paying to move it, and got a new mattress when I arrived here. But I loved my bed frame.
[00:13:25] Devra: And like you said, it would have cost me so much to replace it compared to what I would have been able to sell it for. So you balance it out. This is really, really important for older people that are downsizing from a family home to an apartment or a condo. if you have furniture that you really love and it's going to fit that apartment, keep it.
[00:13:48] Devra: Pay for it to move. If you're not sure. or you know it's going to be too big, sell it. Sell it or donate it. You don't need to pay for moving something that's not going to work. And you know, with things you inherit, I had inherited this table and chairs. several moves ago from a family member who had passed away.
[00:14:11] Devra: And it just wasn't my style at all. And I held onto it through probably five moves and it never fit anywhere. It didn't look like me, but it was an inherited thing. And I finally gave up and shipped it to one of my other family members who really loved it and said, Great, you enjoy it.
[00:14:32] Christi: That seems like a really smart way to handle it rather than just trying to sell it. even at auctions and estate sales, they seem kind of, I don't know, depressed. Is it just me? Like stuff seems like it would be worth a little bit more than,
[00:14:51] Devra: it's not just you and I think a lot of times people wait too long to get rid of things and it's like three days before the move and especially on DIY moves, I have literally left a table and chairs, dining set, sitting on the sidewalk and had to call Goodwill because it wouldn't fit in the truck.
[00:15:12] Devra: When I got it loaded,
[00:15:14] Christi: yeah, okay,
[00:15:15] Devra: I said, don't wait, you know, part, the biggest part of having a stress free move is to plan, plan all of these different things that could happen. So they don't happen
[00:15:27] Christi: So you were. A military wife. Can I say that? Is that PC? you moved quite a bit. The relocation was not optional,
[00:15:38] Devra: when I moved to Korea from Alabama, my brand new husband had gotten transferred to Korea and they said, you can't go. There's no dependents allowed. And I had a. daughter who is just about to become two years old. And I said, sure, I can, I'll get a tourist visa. And that's what I did. I packed a bunch of boxes to ship over to where I was going.
[00:16:03] Devra: And I went on a tourist visa. Was not the best move I made, but I was very young and very dumb. I moved several times within the country when I was still married to the military. But the, the one. move to Korea probably learned more about moving overseas and the do's and don'ts on that move than on any of the other 28 moves I've made.
[00:16:31] Christi: Give us some tips. What did you learn? What do you think people would like to know or need to know most about moving abroad?
[00:16:39] Devra: Learn about the country you're moving to. One, try to learn the language, which I hadn't. You know, being a stupid young girl, I thought everybody in the world spoke English. Boy, was I surprised. Learn about what's allowed. I had shipped boxes there because I had a daughter and I was like, I'm going to need stuff for a house.
[00:17:04] Devra: I didn't know that there'd be no indoor plumbing. For toilets where I was going I shipped a coffee pot, which I almost got me arrested because it was considered a black market item in Korea.
[00:17:19] Christi: a coffee pot.
[00:17:21] Devra: away, an automatic coffee brewer. They didn't have them there. And this was like late 70s.
[00:17:28] Devra: There were a lot of things, this one you'll love. I didn't know that they didn't sell diapers. So my daughter, who turned two on the plane on the way there, ended up having to be potty trained. Like, within two days, I ran out of diapers.
[00:17:45] Christi: So they just teach kids younger.
[00:17:49] Devra: or they use, they use cloth diapers. I didn't know anything about using cloth diapers.
[00:17:56] Devra: You know, I was a young American girl. I did disposables. So, I think learning about the culture. Really trying to learn some of the language because People in these other countries will respect you and help take care of you and help guide you if you respect them.
[00:18:16] Christi: Yep. I agree.
[00:18:18] Devra: There was so much I should have learned before I went there.
[00:18:22] Devra: You know, and I think that goes, there's so many people moving like to Costa Rica, you know, and becoming expats learn the language. There are so many great things on, on your cell phone that you can use to learn the language. It's not hard. ,
[00:18:39] Christi: Yeah. I think Spanish is probably easier than Korean.
