1. Throw away your crap before you move, not after.
2. Don’t come down with CMS* right before you move.
3. Humble thyself and call friends/fellow church members/family and ask for their help in the move and the cleaning. They will in turn, one day, ask the same thing of you, but multiple group moves are much better than a move attempted alone.
4. When you are touring new apartments, take a glance at your cell phone signal when you move from room to room. No matter how much you love the layout, it might not be worth it if you can’t stretch out on your bed or do the dishes while you talk to your mom.
5. Arrange to have the internet guy show up to do the installation the day of the move, not almost a week after.
6. Make friends with people who have a pickup truck. (Of course we aren’t your friends just for your truck M&Y!)
7. Stop buying everything except meat, dairy, fruit&veggies several months before you go in an attempt to lighten your food stores.
8. Hire movers. They are so worth the money.
I know a few of you have moved lately. What am I missing from this list?
*Convenient Moving Sickness
September 8th, 2009 on 5:30 pm
Other tips:
If you aren’t using professional movers – label the box contents on the outside to make it easier to unpack and organize.
If you are using professional movers, label the boxes with the room names and keep a separate inventory sheet with box numbers. For example, you wouldn’t want to write on the box “Waterford China” or “DVDs” (you wouldn’t want them to disappear when they are out of your watchful eye). But – if you label the boxes with numbers and keep a list as you pack, you will be able to know what’s missing (should a box disappear in the move) and you won’t have to open every box to find your microwave on that first night in your new place!
And… (I’m on a roll)
Pack one box with “first night essentials,” like your bed pillows, sheets, a microwave, a knife, etc so that if you do nothing else the first day you get your stuff off the truck, you can eat and sleep on your own things!
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violarulz/ducksandbooks Reply:
September 8th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
I second making your own welcome kit (that’s what us military brats call them). It’s great to have your own stuff to sleep in, eat off of, cook with, shower with, etc.
If you’re moving long distance, mail your welcome kit ahead to someone you know at your new location. You can also mail things to packing stores ahead of time, they’ll hold your stuff for you for a small fee.
It’s so nice to come into a new place and see that it’s yours because it has a few of your things in it.
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schmei Reply:
September 8th, 2009 at 8:40 pm
This is a great idea! I’m definitely doing this the next time we move…
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September 8th, 2009 on 7:08 pm
1) Just accept that you won’t get it done in one day. It just cannot happen.
I wish someone had told me that.
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September 8th, 2009 on 7:42 pm
Pack in boxes. My family (and I) have this horrible tendency to load a laundry basket with stuff, and a random basket with stuff, and drawers with stuff and trash cans with stuff. And then we play Tetras with lamps, globes, skate boards, random things and just put them in the truck where there is room. My husband hates that we do this! As this means that you have to make a million little trips as these random things aren’t contained, and inevitably, things get ruined. So my advice is to pack everything in boxes. I also pack all hanging clothes already on hangers. And definitely have three large empty boxes/bags ready while unpacking labeled: Garbage, Recycling, and Give Away. Don’t find a temporary home for the things you stupidly moved – get rid of it as you unpack. Now if only I’d someday take my own advice! Congrats on completing your move. Maybe a new cell provider can give you a great deal if you switch – good luck!
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Ellie Reply:
September 8th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
OMG I do this too! This was gonna be mine – pack in boxes, and pack in boxes that are all the same size; and pack in boxes smartly – nothing is worse than the bottom of your box falling out!
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Erin Reply:
September 8th, 2009 at 8:51 pm
The first time my now-husband had to move me he was so annoyed with my packing – the only (and few) boxes were giant boxes filled with books! Too heavy! I completely agree – same size boxes, only boxes, and all smallish boxes.
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September 8th, 2009 on 7:57 pm
When you have some help with your move, definitely have everything packed before they arrive! Everything moves so much more quickly and happily when your helpers just move boxes and furniture and you’re not worried where things ended up, if they’re going to get broken/forgotten or if you packed away the unmentionables already.
Plus, you can get to the pizza and unpacking faster!
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September 8th, 2009 on 7:58 pm
buy the fancy packing tape with the words “kitchen,” “bathroom,” “bedroom 1,” “bedroom 2″ on it. it’s expensive (for packing tape) but so worth it when you (or your movers) can super-easily get boxes in the rooms they need to be in.
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September 8th, 2009 on 8:38 pm
I’m in the middle of an office move for 20 employees right now. The #1 thing I’ve learned is that it is never, ever, ever too early to start packing. If it’s a month out and you know your move date, you should be packing (or throwing away) something every day. Moving day sneaks up on you!
