Moving day is a nightmare all of its own. There are boxes to pack, utilities to notify and have transferred, changes of address that need to be sent out, and moving vans to be rented. Then there is the headache of making certain that you are completely moved out in time for the new tenant to move in. This headache can sometimes compounded by another one: arriving at your new abode with a fully packed, rented-by-the-hour van, only to discover that it has not been vacated yet. It’s all part of the Moving Day Law of Opposites: what goes out, does not necessarily go in.

First-time mover Annabel had heard all of the horror stories, and wanted no part of them. She decided the only way that she was going to move, was if she did it the right way.

Annabel wrapped her valuable breakables in bubble wrap, divided everything that was going to be packed in boxes into categories, and carefully labeled each box. She made certain that the boxes were neither too large, nor too small. She checked to see if her movers, whom she had booked several months in advance, would bring tarpaulins with which to protect and cover her valuable leather armchairs. Lastly, she called ahead in order to make sure that her new apartment would be vacant when she arrived.

Annabel’s older sister Julie also happened to be moving. Unlike Annabel, Julie did not believe in doing things the right way. Julie moved almost every year, and experience had taught her that it was better to do things her own way. Julie took her paintings and drawings off the walls and from their easels, and wrapped them bedding quilts. She then yanked the drawers from her dressers, and lying them on their backs, stuffed the paintings into the empty drawer slots in much the same way as files were put into a filing cabinet. She found it to be a handy technique that usually did not result in too much damage to her valuables. They were not, after all, Picassos. She threw her remaining possessions into whatever was handy. Her only consideration in packing her boxes was that they didn’t become too heavy to lift.

There was no need for Julie to call ahead. Whenever she rented a new apartment, she always tried to get one that would be vacated by it current tenant at least a month before she moved in. That way her new landlord would be done with the repairs, and have the place all cleaned up for her when she arrived. As an added bonus, she sometimes was allowed to move in early. It also helped her to be certain that the previous tenant would be gone when she got there. Several of her friends had had the nasty surprise of arriving at their new homes, only to discover that they couldn’t move in. They had been forced to put their boxes, sofas and dining sets in storage, while their new landlords found alternate apartments for them.

Julie never bothered with professional movers, nor did she care if the movers that she hired had insurance. What she wanted in a mover was someone who got the job done, and did it cheaply. The movers that she could find by simply opening her newspaper to the classified section suited her just fine.

In the end, both Annabel and Julie had moves that went smoothly. They arrived at their new homes and settled in without incidence. Despite the positive experience, Annabel hopes to never have to move again. Julie, on the other hand, is hoping that maybe next year she’ll finally be able to find an apartment with a perfect southern exposure.