Moving is just one of those words that is synonymous with stress. Even if the end result is something you are ecstatic about, you still have to get through all the stress and hard work it will take to get to your new home.
Since I am in the thick of moving right now, here are some of the things I am doing to try to keep sane:
List It Out: Jot down a list of every little thing you need to get done from now till move in day. Get it all out of your head and down on paper. Then, each morning, move part of that list into your daily "to do" and start tackling.
Start Early: Try packing a few boxes each night for the entire month. This way it won't be so overwhelming at the end to get it all done at once.
Make Your Calls All Together: Set aside one hour to just continuously call each utility, each credit card, each physician, each online account, etc., and update your address. Just rip off the band-aid all at once and it'll be over before you know it.
Purge: Have "give away", "toss" and "sell" boxes tucked in the corner to fill as you pack. Getting rid of your extra weight now is going to make your move a lot easier, and cheaper if you are paying movers.
Color Coordinate: Choose a color for each room and mark each box accordingly.
Organize: Label each of your boxes with what room it will go in and what's inside. This will help the boxes get to their correct destination and save you endless hours of rummaging through boxes over and over trying to find your cell phone cord, etc.
Stay Calm: It is very easy to get out of control and overwhelmed when you are faced with so much to do in such little time. So remember to breathe, and just keep telling yourself that you have done this before (assuming you have) and have gotten through it each time. Once you are settled in your new home, kicking back and drinking your inagural glass of wine, you'll forget all about how much of a pain it was to get there.
(Image: Lane Johnson for Apartment Therapy)
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One thing I'd do is put aside a certain box of items that are necessary for living right away. A few rolls of paper towels, some washcloths, some toilet paper, and some basic utensils and plates will help a long way. When it's 9 pm and you haven't eaten in 12 hours, the last thing you want to do is go scrounging through several boxes to find the paper towels and plates that were boxed separately.
The biggest tip is to hire a moving company.
I could've used this article three days ago. Just finished a move...
My biggest problem was all the little random doodads throwing off my organizational scheme. It was easy to put together a box of kitchenwares, a box of plates, a box of cups, a box of clothing, etc. but where the heck do you put all the random one-off items with no particular organizational theme, that you can't necessarily pile in one big misc. box of their own? Those were the bane of my existence and some of them are STILL sitting in little boxes and containers from our last move.
One thing that helped my move was to pack all my dishes in my towels! Two birds with one stone. As for those random doodads, I just tucked them into boxes where there was extra space. So when I unpacked all my books there were some knick knacks in there to remind me to put them away. They key is not to procrastinate and just do it! The sooner the better!
Talina, I think you are over-thinking things :) Just put those things in a box and move. If you are worried about forgetting to unpack them- put them in a box that you know you'll open quickly when you get to your new place.
Did all this and only thing extra to add...don't be pregnant while a move is going on. We moved four weeks ago with me being 20 weeks pregnant, no amount of calm eased the resulting stress of not being able to actually help.
Purge early, often and ruthlessly. Also seconding the advice above about some immediate-living boxes -- or, better yet, a suitcase that comes with you and contains the bedding, towels, toiletries, a couple of basic comfort items, etc. And when you make that list of stuff to do before you move, put the most complex, brain-requiring items earliest -- because no matter how much you plan, on the three or four days surrounding the move itself, you are 100% guaranteed to be an insane person. Stress always wins.
I'm an extremely organized mover, having done it often. Add things like tape, scissors, a hammer and screwdriver to the box of frequently used items.
The list is your best friend, it's so fun when you start giving yourself check marks! Phone calls all at once tackled my least favorite chore easily.
The best advice for a move is purge. The less stuff, the less stress. Also, a clean start feels great. Remember to drink a lot of water on moving day.
Nice timing! Hubby and I are moving into a big house with our dear friends who currently live in the next apartment. Double move, plus my friend is super pregnant. So yeah, we're stressed!
Last time I moved, I bought two different colors of neon duct tape. Boxes/packages with fragile things got wrapped in one color, and the box or two of "I'll need this immediately after the move" in another. Sure, labeling is great, but it was really useful to be able to say: "Please put the boxes with the pink tape right here, I'll need those tonight," and "Be extra careful with all the yellow-taped boxes, those have breakables in them!"
I don't think "hire movers" is really the most helpful advice. Do you have any idea how much movers are charging nowadays?! It's half the mortgage just to move your home!
