Preparing for a Move

RE: Preparing for a Move Post by camo_angels (683) | (01/20/2006) Profile | Contact Especially if you pack your own boxes, make an itemized list, both for insurance and just to know where things are if you need them right away! RE: Preparing for a Move Post by camo_angels (683) | (01/20/2006) Profile | Contact I had to wait four weeks for all my stuff to come to my new place, so I spent that extra time planning where everything would go...each cabinet had sticky notes so if my hubby unpacked, he knew were everything went. Did the same with pictures too. RE: Preparing for a Move Post By Debbie (Guest Post) (01/18/2006) Rule # 1: DO NOT LET OTHER PEOPLE PACK FOR YOU!!! Outside help will just create confusion when you unpack. Tip #1: I hate all the clutter that comes with wrapping breakables in newspaper, etc. It feels like I'm moving garbage, even if it is lightweight. Besides that, dealing with the trash after the move can be distracting! One thing I do to cut down on this is making my soft goods do double duty--for example, in the kitchen I pack my glasses in dish towels, alternate layers of plastic and glass bowls to prevent rattling, and use pot holders to fill the gaps...in the bedroom put picture frames, lamps, & other breakables between the sheets,pillows, and clothes. Unpacking seems to go alot faster and neater this way. Just keep the room theme and you'll be suprised at what you remember when you pack things with care! I do the same thing with holiday items--packing breakables into holiday linens and soft florals. Works great for me--hope it helps you. RE: Preparing for a Move Post By KLS8800 (Guest Post) (01/17/2006) Time to discipline yourself. You say you are not a pack rat. Wow. That is a big step already. Go to your fast food chains and ask when their delivery day is. Ask if you can have their boxes when they are done unpacking their foods. Most just throw them out, and will gladly give them to you for free. I have yet to be charged for a box and I have moved ALOT. When you go through more of your things, label the boxes Keep, Seasonal (Christmas things, or summer things...) donate, trash and one for Not sure. Do one room a day. Also, when you get to the bathroom, go through your medicine chest. Toss the meds that have expired. FLUSH the pills, and pour the liquids in the sink..don't forget to remove labels with your name, addy, # and sometimes medicade # or ss #... I would get one big box and put each category of meds in a Zip Loc bag (pain reliver in one, cough meds in another, prescriptions in yet another...) After you are done going room by room if there is a lot of stuff in your garage, why not rent a locker for a month or so. A small one isn't too much..and it is out of your way until moving day. Maybe find a locker near where you are moving? but every big chore can be broken down into smaller tasks. Be methodical, slow and steady wins the race, and such. RE: Preparing for a Move Post By Carla P (Guest Post) (01/10/2006) Excellent ideas so far! My only suggestion is to watch how you label the boxes. On one move, all boxes made it except the one labeled "bedroom-quilts" and "livingroom-collectibles". Needless to say, on the next move we labeled important boxes with "cleaning rags, etc". Only WE knew what it really was. Good Luck! RE: Preparing for a Move Post By Carol (Guest Post) (01/10/2006) Begin packing things you dont use every day first. Mark each box according to the room it belongs to... and indicate the urgency of its use... (like you dont use it much..lol) As you do this, you will eventually get down to the things you use every day... You'll want to do those last.. Also, mark these boxes as to which room they belong in and indicate that these are ones to be opened first... That way you'll know they have to be opened when you first arrive at your new home.. the others can wait. Best of luck... RE: Preparing for a Move Post By (Guest Post) (01/10/2006) When moving, I pack each box according to the room it will be going into. I even do that for wall decorations etc. The box may say wall decorations...living room. That way the movers know exactly where to put each box when they are delivered. I make sure to throw out any old clothing that won't be used and clothes that belong in dresser drawers are neatly folded and in the drawers. I usually take them "out" of the dressers and bring them in our cars. That way they are ready to go and can just be put back into the dresser. Have a box marked with the things belonging on dresser and nightstand. In the living room have a box for knick knacks and such and things like that. I'm one of those people who have everything done and coordinated before I ever move and in one day the place looks like I have lived there forever. If you don't think you will be willing to spend the hours immediately to re-decorate your home, have a "special" box with your toaster, bread, coffee etc. that you would want in the morning so that you can find them. Also have a special box with your toothbrushes, soap, a couple of towels, toilet paper etc. Don't forget to include bubble bath. You will need that relaxation when you are through. Light some candles and just sit back and enjoy your new home. chickie RE: Preparing for a Move Post By Marianne (Guest Post) (01/10/2006) I was right.....you ALL are great people on this website!! Thanks to all who responded ...I will use all the tips each of you provided. Happy New Year to all the readers here and thanks for responding. Marianne \ Trenton, Ohio RE: Preparing for a Move Post by wendiesioux (35) | (01/10/2006) Contact I am a member of flylady.net. It's free to join. These are her moving tips. I have used them three times, they have helped me out a lot, whether I was moving 4 states away, or just down the