Tuesday 12th marked one month to moving day!
I’ve hired movers to do the actual moving and they mistook the date by exactly that month and as I was sitting attentively at a Google seminar on Tuesday morning I got a slightly desperate text message from Wille saying the movers were on our door step ready to start taking stuff out of the house… Haha!
Everything got sorted out quickly though and now that we have the boxes which they brought a few days ago (did they really expect me to pack up a household within a couple of days from delivering the boxes?) the packing can begin.
I’ve got a total of ONE HUNDRED BOXES! If someone would have asked me how many boxes I would need I’d have said thirty but my moving expert friend Anne used 100 moving out of her house and 80 moving from one apartment to another and since I apparently have no idea what I’m talking about I ordered the hundred boxes. I figure I don’t have to use them all and better have too many than too few.
So, wanna bet how many I end up using? I’ll even throw in a little goodie (which I’ll send anywhere in the world) for the person getting closest to the correct number. I promise I won’t peek at your numbers and adjust my packing accordingly :).
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234 Comments
82!
Annelie
I say 92
89 !
perhaps I should order boxes too for our move instead of trying to scrounge old boxes.
67?
I say 78. I have faith you’ll be purging a lot. 🙂
US readers, if you need to order boxes, http://www.usedcardboardboxes.com is great resource. They rescue once-used or misprinted shipping boxes in bulk from companies and sell them way cheap. My old roommate used them to move with and they were in practically-new condition and way cheap. Very eco-friendly!
75 🙂
Ooh, fun! I say 80.
100 and you are going to use suitcases, plastic bags, baskets…
good luck
64
My scientific calculation comes to 94.
83!
Oh, that is fun! I´ll say 97.
95. I always said when moving that we don’t need that much boxes. But we always ended up buying more. You don’t want the boxes to be too heavy so that you still can carry them and they’re not breaking. So I think you’ll nee a lot of boxes 🙂
71. Definitely! 😉
i’ll say 102 – because i always underestimate how little really fits in a box! of course if you don’t have to lift it you might pack differently 😉 happy packing. i love the process of choosing what will go with me. it’s the last bits of undecided that i can’t bear. probably because i’m always doing it under pressure! x
ummmmmm my little finger says 78
Amazing.. even your packaging supplies are neat and tidy.. ;o)
Now those packing cases look really large in the photo, but once they collapse down into the final box shape, they aren’t really all that big.
You don’t have a lot of ‘boxable’ stuff in your room or the communal areas, BUT there is a lot in Wille’s room and the old boatroom and kitchens always have more stuff in them than you imagine they will.
BUT.. you are incredibly organised and I’ll bet you’re a NEAT packer, so I think you’ll fill each box efficently..
So assuming Martin will have taken his stuff already ?? then I think you’ll get away with 75… let’s say 76 because someone has picked 75 already.
So my official guess is 76.
Jo xx
Lol! this is fun! You´ll propably need 77 boxes 😀
96!
104! XXxx
66 plus all of your own storage boxes – we had about 200 but you don’t ‘do’ clutter!
73!
Have fun! 🙂
98. 🙂
50!
mmmh..i made it with 15 moving to another apartment 😀
well..I’ll guess you need 93 boxes, because everything else of your stuff is already well-organized in boxes, bins and containers 😉
72 boxes!
55!
I’d say that you’ll need 93 of your boxes. Good luck!
hihi… I say 67!
My guess 100!
I´m also gonna guess 100!
88! Its a lucky number.
Don’t think anyone has taken 79 yet, so I believe you will pare down to that many.
I have way more stuff than furniture and when I moved last time it was 70 boxes so I will say 71 just in case.
So in case you lost that in there
71! Good luck with the packing.
98?…
68 st, med tanke på vilken organisatör du verkar vara så lär du inte behöva fler än så 🙂
I guess 63 boxes!
99 🙂
94 😀
I say 81!! 🙂 good luck packing 🙂
I’m going to say… 43! Enjoy packing 🙂
my guess is 101! good luck & bon courage as french say… i’m an experienced mover too and i certainly find the experience absolutely exhausting!
My guess is 69!
you’ll use more than you think. When we moved we also bought 1x100m of bubblewrap which turned out to be absolutely brilliant!! Still got loads left but’s good to use in everyday life so best buy ever for £20. My partner said I could run a military coup with my organized packing (I knew being a control-freak would come in handy one day!). Each item and each box was written down so I knew exactly where everything was should we not be able to unpack all at once. The only thing that was a mess was the stuff that had been in David’s office which was just thrown into various boxes, bags as I, being pregnant, left that one room for him to deal with. 18 months on we’re still missing some stuff…. 😉
Good Luck!!