[00:18:43] Devra: it was, I think the other really, really important thing I, I found out and I've talked to many people that have moved to like Australia and different countries is find out what kind of pets you can take. I know somebody who had to give up their pet because it wasn't allowed in the country he was moving to.
[00:19:04] Christi: Oh no. How awful.
[00:19:06] Devra: In the back of the book, there's lots of research pages where you can access a lot of this information too.
[00:19:14] Christi: Right. And you are a proponent, as you mentioned earlier, of planning. Do you use spreadsheets?
[00:19:21] Devra: I don't use spreadsheets, although in the book I have you know, it's broken up into sections. So it's before, during, and after. Your move. So in the preparing part of it, there's a lot of forms you can fill out. I think a lot of the stupid things that I did that I wasted money by is I would move someplace and they'd say, well, you don't have to pay a deposit if you can.
[00:19:48] Devra: You know, we can check with your last utility company and I didn't have that information handy. Now you can look a lot of stuff up on a cell phone, but it's easier if it's all in the same book and you just open to the page and go, yeah, here's the information. This was my account number. Same with doctors, dentists, you know, when you move, they want to know where they can get your records.
[00:20:12] Devra: It's really nice to have everything right there in front of
[00:20:15] Christi: in a folder. You're a proponent of folders with with like little inserts, right? And you put the information in there and that way it's right there when you need it, right?
[00:20:25] Devra: Well, you have that and actually in the book there are actual places where you can fill in. All of this information. And then, yes, absolutely. There, you know, having folders with marriage certificates, school, kids school records. You know, if you have any kind of medical issue. oh, I'll tell you a really important one for this.
[00:20:52] Devra: Get paper copies of every one of your prescriptions. When you move, it doesn't matter if your doctor just renewed it for a year. if you move to another state, they will only fill 30 days.
[00:21:07] Christi: Oh,
[00:21:08] Devra: So, but if you have a paper prescription that says for one year, they will start the year from the time you hand them that paper prescription.
[00:21:16] Christi: Isn't that interesting? I wonder why. Must have something to do with HIPAA or who knows? Yeah, electronic records and, hmm, interesting.
[00:21:26] Devra: Yeah.
[00:21:27] Christi: what can you tell people who have new people arriving from elsewhere? So in other words people who are moving to where you are
[00:21:35] Devra: And that happens a lot here in Flagstaff. It's like everybody wants to move to Flagstaff.
[00:21:41] Christi: It's beautiful there.
[00:21:43] Devra: It's a ski resort. If you like snow, it's a, great place to be. Number one, be honest. You know, I, I have moved to places where the people that were living there beforehand said, oh, the weather's like this, or my father's greatest line was, there's no flying insects here.
[00:22:04] Devra: And there were bees and hornets everywhere when I got here. So. I think, be honest with them. When people come there you know, understand that if you, let's say they're moving in next door, you're getting new people next door. Go over there with a real nice little welcome basket with things like toilet paper, toothpaste, coffee, things that they might not have read my book and didn't know they needed to pack a special box for the first day.
[00:22:34] Christi: That's really sweet. That's very sweet I know when we moved to Santa Fe we found a place After, you know, within a couple of weeks, we found a place to live and we thought, well, we're going to have a party and we're going to invite all the neighbors, whatever. And we learned that the people across the street did not even know the people next door to us.
[00:22:57] Christi: I was shocked. I was shocked by the coming from New York where you kind of, you know, you know your neighbors.
[00:23:04] Devra: Everybody knows everybody. Yeah. That's, that's more and more common constantly. And there's great sites go on Facebook, join their Facebook groups. It's a good way to get to know people before you actually move to an area. You know, if you belong to a certain religion, find out and join or at least email and communicate with them. Before you move to an area there's Meetup groups. It's called Meetup.com, where you can put in where you're going if you love hiking and join one of these groups as soon as you get there. So you start meeting people. I think that's probably the one thing that surprised me moving so much is the only place I ever moved where neighbors came over to greet me was when I've moved to the South. Every other place I've moved to Including where I live now, we're in townhouses and none of the neighbors know each other. Most of them don't like each other, but they don't know each other. I'd knock on the door to introduce myself and they'd act like I just landed from another planet.