road. http://www.flylady.net/pages/Flying_MovingTips.asp It's helped me so much that I keep a printout handy for future use! RE: Preparing for a Move Post by ThriftyFun (4042) | (01/09/2006) Profile | Blog! | Contact Hi Marianne, All of the suggestions are good and I've used all of them. When I know I am going to be moving, I start getting organized by look at my belongings as to how often I use them. Pack up as much of your least used items first, extra linens, extra cookware, summer (or winter) clothes, pictures and decorations on the walls, etc. Keep working your way through it by asking yourself, "Will I need this before I move?" If not, pack it up. Make sure to pack your boxes with items that go together or will be put away in the same place as much as possible and mark them well. Find a place to put your packed boxes so you don't have to trip over them and feel like you are making progress. If you have an extra room, use that. As it gets nearer to moving day, make a box your last out, first in box that contains all of your most important items. This would include medications, extra checks, bills that will need to be paid, address book, cash, keys, simple tools like a hammer, screwdrivers and pliers so they will be easy to find if you need them. Make sure this is easily recognizeable and make sure it doesn't get put in the moving truck but stays with you. You will need to do everything in reverse when you get to your new home. Also have another box or tub with cleaning supplies for cleaning up as you go. Best wishes for an easy and stress free move. Susan from ThriftyFun RE: Preparing for a Move Post by Persnickety Paula (321) | (01/09/2006) Contact I have moved 14 times, and believe me, it never got any easier. I wrapped all breakables with newspaper end rolls. Go to your local newspaper and ask for the end rolls, they are the newspaper without all the print so you don't have to worry about the ink trasferring to your things. Also, pack a suit case or back pack with your night things and clothes for the next day in case you can't find the boxes with your clothes in them. On the boxes write the room that the box belongs in and make sure to write what you put in the box. When you have all of those boxes piled up, and they all say kitchen on them, exactly which box has your pots and pans, and which has your dishes? It helps to know what is in each box in case you want something unpacked first. I also recommend having plenty of paper plates, cups, and napkins, and buying quick to eat food like pizza or a bucket of chicken. You won't want to cook because you will be too busy and it will take a while to have the kitchen set up to cook in! Most of all, the most important thing, is to not let the stress get to you. When you feel like you are getting overwhelmed put a great big smile on your face and yell, "I just love my new house!". It makes it all worth it. RE: Preparing for a Move Post by lunchlady (9) | (01/09/2006) Contact I agree! Mark the boxes with the room that it will go into at your new place. That way, no matter who is helping you, they will know what room to carry the box to. RE: Preparing for a Move Post by Kersti (28) | (01/09/2006) Profile | Contact I am one of the most unorganized people, hoping to improve this year.I guess one of the main things is to keep looking at the whole situation as an adventure.We had to move from a four bedroom house to an apartment, people were helping me that knew what a pack rat I am.One thing that may really help is to have a garage sale first, even if awful weather, the money that you get can be set aside as a reward for getting rid of stuff that you may will not have to pack and unpack.A lot of my stuff is sitting in a storage unit that we are paying for and I need to get rid of that so we are not paying for stuff we can live without .We are blessed to have choices as so many other people have left their homes with only the clothes on their back.Before you start any of the packing, have your family or a close friend look at the stuff with you, so you will not get so overwhelmed, remember that if you have not used an item or worn clothing in a year you probably won't....keep thinking how fun it will be to choose something new that will fit in your new place, or clothing that will cheer you up after you reach your destination, like when you are able to go out to get to know a new restaurant.If you think a garage sale will bog you down just call a charity place to pick up your items.You will be surprized how good you will feel with less items.As far as getting down to the fine tuning of moving, there are moving companies that have free booklets all about it, and a lot of them are handy enough for you to just stop by and pick up the booklet.Also a lot of cities have a chamber of commerce to contact, and some have welcome wagons for after you arrive that will have coupons and some freebies for being new in the neighborhood.One last idea is to write yourself a note of encouragement or to inspire the other's in your home you can write them a note for when they are unpacking and it will be fun to see what they say after finding it, also could include a giftcard to somewhere in your new neighborhood, even if it is to the new dollar store or for yourself for a manicure or some gift of pampering.God bless your new adventure....and think how blessed you are to have time to make choices.Kersti RE: Preparing for a Move Post By Kathy J. (Guest Post) (01/08/2006) When I was getting ready to move, I got a bunch of colored markers and used a color code on the boxes so I could tell whose/which room the stuff should end up in at the new house. I put a mark on top and sides of the box so it was easy to see. I didn't buy them I just borrowed from the kids school/craft supplies and packed them last.