I guess 81.
oops. Already see a guess of 81. I shall offer up 84
I reckon 91.5 🙂 The .5 will be the last box that you throw things into at the last minute and then panic when you get there and that box can’t be found!
The more the merrier! Or sumfink.
Anyway, better safe than sorry – you’ll see. 🙂
Jeg tror du vil bruke alle hundre.
Jeg fant mange nyttige pakketips hos Flylady da vi flyttet for noen år siden.
Lykke til med pakking og flytting, og riktig god påske.
Hilsen Sol
Hm. Jag vet att det går många fler lådor än man tror, men jag har inte sett några massor av böcker… Du är dessutom organisatörernas organisatör, så det kommer att underlätta packningen (smågrejer ligger redan i mer lättpackade lådor och askar). Min gissning blir därför 87 kartonger!
My guess is 126!
My guess is 92!
97 is my guess:)
91!
I guess 72 boxes will be enough because you already have storage boxes and you don’t have so much kitchen stuff, clothes etc. Good luck moving! Have fun packing! 🙂
53 is my guess.
I’d say 105….
When my entire family moved from Italy to the UK, we had 6 months to pack (since my brother and I were litttle and it was easier to just let us finish the school year befor moving). My mother started packing right away. We had SO many books. Every box was color coded (red=kitchen, yellow=living room, etc…) and had a letter reference (books went from AA to AS, sheets and linen were boxes B to F, and so on). My mother had a catalogue with each and every item that was moved (including furniture) and we each had a box to fill with our necessities (including clothes for the first week). It was really massive. I think we used 70 boxes (the furniture was not boxed)… so for you I’ll go with 65.
I would say 73! Good luck with all the work!
50
I’m going to go for 85. A nice round number!
101 boxes!
My gess is 104 boxes plus big blue IKEA bags to collect all the leftovers that didn’t fit in the boxes.
My guess is 93.
although packing is tons of work – just think of the new adventurs that await you in your “soon to be’ new home. 🙂
I used 120 boxes when moving from my 3-room flat to my 2-room flat about a year and a half ago. AND they were not enough…. Movers had to bring me more on the very day of the move as I had no boxes left for the kitchen things… So got another 20 boxes or so for those, packing in a frenzy all the time that they were carrying out the rest. It all depends on how many books you have. And I have/had lots of books even though I gave away lots of them before the move.
Oops … lots of 93 already guessed – can I change my number to 103? You always use more than you think you will need.
Use small boxes for books. I used the regular one and it was hell!
“a few days ago (did they really expect me to pack up a household within a couple of days from delivering the boxes?”
I moved a lot in last years, always hadonly 1-2 days to pack everything ;-).
My guess 77.
90! I’d say you will clear out loads of stuff..
I think you will use many more than 42 boxes, but I’m going to make my guess 42. After all, that is the answer to life, the universe, and everything. 😉
Besides, you have a lot of things in boxes/containers already that won’t need to be repacked into those boxes you got.
My guess is 96 🙂 Good luck with the packing and sorting out!
Let’s try 111. It’s amazing what happens when you add packing paper.
I will go with 69.
69 🙂
I’ll say 86 big boxes.
Though I would recommend also using a few smaller ones for the heavy stuff.
59…
Since you ordered 100, I’ll say 101. There is always more than you think, no matter how much you purge!
64
63
Jag tror att du är lika bra som jag är på att packa smart, om inte bättre. men du har mycket verktyg och sådant så jag säger 97.
97
83
Depending on the size, I’m guessing 50..You are so good at editing your belongings, + you know how to organize what goes in with what to make room for as much as possible. So I really don’t think that you will need more than that. They are big those boxes right? Personally I would need 100 for our small apartment..(64 kvadrat).
I’m so happy for you! Moving is such fun! Especially for people who love to organize! Actually moving is the perfect opportunity for people to get organized… Enjoy packing. I look forward to reading about your packing solutions!!!!
I’m guessing 85. Happy packing!
112!
86 🙂
You’re very efficient. I say 74!
74, definitely 🙂
87!
My guess is 121, I just moved and it takes aaalot of boxes. I used around 40 and I lived alone in a 30 square meter studio. Good luck packing but better luck unpacking 🙂
I say 89!
My guess is 53. You seem so organized, I think you are going to be able to pack a ton into each box and not need as many as you think! Good luck packing!