And I learned this the last time I moved my brother: if you have friends/family helping you move, plan the food ahead of time. Presume you will need to feed the whole crew three meals. Have the donuts ready when they arrive, a cooler of bottled water and Gatorade on the truck, and the menu of a take-out place in your back pocket, ready to order lunch. Manual labor works up a thirst and an appetite and you don’t want a bunch of cranky people moving your valuables!
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September 8th, 2009 on 8:50 pm
Having moved twice last year, I’d add completing a U.S. Post Office change of address online in plenty of time…a few weeks out. Sooo much easier than worrying about what will and won’t arrive. And don’t forget to re-register to vote at your new address! Oh, also not a good idea to pull an all nighter packing the night before. Did this once a long time ago and almost slept through the movers ringing my doorbell when they arrived!
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September 8th, 2009 on 8:52 pm
Do NOT let your spouse leave town for the week before your move, then come home for the weekend, and then leave town for the week after the move. Not only was I responsible for cleaning out our entire old apartment by myself; I also managed to leave my keys to the new apartment in my car (hadn’t put them on the key ring yet) and found out, conveniently after the FI had left at 5am that day for SC, that a key is necessary to get OUT of the deadbolt downstairs. I was seriously locked into my apartment. I had to call my sister, throw her my car keys from our balcony, and have her unlock my car.
When I got home from work that day, I found out that since our chimney didn’t have a flu, birds can fly down the chimney and hang out IN OUR APARTMENT.
Also, cleaning out your old apartment/house will always take 10x as much time as you thought it would. And you will probably cry.
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September 8th, 2009 on 9:19 pm
Don’t drive 25 hours alone in a car with two children. Don’t move to NYC with two children, but do move to NYC with two children (I know, it’s confusing). HIRE MOVERS!! for sure. Make sure you have an functional elevator if you’re moving to 31 story building – check. Remember: this too shall pass. 3 weeks from now you will be settled in and loving your new place (hopefully). 3 weeks is magical, it seems. At least is was for me. I love our new place and our new city.
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September 8th, 2009 on 9:30 pm
We bought a TON of those plastic tubs for our move into the house after we got married, best thing EVER. We used painters tape + sharpies to label everything on the outside and put the boxes in the right rooms when moving. The plastic tubs are now storage for a ton of things in our basement instead of wasted cardboard that can/will a) mildew and b) have the bottom fall out!
Paint before moving. It is much easier to paint when you don’t have to move furniture about to do it.
If possible, try and move before your “final day” in case of inclement weather. If you don’t have a choice, make sure tarps are on hand for furniture during the move if using a pickup.
Feed your movers (paid or unpaid!) well.
Try not to move in winter – at least where it snows. Snow + ice + moving = recipe for disaster!
Try to get all of the major moving done before sunset. Sounds simple but I have moved in the dark so many times b/c I didn’t get started early enough. Oops!
HTH!
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stacey Reply:
September 10th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
agree!!! tubs saved my life. husband thought they were a waste of money when i bought them, but after we moved everything he was complaining much less.
also agreeing with everyone who said purge purge purge before you move. we ran out of time and now i’m unpacking and saying why on earth did we move this?!
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September 9th, 2009 on 12:49 am
Pack the bed and bedding last in the moving truck, and set up the bed first (after the furniture is in your bedroom). This gives you a place to sleep your first night in the new place. If you don’t get those handy moving dust covers for your mattress and box spring, leave the mattress pad on the mattress. It only costs what, $25 to replace the mattress pad, but replacing the mattress would be much more expensive.
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September 9th, 2009 on 8:20 am
Take measurements of the doorways and if needed remove the new/old door from the hinges before you start moving. That way the tools are buried in some box, somewhere, with the couch out on the stoop.
P
And also measure the large antique desk before attempting to take it up the narrow spiral staircase. We got it up there. But I don’t think it’s ever coming down…unless in pieces.
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September 9th, 2009 on 11:45 am
It’s never too early to start packing. Procrastination = exhaustion.
I’m actually looking for unpacking tips. I’ve been in my new home for a month and I’m still getting around to it.
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September 9th, 2009 on 2:54 pm
1 – have someone at the door when people are moving furniture and boxes in to direct them where they should go
2 – pack everything in boxes – the less loose the things the faster it goes
3 – grocery stores are a great place to get boxes from produce that work great for moving and free
4 – label bedroom doors with a name or some kind of identifier to direct people/movers where to put boxes and furniture
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September 9th, 2009 on 9:25 pm
Bring a roll of toilet paper to your new place as the first item, along with a kife (to open boxes). That and takeout food are about the best items when you move in a new place.
Lots of good advices above though.
Oh and an other one: always, always drive at night by your potential new place and make sure there is no train track next to it.
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