My husband and I are polar opposites when it comes to moving style, and we've moved a number of times together. I am hyper-organized (only about moving--i wish this translated to the rest of my life!), and refuse to pack a box if the contents haven't first been sorted and cleaned--this is when I do a lot of purging. He figures it is fastest to take the contents of a drawer and dump them in a box, and argues then you know exactly where it goes when you are all done. This drives me crazy! Especially for the junk drawer!!
He finally has acknowledged that my way is more pleasant on the unpacking end.
I recommend making a list of every item in every box and storing it on your computer. This sounds like overkill, but is not hard once you get in the habit, and it is SO HELPFUL to have a searchable list of all your things. Especially if you have boxes that might end up in storage for awhile.
Any suggestions for moving with a toddler? Do you do their room last, and unpack it first? I am not looking forward to my next move, but can't wait for the next house!
I have moved at least 15 times including a cross-country move, and 7 "big city" moves to/from walk-ups.
My best tip is to have a clean set of sheets and pillow cases ready to go, and make the bed as soon as the bed is set up. The last thing you want to do at midnight after a day of moving is to have to make your bed up to go to sleep.
I also agree with the "necessary items" box mentioned above. I would also add in a bottle of 409 or similar cleaning solution along with some sponges or rags... you never know what is on the inside of the fridge or cabinets in your new place. Also bath towels and your showering essentials too, since you'll probably want to shower that night.
If you're fortunate enough to hire movers (which I highly suggest), put all your boxes into a few areas that morning, and then clean the other rooms while they're moving stuff out. That way there's less to do later after everything is cleaned out. Also it saves the movers time if all your stuff is in one or two areas, which then saves you money since you're paying them hourly.
Also, if your move involves putting things in storage, having itemized lists of the contents of each box taped to the outside of each box is REALLY helpful. In my last move, a lot of my belongings were put in storage, so having the itemized lists really helped me to find that one thing that I needed quickly 6 months down the road. It makes the packing process take longer (so I echo the "start early" advice!), but it really does help.
lellison24 and Juliejulezzzzz: I third you on the listing contents for each box. I gave each box a number, and then wrote a list of what was in it in a small notebook (the computer file is genius, though--much easier to search).
I have no kids, but I would think packing the toddler's room last/unpacking it first is probably the best bet. Little kids get very stressed by moving, too. I figure if their rooms are in disarray for the least amount of time, the happier they--and you--will be.
I've moved 7 times in 9 years, and I always set up the bed and make it as soon as possible. It makes all the difference to be able to collapse into a nicely made bed after a grueling day of moving. I also make sure we have a change of clothes for the following day in the "Unpack First" box. It makes it easier to get started either on unpacking or heading to work (yes, always delightful after a 14-hour moving day!) if you don't have to search through boxes the next morning.
Just moved a little over two weeks ago. We were lucky in that we had lots of time to get the new house ready, so essentials and furnishings were in place prior to the actual move. (The sellers left us some furniture, we bought a bunch and had it installed well before moving.) But I wholeheartedly agree with LELLISON24 - a searchable list is a real benefit. Another tip if you are physically moving yourselves, as we did, and are in the northern regions of middle age, as we are: We used realtors on both ends to hook us up with local high school athletic types/strong young adults to do the actual heavy lifting, while my husband and I just supervised what went where. For a few hundred bucks on each side of the move, it was money very well spent.
If you are moving locally, pack your car with those "need it tonight" items. Even with good movers and box labeling some boxes are bound to go awry. It is hard to be sweaty, dusty and tired searching the basement boxes for sheets so you can put the kids to bed.
As for hiring movers, because our move was local we tried to economize by moving as much as we could before the movers actually came. I'm sure it helped, but it was pretty impressive how fast a dedicated team of strong, paid people can move stuff. Put all our efforts to shame and made me think we wasted our energy doing a portion of the moving. It was expensive, but if you have a whole house full of stuff it is worth it. While you are spending pick up some Subway sandwiches for the moving crew's lunch and watch them work just as hard the second half of the day while you are pooped from "helping and directing."
We're in the packing part of moving right now, and we've been using an inventory app to catalog everything. We're moving to a low-lying area in Florida, so we wanted to have a full on-line backup of all of our stuff, in case of flooding or hurricanes. As a bonus, we can tag each item, so while we're packing we're tagging the box numbers. It's a lot of work, but since we plan to move again in a year or two, it should be a huge time-saver in the end!