150! When we moved from a small studio apartment, we used 50 small boxes, plus suitcases, etc. And the studio wasn’t even stuffed to the brim. I don’t know how big your boxes are, but I find that one always needs a lot more boxes than expected… However, I find that I like packing because it gives me a chance to look at every single belonging and to decide if it is worth lugging to the new home; it’s the best way to get rid of stuff! Then, when you arrive at your new home, you only have the items that you love and with which you want to start the next phase of your life. Good luck with the packing!
I’m going for 72 boxes. Just because! (and we just know your packing is going to be completely logical, ordered and catalogued!).
I would say 83 as I am sure you are not going to pack everything you have but get rid of some stuff.
BTW-you inspired me to remodel my basement and today I am going to Borders bookstore that just closed to buy booksheleves and the creation of the craft space in my basement will begin. Thank you for all your inspiration. I love your blog!
My guess is 85! All the best!
94 st gissar jag! Lycka till med packningen!
all of them – 100! Last time we moved it took 168 boxes, although I have to say that the movers packed them and they even put stuff that was already in a storage bin into a box since that way you get all the same size boxes which stack more easily in the truck… But maybe that’s just a bad excuse for having too much stuff 😉 (and yes, I did unpack all of them)
54
I guess 88. good luck packing. Will you share with us how your packing process goes? Numbers, lists, name of room on box…
What a fun game! I’m guessing 78. Best of luck with packing!
Oh, 85 is already taken. I’m going to go lower and say 62! Happy Packing!
67!
59 gissar jag. Nastan dubbelt sa manga som du trodde, men du ar sa organiserad sa du behover nog farre an de flesta. Lycka till!
Far bli 58 i stallet…
Oh, I guess 99 boxes. So that you barely make it, but still get one annoying box left 😉
I guess 90.
I say 93!
63 boxes
I guess 88!
I love packing and purging and starting fresh. Good luck and have fun!
oops did that all wrong!
I think you’ll use more than 100. I guess 115.
I’m going low….I’ll say 46. Happy Packing!
I think you will pack 87 boxes 🙂
106 boxes, but the other side of me thinks that you will probably pack it in 86 boxes. Afterall, you’re not taking Martin’s stuff and you are ruthless when it comes to purging. On second thought, my official vote is 86 boxes.
Oh my gosh Jo….I was thinking this exact same way and my number came to 76 too!!!!!! Great minds and all. Well since I can’t say 76 now….Benita my entry number is 78!!! This is fun!
I’m guessing 110. All those glass things, that need cushioning; the wonderful crafty things; Martha will probably need several boxes just for her magazines!
i would guess 105 🙂
Oh fun! I’m weird in that I love to pack up my stuff for a move–and it’s even more fun to unpack! My guess is 73.
118 boxes is my guess 🙂
83
I’m going to guess 88-I really have no idea, but that sounded a good round number- Dee
62, tried to pick a number that wasn’t already used.
My guess is 74. We moved last year and had probably over 100 but a lot were the small-ish boxes you get when you buy reams of printer paper for the office. Those are best for moving books and you can usually get them for free when the paper is gone.
82
85 🙂 Those boxes don’t look too large.
I think you’ll need 111 Boxes. 🙂
52 is my guess – because you are an efficient lady!
69
Hope I’m right!
Jasmine
Jag tror att du kommer att använda 86
I think 77
101 :p
98
Nu blev jag tvungen att kika på packlistan vi fick av vår flyttfirma när vi flyttat från Sverige till Norge 2009. Alltså, det står 190 kolli (!) och av dem kan jag tänka mig att merparten är lådor, och resten möbler. Vet att vi fortfarande har över 100 lådor kvar i källaren och då slängde vi också en massa. Och bara så du vet, vi flyttade alltså då från en lägenhet på 45 kvm…. De måste ha packat lätt i lådorna.
I’d guess 73. My husband and I filled 2/3 of a shipping container on our move.
103 boxes 😀
Congratulations on your new house, by the way!
I think you will use 83!
Good luck with the move!
I’m guessing 80.
And I want to say how smart it is of you to use boxes of uniform size.
I used to organize a project where we had to move large quantities of books. I would insist on using a specific type of box (designed for shipping books), even though they were smaller than the average moving box, because they were easier to lift and stack neatly. So we could really pack a lot into a small truck.
Eventually someone else took over that project. They ignored my advice and used miscellaneous boxes of various sizes, and they couldn’t figure out why it took so many trips to move them all. 😛
78 is what I think it is.
Can’t wait to see how organized and tidy your move will be. (or will it be a free-for-all packing marathon?)