[00:24:16] Christi: Wow.
[00:24:17] Devra: very strange.
[00:24:19] Christi: it probably is beyond the realm of this conversation to talk about why, but I can think of a thousand reasons and zero reasons. I like that. What you were saying about the South is there's a certain culture of geniality there and I think it's interesting that that's where you've chosen to go back to for move number 30.
[00:24:43] Devra: I like the warmth. I just like the warmth of people. I mean, there are areas you're from New York. You know how that is when, you know, New Yorkers will either embrace you or. You totally block you out, one or the other. When I moved to New Jersey, people in my age bracket at the time thought I was a freak.
[00:25:04] Devra: It wanted nothing to do with me. The guys liked me, but the girls didn't. You know, it just depends on where you are. And, you know I, I think how you act has more to do with it than anything. You know, people will soften if you're soft,
[00:25:23] Devra: unless you live in Flagstaff.
[00:25:27] Christi: Well, let's see. You might be doing the countdown to the next move, but you still got time.
[00:25:35] Devra: Exactly.
[00:25:36] Christi: Interesting. And it is winter. So you probably have a lot of tourists in there, right? You got snow.
[00:25:43] Devra: in college,
[00:25:45] Christi: College. Oh,
[00:25:46] Devra: it's huge. Yeah, our, our population goes up by like 40, 000 when college is in session here.
[00:25:55] Devra: That's a lot of students.
[00:25:58] Christi: I remember, I remember being there in like January and
[00:26:03] Devra: It's a ski resort. It's, it's a lovely place. I mean, it's an absolutely beautiful place. It's just it's sort of groupie, you know, and I've never been one to, to stay with in any kind of group.
[00:26:18] Christi: Now are you going to pop down to Sedona for one last walk around before you move?
[00:26:23] Devra: No, because I lived in Sedona. That was one of my moves. I lived there for over a year. Love Sedona. Absolutely love Sedona. Can't afford Sedona, but I love Sedona. I've lived in like five different places in Arizona. I keep coming back to Arizona for, you know, three or four of the moves back here were because my parents were in northern Arizona.
[00:26:48] Devra: This time it was because my best friend was here and her husband had passed away. She's actually my co author of the book. And I wanted to live close to her. I didn't know that it snowed 70 inches a year.
[00:27:03] Christi: Surprise! That's
[00:27:04] Devra: I don't
[00:27:05] Christi: funny. When we chose Santa Fe, we wanted it because it had four seasons. We didn't want to go someplace with only two seasons, but it's.
[00:27:18] Devra: Oh, Santa Fe's lovely.
[00:27:19] Christi: get a lot of
[00:27:20] Devra: it's it's a lovely place. Yeah, that's why I never lived in Santa Fe. My father was actually Raised in Carlsbad, New Mexico. And so we made trips every year to New Mexico. And I'm real familiar with Santa Fe. I always thought that was one of the prettiest areas. But never moved there because of the snow.
[00:27:43] Christi: So you end up in Flagstaff instead.
[00:27:45] Devra: Flagstaff.
[00:27:46] Christi: What was one of the happiest moves in your memory?
[00:27:50] Devra: North Carolina the first time I moved there. I was in Northern Arizona. I don't like deserts particularly either. And I looked at my daughter who at the time was like 13. And I said, Why don't we rent a truck, get on Interstate 40, and head east until we hit ocean? I love the ocean, and I thought, I've never lived, you know, that close to the Atlantic before.
[00:28:15] Devra: Why not? She said, sure, and that's exactly what we did, but again, didn't properly plan, so we actually arrived 40 dead ends on a little island called Carolina Beach, and we arrived on the 4th of July weekend. Not a good time to try and find a rental. Huh on an island . But it was home. It felt like home.
[00:28:40] Devra: It was one of the few moves I've had that from the moment I arrived, it was like I'm home. And then within the next two years, got wiped out by two hurricanes back to back , and went, maybe it's not home, I moved to Seattle.
[00:28:57] Christi: Oh, you went to Seattle from North Carolina. Interesting. Was that a happy move for you?
