For the last year and a half or so, my family has been praying for my dad to find a job. He is in the real estate business and when the economy went down, unfortunately so did his career. Just last week he was offered a job! I was so happy for them- but at the same time I was really sad. My parent’s live 5 minutes away, I can drop by whenever (they love that) and my kids can see their grandparents whenever they want. The hardest part will be trying to explain to Halle and Sawyer why grandma and grandpa don’t live there anymore. On the bright side, they will only be 3 hours away, and it will be fun visiting them. Which brings me to my post…..moving. Yuck. I moved 13 times by the time I was 12, so my family and I are moving pros! It’s not such a bad thing. I think my siblings and I learned early to get to know people and make friends. Also we learned to rely on each other more, so for this I am grateful.
I’ll stop blabbing and get on with my tips to help moving go more smoothly. Ready, set go!
Pretend to be a Realtor, and go through your house with their eyes. Get a clipboard and walk through the house making notes of what needs to be done, such as painting, de-cluttering rooms, or new carpet. This is a want and to- do list all in one. Hang on to it.
Go through your house room by room with two bags: one for garbage and the other for a yard sale or Goodwill. (You may not have time do mess with a yard sale, but if you do have time it’s a great way for make some extra cash!) Make sure you do this, you don’t want to move junk you don’t use!
If you will be doing the packing yourself, rather than hiring a moving company, make sure you have all your “tools” ready before you start.
Boxes. You can buy boxes at any moving supply company, U-Haul, Ryder, United Van Lines, Mayflower etc. They sell used boxes at a reduced rate. You can also get them for free at Costco or a liquor store.
Packing Tape, scissors, garbage bags (get heavy duty clear ones) and colored markers. Color coordinate your garbage bags and boxes. That way when the truck is being unloaded, all you have to say is “yellow boxes go in the kitchen, green in the living room etc”. You can put the color of the boxes over the top of the doorway to that room. Be sure the color code matches the ribbon tied around the garbage bags.
Labeling. If you start packing the things that you need least and start at 1 and label in ascending order, you will know that the boxes with the lowest numbers can be unpacked last. The higher- numbered boxes are the ones with the stuff you use most.
Newspapers. This is for packing your dishes and other breakable items.
Here is a list of things you will need when you get to the new house…
Cleaning Supplies. Rubber gloves. Disinfectant: Lysol, Pine Sol, Comet, Windex. You may need to clean before you unpack. Rags and paper towels. Vacuum, broom and mop.
Basic kitchen utensils. A skillet, pot or crock pot. A spatula, sharp knife, silverware, dishwashing liquid, dish towels, paper plates, napkins and glasses.
Simple Food. Peanut butter, cereal, crackers, bread, milk, fruit and snacks for the kids.
Clothes. Have a couple of changes of clothes for each person in the family from underwear to socks, shoes and pajamas.
A basic bathroom bag. Everyone’s toothbrush, razor, shampoo, soap, toothpaste, toilet paper, towels and washcloths. Also pack some sheets and blankets for each person’s bed and an alarm clock.
Moving In…
When the movers get there (if you have movers) have them unload the dressers first, that way if you have children that are old enough, they can put their clothes away. As you unpack, put it where it goes, break down the boxes, and throw away the paper. Do not start another box until everything is put away. No need to handle it twice.
Get the “Miscellaneous” tasks done, and then unpack.
Get the washer and dryer hooked up
Get the dishwasher running
Buy groceries for the family.
Now, start unpacking. Start one box at a time. Only do five, then stop and rest. Then go to the next room and unpack five more. Just rotate around the house putting things away. As you unpack things, if you don’t have a place for it, you may not need it. DON’T put those things in a pile. Decide right then and there what you are going to do with it, and don’t put off making that decision, or you will have a whole room filled with your indecision!
Some extra “tips”
Use blankets, sheets, towels and clothes to wrap and pack breakables
Go to the grocery store and ask for banana boxes. They are the perfect size and have handles!
If you are moving a freezer I recommend using everything you can before you move and dumping the rest (unless you have 40 pounds of chicken in there) start fresh!
Good Luck!
~ Jessica
Mariel
Owner & Author at Or so she says...
Mariel (mahr-eeee-elle) is a mother to six, wife to one. Loves homeschooling, golfing, cupcakes, traveling, cuddling, non-fiction books, gardening, James Taylor, family time, and a sexy wedge. This is her blog. Enjoy!
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Hospitals have great moving boxes too. Do you really need to pack up clothes that are in dressers? We’ve always moved them just the way they are. Pull out the drawers if necessary to carry, put them back in once in the truck.
Congrats to your dad! Great moving tips. Unfortunately I didn’t realize I’d wrapped a little desk lamp in a blanket. It broke into many pieces when I pulled the blanket out.
McDonalds and Starbucks are good places for boxes too…call McD’s before lunch, after breakfast and ask if they’ll keep their boxes unbroken-down for you. The ones around here don’t break down their boxes until after lunch, so you can get really great boxes. Think of what they are made to haul…pounds and pounds of frozen food=heavy!!! I used to work at a Starbucks (who are all about recycling and green-ness) and we would have people call in to ask us to save our boxes all the time. They get a weekly shipment of stuff (again, heavy stuff=good boxes) and if you say you can come down and pick them up right after they’re done unpacking their shipment, they should be happy to unload a bunch of recyclable material for you. : )
Moving is a lot more fun when your parents are in charge, isn’t it? I thought I wanted to continue my trend of constantly moving when I was married…until I tried it! Ugh! Poopie!
Moving is the WORST. I hate moving more than just about anything; packing is awful! It’s seriously right up there with Black Friday!