I’d guess 82 boxes 😉
66! I’m assuming you’ll be using things you’re already moving like trash cans for some items, perhaps large bags for some things…so the boxes are 66.
We packed our house for storage last year – 103 boxes inventoried and color-coded for rooms should we ever get to unpack them. So… 103 for you, too!
I think you’ll use 91 boxes!
~ Ali
i think 68!
“Normal” people will need 120 for all the things in a whole house, but you are so organized, I think 77 are enough for you!
I think, this is the first time I wrote; at this occasion let me tell you that I like your blog very much and get a lot of inspiration!
65!
my guess is 72! Good luck packing!
79!
perhaps 97!
Her er et lite pakketips. På systembolaget kan du sikker få esker som det har vært vinflasker i. De har skillevegger inni slik at du kan sette glassene dine rett nedi hvert sitt lille rom i eska. Så slipper du å pakke hvert enkelt glass inn i papir.
Hilsen Sol
70?
112 🙂
105 😉
I think you definitely end up needing more boxes than planned, having just moved myself. I’ll guess 62.
I say 74 boxes! I would have guessed at 75 if it wasn’t up there already. But I figured one less is possible too, you are a very organized person. Good luck packing!
I’ll say 93 ?
I’m sure we used hundreds when we moved. Too many books, magazines and records!
I think you’ll use 47.
What fun, I’ll say 95.
So I bet you’re going to be getting rid of stuff a long the way, so I say you’ll use 45 🙂 (maybe also because no-one else has really gone that low) 😉
Im going for 40 boxes… 10 more than thought… 60 less than you bought!!!
I think you’ll use 70 🙂
87
You will of course use 79 boxes – whatever is left then will either be tossed or given to the charity shop – or turned out to be your ex-husband’s stuff.
Good luck with the packing!
I say 42! The boxes are huge! Good luck with your move, i am doing exactly the same!
Lucky number 77!!
105 – you always need more than you planned 🙂
I say 98. When I moved I thought I had pared my life down to a few exquisitely chosen items. Boy, was I wrong.
Here is a funny passage about packing from a very funny book called “Onions in the Stew” by Betty MacDonald:
” I started out very methodically. ‘Books – reference’ I marked on the outside of a carton. ‘Sheets – towels’ I marked on another. When Don [husband] attempted to help I said kindly but firmly, ‘you had better let me do it dear. I know exactly what I am doing and I want things to be orderly.’
….Then somehow I began running out of enough of the same thing to fill a box – also out of boxes and newspapers – also out of strength. By the end of the day I was rolling a jar of mayonnaise, a heel of salami, and a half filled bottle of Guerlain’s Blue Hour perfume in my tweed skirt and not even stamping the bundle ‘Perishable.'”
I’d guess 123. Because, it’s always much more than you estimate.
67! You seem so organized so I bet it will go very smoothly for you 🙂
My bet is 108! Sometimes it can be surprising how fast those boxes are filled…
73
77 is my favorite number! Good luck!
more then 100
love your blog
Well my first thought was 76, but as that is already gone, I will go for the nearest available number, which is 74!!
I play: 87!
103 is the number that keeps coming to mind… good luck… we packed up our life a year ago and i swear no matter how many boxes we had we always needed more!
67 boxes!!!! I think you will pack very well, avoid wasting space, and probably get rid of a lot of stuff whilst packing anyway. Looking forward to finding out how many you actually used! In fact i bet its way less than 67 but that was my first instinct so im sticking with it!
Aqeela xx
95!
42! Good luck!
85 boxes – good luck with the move!
I’d guess 42 since you are fairly clutter free & my pack-rat mom only used 60ish when she moved.
(Of course, her’s were rather large boxes and I have no clue how large the boxes you used are.)
Hope you complete the task of packing fairly quickly — I know that packing is always my least favorite part of moving! :
Dang, 42 is already taken… okay, I’ll guess 41.
87 and one box half full! How’s that for an acurate prediction? Happy packing Benita. I know you’ll a) love it and b) be super efficient.
Emma 🙂
Ahhh I’m too late! All of the numbers I would have guessed are taken. But whatever the number, I’m sure it was well under 100 (my guess is 67)- because you are just efficient like that!
I was going to say 76, but I see someone else has already said it, so I will go with 74.
Happy packing!
47
Hi,
I just moved, so depending on the size of your boxes, I would say: 125
Don’t put heavy things in large boxes, use blankets and knits for packing material with small appliances and computer/audio equipment. And TINY boxes for the magazines. They get soooooo heavy – might want to spring for some packing paper too!
best of luck with your packing and your move,
Nikki
I guess 86! Aloha and happy packing!
