Boxes littered the ground of my 17^th-floor apartment as I arrived home late one night last week. For several days, I’d been staying at school until the early morning hours trying to get a documentary finished.  As you might imagine, I wasn’t in the happiest of moods before I walked through the front door that night—and as I crossed the threshold, my sulky five a.m. mood sank even lower.

Truth is, I’ve never really moved before. I moved in and out of residence for two years, but I don’t count that because I always went back to my real home. When I “moved” into this apartment, it didn’t feel like moving at all because I’ve managed to keep root in both my rooms.

But this time is different. I really feel like I’m leaving somewhere. Seeing those big brown boxes in the middle of the room forced me to think about it.

I suppose I should consider myself lucky because I have two roommates who have been doing the work. I’m dreading all the upcoming cleaning, let alone all the packing.

The Cost of Cleaning

It’s easy to forget that moving can cost you. Tenants have to leave the place pretty much the way they found it. Our building requires us to fill in any holes that we’ve put in the wall and paint over it. They also want us to clean the carpet—and provide proof that we’ve done so.  We even have to put a deposit down on the elevator. They also offer cleaning services if we’re willing to pay for it.

Getting Rid of the Goods

My roommates are moving across the country, so they’re trying to sell a lot of their stuff. Posters have been put up in the lobby of our building and — to my surprise — they’ve worked. They’ve also posted things on craigslist and Facebook’s Marketplace. I’ve also heard some great things about kijiji, which is eBay’s answer to online classifieds sites.  It breaks up Canada into its different regions, making it easier to unload all your stuff.

I tried to find some classified sites that were strictly for college and university students, but I could only find American sites. Does anyone know if these exist for Canadians?

Canceling “Necessities”

My cable/internet company needed a month’s notice that we’d be moving. Check your provider’s policy because, even if you love TV as much as I do, you don’t want to have to pay for it if you’re not using it. If you’ve got a landline telephone number, you’re going to have to get that changed, too.

The boxes have been cleared to the side and you can once again maneuver your way around the place. Although, I can only imagine what kind of mess will be in my way in the coming weeks.

For now, I’ll just remember the place during better times…