[00:29:03] Devra: That was, that was an interesting, but I actually had accepted a job and they said, we'll pay to move you here. And I said, well, okay I figured Seattle would be great. Cause they didn't have snow and it was beautiful. It was near an ocean. We happened to fly on that trip. Cause we'd lost everything in the move.
[00:29:22] Devra: We arrived at the first snow they'd had in 200 years and we're stuck at the airport for 3 days, but, it was interesting. I, I'd never lived any place where you just don't see the sun. And so eventually we made the decision to get on Highway 101 and go south until we found sun. And we ended up in Eureka, California.
[00:29:46] Christi: Oh, wow. Did you enjoy Eureka?
[00:29:48] Devra: I really liked Eureka. It was so beautiful. Way back then, it was, there was hardly anybody there. It was just redwood trees and ocean and gorgeous. Yeah, I really enjoyed Eureka.
[00:30:03] Christi: So why'd you leave?
[00:30:05] Devra: See, a lot of my moves, a lot of my moves have just been, hey, let's go here.
[00:30:11] Christi: Mm Why did you leave Eureka?
[00:30:13] Devra: I didn't like the earthquakes.
[00:30:16] Christi: earthquakes, right.
[00:30:18] Devra: yeah, I had Gone back to college in my 40s when we were in Eureka and had a job with the state and, frankly, even though I grew up in the San Francisco area, we never had earthquakes like they have in Eureka. And I was scared. I would, you know, it was like when you're, when you're laying in bed and you suddenly hear a boom and you're on the floor looking at the ceiling, because that's how hard it throws you.
[00:30:46] Devra: I was like, I don't know if I want to stay here. And I really wanted to go back to North Carolina. So that's what we did. We went all the way back cross country and went back to. North Carolina
[00:30:58] Christi: to the beach.
[00:30:59] Devra: to the
[00:30:59] Devra: beach.
[00:31:01] Devra: Yeah, I know it was really, I gotta tell you this story because it was really pretty funny. The day I arrived, we actually moved back into the same apartment building. We were in years previously and the neighbor comes out and looks up at me and goes, Oh, no, you're back. We're going to have a hurricane.
[00:31:19] Devra: And within a week, we got hit by another hurricane.
[00:31:23] Christi: Oh, no! you were bringing it with
[00:31:26] Christi: you.
[00:31:27] Devra: I have quit moving to the southern states that are on water because it never fails, Florida, you know, it doesn't matter where I live I always seem to bring this weird weather that's ocean related, so this time I'm going inland.
[00:31:41] Christi: Yeah, I guess you'll see what happens, although Asheville didn't fare too well not that long ago, inland isn't, I guess, isn't any guarantee anymore,
[00:31:50] Devra: I figured with all the moves I've made, you're going to have something everywhere. If you're prepared for it, you know, I didn't know anything about a hurricane. When I moved there, if I had learned something about the area before I moved there, then I would have known what to do. it's like getting money from the bank prior to a hurricane is really important.
[00:32:14] Devra: I didn't know that. And so I was like, what do you mean? The ATMs don't work after a hurricane. You know, I had no money to buy food or anything. So the more you can know prior. To a move the, the easier it's going to be for you,
[00:32:33] Christi: What are some of the things that you have done your homework on about Arkansas, where you're headed next?
[00:32:40] Devra: Trying to learn everything I possibly can joining. Facebook groups, talking to people about utility companies, talking to people about what cell phone company works the best, who has Internet looking at neighborhoods that we might be interested in, calling police departments and finding out, do they have a lot of calls in the area?
[00:33:04] Devra: There are a lot of burglaries in the area. Are there people there? pedophiles living next door to an apartment we're interested in. I mean, learning everything you possibly can, you know, what are the medical facilities like in different towns, in different areas? One of the things that came up a few days ago, because like I said, my daughter and I are learning.
[00:33:27] Devra: Everything we can is that the window tint we have on our car is too dark. So instead of getting pulled over after we move, we're going to get that taken care of before we move.
