# Moving Advice



## highlandview (Feb 15, 2007)

We will be packing up soon and moving. What is your best advice for organizing a move?


----------



## Our Little Farm (Apr 26, 2010)

Work on the least used room first and work on one room at a time. Label your boxes well. Where they need to go, and either a number and a list as to the contents, or general info on the box.
Get good strong boxes, and wrap fragiles well in paper or bubble wrap.

Have some music playing while you work that room, something relaxing. Have the new boxes, a box to give to the second hand store, and a large bag for trash. Have lots of trash bags and be ruthless. THIS is the time to de-clutter, trust me, it will make things SO much easier in your new place to unpack. 

Once you have finished a room, use that room to store the boxes, and put the give away stuff to one side and haul that trash off asap.

Have a break. Then, move the music to the next room, and start over.


----------



## Our Little Farm (Apr 26, 2010)

Depending on how far you are going and the budget, if you can stretch to one of those 'pod' containers, do it. It will mean a lot less stress. You can pack it when you want to, without a deadline hanging over your head to get a vehicle back.


----------



## sewserious (Apr 2, 2010)

Definitely declutter as you go! Last time we moved, I started plenty ahead of time, went through each room and packed up things that "went" in that room. I marked each box with a number and the room it went in; i.e. master bedroom, etc. I had a little notebook that fit in my purse (so I wouldn't lose it) that listed each box number, the room it went in, and a somewhat detailed list of what was in that particular box. That really helped, especially in the kitchen, sewing room, etc. I could figure out which boxed HAD to be unpacked first. I also packed one box for the kitchen that had the basic utensils, enough dishes for each of us, some basic pots and pans, dishtowels, paper towels, paper plates (we used them for a couple of days while unpacking!), salt and pepper, flour. (you get the picture). I unpacked that box in the kitchen first and didn't have to dig through a bunch of them to find the basics. Also did one for the bathroom the same way. 

When you pack the truck, assuming you are doing it yourself, load the stuff that goes in the room in the new house that is closet to the door in the back of the truck and the stuff that goes in the room farthest from the door on the truck last (as much as you can anyway). It really helps as you aren't tripping over stuff in say the kitchen to get the beds into the bedrooms.


----------



## jmtinmi (Feb 25, 2009)

One of the first things I do is take down and pack all pictures an nick nacks that I want to move. Sometimes taking a picture of the area that is being packed will remind you of what was there. 

Invest in real packing paper!! Don't use newsprint, the ink gets all over everything.

Be brutal with thrift or a garage sale pile.


----------



## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

If you aren't a member of your local Freecycle I would recommend joining. Everything about it is free including "membership".

While getting ready to move last winter I got rid of a lot of stuff that way. It saved me from hauling it both in time and money AND the stuff was used instead of taking space in the landfill.


----------



## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

All very good ideas! Especially the ones on being ruthless about getting rid of things that you haven't used in ages, projects you started, but don't ever see yourself realistically finishing (the key word here is realistically), or things that will not suit your new lifestyle. For example, if you are moving from city to farm - what city items do you not see needing on the farm? Or if you are moving to a different climate zone - how many parkas, snow boots and snow shovels do you need in Florida?

Really, since you are paying to move all these items, make sure the value of the item is more than the cost to move it - if it's cheaper to replace it at the other end of the move, sell it or donate it now. If selling, keep the money from the sales aside and call it your "replacement item fund". If donating, take a picture of your donations, for tax purposes. It's faster than making an itemized list right now when you have so many other things on your plate. After you are moved and settled it, you can look at the pictures and make your tax deductibles list from them. 

Work on it a little each day, every day, even when you don't think you want to...your moving day will be here sooner rather than later, and you'll be very happy you did that daily work before the stress level ratchets up. Using PODS or similar is a good idea, even if you're not going to be able to use them for the actual move. It gives you an off-site, as in out of the house and out from underfoot, place to store your packed boxes. This is especially useful if you are also having to sell your house in the middle of all this. An uncluttered, but still modestly decorated home looks bigger and is more visually appealing to buyers. If you are not selling, it is still nice to have a lockable unit on your property, but not in the house, to put the boxes in. It will also help you get an idea of how big a truck you will need to move everything you decide to take with you.

In addition to having a box packed with the first needed items when you get to your new home, I'd suggest that this box be kept in your vehicle, just in case the truck doesn't arrive at your new home when you do (if you are using a commercial mover, this is more common than you'd think). Especially important? Toilet paper! Also in your vehicle, all personal and financial documents - deeds, wills, passports, birth certificates, etc.

If you are moving animals to a new state, check the animal health regulations for crossing borders with livestock, and make sure all their paperwork is in order. Good time to get your pets up-to-date with rabies and other vaccinations.

Remember to pick up medical records from your MD, dentist, and any other health care providers. Get school records if necessary. If homeschooling, check out the regs where you are moving to make sure you are in compliance.

Those are a few things that I can thing of off the top of my head. Every time I start getting itchy feet, I start running through all the things I'd need to do to get ready to move, and by the time I finish, I'm too tired to think about ever moving again! Good luck with your move.


----------



## dezingg (Feb 25, 2010)

When I moved I had all my stuff, plus what the previous owners had left behind. I rented a roll off dump bin big enough to park a pickup in it. Almost all of the previous stuff went into the dump bin plus anything that I didn't value.

Plenty of good ideas posted by others.


----------