I'm right in the middle of moving for the first time in 23 years. I'm already following most of these tips, having already searched them out here on AT, and I've got a month to get it all done.
One thing I was lucky to be able to do is move all of my most cherished breakables myself. I'll let the movers get the rest.
I keep a computer inventory of everything I own for insurance purposes. It would be a cinch to add an extra column specifying which box each item is packed in. Don't forget to inform your insurance company of your new address, either.
If you have large items, make sure they can be moved into the new place. Ideally, this should be done before signing a lease, but you don't want to agonize over it on moving day.
Collapse things as much as possible. I was able to squeeze my kitchen tools in with my Le Creuset saucepans by unscrewing the handles and stashing them inside the pans, giving me several more inches.
Pack a lunch, energy bars, a bottle of water, a first aid kit, phone charger, and contact info for the moving company, the utility companies, and your landlord - but keep the bag with you! I never got to eat lunch two moves ago because it was in the trunk of my car, which was in the garage, which was blocked by the moving van. My eating utensils and can opener were also in the trunk, so I couldn't eat the emergency food I'd stashed in the kitchen.
Wish I'd read this article 3months ago during my very stressful move! What's your recommendation on tackling paperwork? Over time you collect so much paperwork in a home - insurance papers, alumni magazines, industry magazines, store catalogs that you should have thrown away long time ago. During my move, organizing my papers was the most overwhelming part of it all.
Another tip is to pack your jewelry and valuables first and put them away separately so that you don't lose them as you start packing everything else.
Be sure, there is someone you trust watching for the car and the house/flat, while you are walking the stairs or in the elevator. Just ask for example your mom or dad, if they could just sit down on text to the car and watch it, so nobody could go there and steal something. You can´t open and close it every time, especially not, when you are carrying furniture. When we unpacked the things from our car and used the elevator to reach the forth floor, there where people driving by in their bicycles and later we were missing some items.
It really is helpful to have some things, you will need in the first ours, packed separately. Just think about, what would I pack, If I would stay for a camping trip somewhere in the woods. Toilet paper, yes. Underwear and some other clothes to change. Toothbrush and so on. If you have more than 100 boxes, because you are moving with a big family, you really don´t want to have 100 boxes with no idea, what is in them. It is helpful to write on the outside, what´s inside. Sometimes one word is enough.
Don´t get to much into details. You need the time to pack and unpack, not to make a dozen lists. But think about what are we going to eat during the move. Maybe it is easier to just ask someone for help (mom, would you please cook for all of us something chick ) or call for a pizza. It´s not so funny to cook something on the day of a move in your new kitchen.
When you move, you have to touch every item in your home. A very good time to declutter. Just give away all you wouldn´t move to a very far place, where you would just get via plane or ship. I always say to myself, if I would move to Hawaii, would I take this with me? No, ok, it can leave my house. Now. :)
If you are moving in the same town and can go back and forth multiple times that would be ideal. One big tip is use boxes with lids so they can be stacked. Don't throw stuff in open top boxes with things sticking out. Make stacks about 4 or 5 feet high so a dolly can just be shoved under each stack and roll them out to the U-Haul. Also, if you are going back and forth don't pack things from your drawers, just take the drawers, empty them into your new house and bring the empty drawers back to the old house. The most important thing is purge, purge, purge. I sold a house once and hadn't found a new one so had to rent for 5 months. We lined all the boxes up in the two spare bedrooms and the garage so we didn't have to rent a storage shed. We found that we only opened 5 boxes for the 5 months we were there. That told me what we really NEEDED. If you are more than 2 people of course you will need more but a frying pan, a pot, a couple of dishes and glasses and some paper plates sufficed for the kitchen. It was rather freeing to live simply for a few months.
With all the different colors of packing tape, my girlfriend and I have utilized that to benefit our past moves. Purple for the living room, Red for the kitchen, and etc.
I've found the most helpful thing to do is to get those plastic bins from a place like http://www.betterthanboxes.com, they are only for the Atlanta, GA and Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX areas right now, but they are suuuuper awesome. I seriously can't recommend them enough! It saves you ton of time from having to go around and find or buy cardboard, plus they are cheaper than cardboard. It's also so much easier on the environment! It's a win, win win! Just my two cents...