[00:33:39] Christi: That happened to us when we came back to New York State. We're just north of New York City from Santa Fe. And the car. But we took the car just to get, you know, to say, hi, we're here. We want to, you know, sign up with you. And so you know who we are. And they took the tint off for us. That was one of the things they did in the inspection.
[00:34:01] Christi: But we didn't we didn't think we would get stopped because we had New Mexico plates. So you're going to do it ahead of time.
[00:34:08] Devra: Yes we didn't do that in one of the moves that we made and it ended up costing us like 400 dollars because the police in that state, you had literally 72 hours to correct it. Otherwise, you got a major ticket and the tint companies know that so they can overcharge you to remove it. And so we decided we're not going to take any chances.
[00:34:33] Christi: Wow. And you really need that darker tint when you're in the Southwest where that sun is so, so harsh.
[00:34:41] Devra: Knowing the weather too is really important when you're moving. You know, make sure you're not going across Oklahoma during tornado season. not trying to drive up the coast of Florida during hurricane season. Always check ahead of time.
[00:34:57] Christi: That's good advice. That's very good advice. This is kind of thing that I don't think too many people necessarily think about. When we moved to Santa Fe, my parents sent some stuff from the house for us they were getting ready to downsize and they were coming from upstate New York, way upstate New York and Rochester, and these dingdongs they came down through the Rockies through the mountains.
[00:35:23] Christi: I'm like, what are you nuts? It's January They didn't realize that they should have gone south and then come across 40 that way anyway Wow,
[00:35:35] Devra: it's, it's important. I was unpacking a U Haul in a Category 2 hurricane. In North Carolina, one of my moves because we arrived there. I hadn't bothered to check the weather before we got through. I think it was Georgia. And if I would have known, we could have stayed in a hotel a day and miss the hurricane.
[00:35:58] Devra: But instead we're backing the truck up to the door, trying to unload in rain and wind. It
[00:36:07] Christi: do you hire? local people guys, usually they're guys to help you unpack
[00:36:13] Devra: depends on and there's a lot of pros and cons in the book about this, whether or not, and it depends on if you're going nationally, nationwide move or a local move. I will tell you, I always pack myself. I know exactly how to pack and on my YouTube channel, by the way, there's all these videos and tips about packing because I have learned over the years what the professionals that are really expensive to hire do to protect your stuff.
[00:36:47] Devra: And so I can pack a, I could pack a three bedroom house in about 48 hours. And. Not one thing will break in a box because of the way I've learned to pack. So, and I also don't trust other people. I don't know. My mother hired movers once and she took all the plants out of her planters and they packed her planters with the dirt in it. And not only is that messy, but it causes more weight, which costs you more money on a move. So I'm very, very particular. I'm also particular about how I mark boxes. Don't ever write computer on a box. That box may end up missing. Or TV. record collection. Don't do that. put something like baby's diapers, something that, you know, people are not going to want to accidentally take local moves.
[00:37:44] Devra: I always hire a local. mover company. I want them to break their backs carrying the furniture, not me. Cross country moves. I have done both. I have done several DIY moves. I like Pods. I think they're great. in fact, I recommend them in the book U Haul as well. It even has comparison charts so you know how big, you know, a truck you're going to need for what you're going to do.
[00:38:11] Devra: How to tape off an area in your living room so you know, okay, I can't take this extra recliner chair because it's not going to fit in the truck. You can save a lot of money doing DIY moves. the other thing is how long do you want to wait for your stuff when you do national movers?
[00:38:31] Devra: I arrived on one of my moves the morning of 9 11. I literally did not see my stuff for almost two months because the whole country shut down. On an average, you're waiting two to three weeks to receive your stuff on a move with a national mover. So maybe driving at U Haul Isn't a bad deal when you know you're going to get there and you can unload your beds the same day.
[00:38:57] Christi: You're not afraid to drive those trucks?
[00:38:59] Devra: No, I've, I've, there's a story in the book about one of them when we were moving to California from Arizona, where we were pulling a car behind the truck. We trusted the company that put the car on the truck, that they had secured it, and it almost came off the trailer while we were going 65 miles an hour down the highway.