I’m going to low-ball it. I’ll say 42.
106
87! Just because you are so organized. I don’t think you will overcrowd your boxes!
What a fun game! I’m going to guess 94 🙂 Good luck!!
I vote 93 boxes. I carefully fold the piece of paper that holds my magic number and toss it into the ring with all the others! I wish I was near…I love to pack ;O)
75… Because it is my birthdate…
and:
You are a lot more clutter free than me,
and I imagine Martin would be removing his things separately, if not already?
Oooooh, I’ll guess 89! 😀
I’m going to say 76.5 boxes
I’m seeing 104 boxes in your future.
Melissa, not only I was about to vote for the same number, but I was also wondering exactly where to buy boxes for when I move. Thanks!!
Benita, I will have to change my input… so I say 87. ¡Buena suerte!
My guess is 78.
52 boxes!
114 🙂
74. Definitely.
You are way less cluttered than I am. But, there is usually more stuff than one thinks they own so I will guess 105 boxes.
77
You’re so admirably minimalist that I thought I’d go LOW with 50, but since someone’s already guessed that I’ll say the inversion of my favourite number (thirty-five), so…
53 boxes?!
Best wishes for your packing, Benita!
Wow, the moving guys got the date wrong by a month? I hope they get the addresses correct on the day! As some of the other commenters have said, you never realise how much stuff you have until you have to move it all!
I was going to guess 87 boxes but it’s already been picked, so my guess is 86- good luck with it all!
Actually, I type so slow that 86 is already taken as well… let’s go with 49 😉 You can do it Benita!
I think actually 64. You seem to be more of a minimalist compared to most.
Hmmm… I posted my comment yesterday, but since I don’t see it I guess I’ll post again.
I vote for 42. Actually, I think you’ll use more than that, but it’s the answer to life, the universe, and everything, right? 😉 So, 42 it is!
Never mind! I never noticed that “see more comments” link just above the comment field. It’s not very noticeable.
Anyway, I found my other comment. 🙂
I would normally guess higher but from the images of your home… Clean, white and simple… I’m going to guess 97.
I think 36 is the right number! 🙂
That’s funny, Ana, because when I went to comment I saw not many people had said anything yet and thought, “oh good, no one will have guessed 82 then,” and of course that was the very first guess. Whoops!
I guess 82.
I would say 83 🙂
Trots att jag har fullt förtroende för din förmåga att packa effektivt, kan jag VERKLIGEN rekommendera att vara generös med antalet flyttkartonger och inte fylla dem till max. Även om flyttgubbarna bär ut dem ur det gamla och in dem i det nya huset, och du är supersnabb på att packa ur dem, kommer du att behöva stapla om kartonger hur mycket som helst till en början när du kommer på att du behöver något särskilt eller vill packa upp en viss kartong. Då är det skönt att de går att flytta på utan att du knäcker ryggen. Mina nästa två tips är att sätta ordentligt med etiketter på dem (på minst två olika sidor av varje kartong) och att ha ett par lådor var till Wille och dig med saker som ni vet att ni kommer att behöva/vilja använda under de två första veckorna ifall något händer som gör att ni inte hinner packa upp så snabbt som ni önskar. De kartongerna ska ni markera extra noga! 🙂
Lycka till med flytten!
Tack för tips!!!
76 st kartonger så klart!
I am going out on a limb and going with 68. What I think you really need is about 17. (My husband and I stopped numbering at 156 when we moved the last time…)
49
99…
I would say… 98 boxes.
42
I think you will use all 100 and want a few more! Those kitchen items take up so much room.
My bet is on 87 boxes!
Good luck!
90!
This is better than guessing the number of jellybeans in a bar! 🙂
Have fun packing and unpacking!
77! Good luck with the packing and the moving. I still haven’t been able to forget the last time we moved, and it was 10 years ago! 🙂
ap_lemos at yahoo dot com
My guess is 112.
I moved 3 times in the last two years, the first being from my home of seven years. Even my minimalist, anti materialism yoga teacher used 75 boxes in a recent move from a 2 bedroom apartment. Amazing how they add up.
74!
Well I guess every number has already voted on by now so I’ll take a random stab at 77. I just did a move and we used many more than I thought, but 100!?! seems too many so 77 it is. Good luck on your new adventure 🙂
I’m going to guess 52!!
I love your blog and my guess is 92. I already have moved 7 times one time from USA to Venezuela and I know what are you facing!! I live now in a nice apartment in Maracaibo, Venezuela and I don´t want to move again in the next years!!
63 is my guess…
99!
72!