It was good news to us when my husband got a job contract in Regina but there was also some worry to it. We were living in Edmonton and Regina is city in another province. That was a very big move, literally. We had to do a lot of arrangements. His contract from his previous employer already ended so this part was already cleared.

We had a one-year lease contract to our apartment so we were worried they might actually charge us for the remaining two months short of one year. The administrator told us that they would not charge anything to us if we just take one of their apartments in Regina. So that solved the problem. It was convenient for us to just go online and chose one that we liked. The administrator was the one making the arrangements for us in Regina.

Next we had to contact our providers to cut off our cable TV, internet and telephone line. It was easy since the utilities had no contracts. My husband phoned some moving companies and asked for them to make us a quote, should we decide to avail of their services. They were all asking for more than 3,000 dollars. That’s a lot of money. We could afford it if we were up to it but then we had better use of that money. That’s when we decided to just rent U-Haul van for one way. They only charge less than 800 dollars for a minimum of four days. We could just return the unit at the nearest U-Haul branch in Regina.

Now the hardest part is the packing of our things. We boxed all the appliances and furniture that still had boxes. We bought several large plastic bins with covers at Zellers for the things that did not have a box. We also bought two sturdy hand trucks to help us with the heavy items. Once we were all packed up, three of his closest colleagues agreed to help us with the loading of the things in the van. We just treated them to a lunch of pizza.

After loading everything, my husband installed the towing equipment so we could just tow our car while we drive the U-haul. It was pretty convenient, no need to spend on gasoline for the car. It was his first time to use a towing equipment with no help. It was hard for us but we got through it. It was almost dark when we were ready to leave. We had a coleman full of drinks and finger food so we could minimize stoppings. We drove more than 800 kilometers and we could not speed up because we’re driving a van with a towed car behind. We practically did not sleep and we arrived in Regina before sunrise. The Boardwalk administrator was not in the office yet so we had to go to Tim Hortons to have some coffee and breakfast while waiting for 8:00 a.m.

We met with the administrator after breakfast and we got the keys to our new apartment. This time, we unloaded and unpacked everything with just the two of us because we didn’t know anyone to help us and there was no available men to do the labor. It seemed almost impossible for just the two of us, having to move the bed and the treadmill but we did it. We were able to return the U-Haul van on time.

This is how we Filipinos are. Sometimes we have to go through inconvenience if it means spending less.