[00:39:21] Devra: so, I mean, it's full of stories about scary things that you want to make sure. I mean, after that, it was, if we're going to put a car on a trailer, we are going to secure it ourselves. And no, it's not going anywhere. But no, I don't worry about driving the trucks. Most of these companies keep them in really good condition.
[00:39:41] Devra: I've had some issues, but You know, you're saving thousands and thousands of dollars.
[00:39:47] Christi: Yeah, it's a big commitment though, to drive, to drive a truck, to drive one, especially across country. Wow.
[00:39:56] Devra: Would I do it again? No.
[00:39:59] Devra: At 69, I am not going to drive a truck.
[00:40:02] Christi: No, you're over that. That was, that was an experience that you can look back on fondly, right? With fondness.
[00:40:09] Devra: right.
[00:40:11] Christi: How do you combat the stress of moving? And I'm thinking specifically in the lead up, but during it, and even afterwards, maybe my aunt and uncle lost moving from Detroit to Texas when they retired his tools were stolen and they were, I mean, it was stressful and it was, I'm not sure that he could have put baby diapers on that box and, and had it they, they found, they found the good stuff there, but I'm just wondering, there's a lot of stress or there can be
[00:40:44] Devra: There can be. Believe it or not, I'm actually using my own book on this move.
[00:40:49] Christi: Good for you.
[00:40:50] Devra: I, you know, my daughter said, what are we going to do? I said, we're going to use my book. Because if you plan it. The before properly with movers, there are some really reputable, honest, good national movers. The problem is there are some scammers that have like Nationwide is what has been one of the best moves I've had. I went looking for them online and somebody has duplicated their website. It makes you think you're on Nationwide, but you're not on Nationwide. And so really vetting who you're going to move with. If you have something like a toolbox, you can actually mark it. And when they, come to pick your stuff up, you remind the driver because the driver is always with the crew that's loading it.
[00:41:45] Devra: You remind the driver. I expect to see this at the other end. And he will put it someplace where even inside I've had him put stuff inside their cab with them to make sure that particular thing doesn't end up going because they have several different loads in one track. You, you know, your stuff you're going to.
[00:42:07] Devra: North Carolina your stuff could go to Ohio first. That's how I ended up getting the best stepstool I've ever had in my life. I lost a vacuum cleaner, but I gained the stepstool. So you just, if there's something that's really that important to you, you tell the driver.
[00:42:27] Christi: That's a good tip. That's good to know.
[00:42:29] Devra: You don't have to have a stressful move. That's the thing. You're moving to a new place. You're supposed to be excited. You're supposed to be happy. You're supposed to be anticipating all this good yummy stuff. And if you don't plan, you are going to be in stress. Completely stressed out. And it will be either before, during, or after.
[00:42:53] Devra: And that's why I broke the book up that way. So you know, before you ever even get in your car, you know, Hey, in four days when I unpack, this is what I'm going to need. And you're prepared. And then you, can have fun doing it.
[00:43:08] Christi: Like a little vacation
[00:43:10] Devra: Yeah. Don't try to drive 12 hours in a day to get to where you're going. Take your time. See the sites.
[00:43:18] Christi: Why not? Exactly. Exactly. Well, what, is there anything else that you think? That listeners would want to know, do you have any other tips?
[00:43:28] Devra: Go to my website, ahappymove. com. There are all kinds of things. There for you to find out not just to how to buy the book, but watch the videos. I talk about some of the tricky things and I'm adding videos all the time. So, know how to pack those sharp objects. learn how to wrap your furniture like the professionals so they don't get banged up or cut up in the, in the truck.
[00:43:57] Devra: I think if you approach it from what my mother used to say, proper planning prevents poor performance. Then you can have a happy move.
[00:44:06] Christi: And people can contact you directly through your website ahappymove.com and the links to your youtube channel are there too.
[00:44:16] Devra: Absolutely. And you can actually watch some of the videos right from the website.
[00:44:22] Christi: Thank you so much, Devra. It's been a real pleasure to talk with you and to talk about your book, A Happy Move. I know that there are a lot of people out there that could really benefit from this book.
[00:44:35] Devra: Why thank you. And thank you for having
[00:44:38] Christi: Yeah, it's a pleasure.