Anyone have any moving tips?

[jenniferma]

Hi-- in two weeks we are moving DD8, DD5 and DD2 and our two cats from the Cleveland, Ohio area to the DC area.

Does anyone have any great moving tips they'd like to share? We have packing/movers (thank god).. but would love to hear any advice.. esp. when dealing with kids and pets.

thanks so much in advance!
jen

 

[LuvCuteBoys]

Yeah... don't. LOL.

I'm moving right now too and it's just me and the cat. And I'm exhausted.

 

[dogodisney]

Are you packing yourself?
If so use towels and linens to wrap your breakables in. This way you are packing two items at one time.

 

[golfgal]

Pack a couple boxes of papertowels, toilet paper, dish towels, dish cloths, dish soap, paper plates, plastic silverware, napkins, etc. and have those specially labeled and first off the truck. Put them in a closet when you get there so you know where they are.

 

[Briarmom]

Do you have a house there already or will you be looking for a house when you arrive? That's kind of important to know.

We just got our stuff from our move. We were without it for about 7 weeks. But we were lucky that we found a house and had gotten ownership of it after only 4 weeks in a hotel.

 

[ahutton]

Pack a couple boxes of papertowels, toilet paper, dish towels, dish cloths, dish soap, paper plates, plastic silverware, napkins, etc. and have those specially labeled and first off the truck. Put them in a closet when you get there so you know where they are.

I would add to this a box with a bath towel for each family member, sheets, necessary blankets and pillows so that even if nothing else gets done the first night you can make the bed to sleep in. And a bag that goes in the car with soap and shampoo that can be used on the road as well as when you get there.

When the bed is taken apart, put the hardware in a lined yellow envelope and keep it out/handy/with you so that beds can be set up first as soon as they come off the truck. Then you'll be able to sleep in a bed made with clean. fresh nice sheets after you take a shower and wash up from a hard days work.

 

[AmyinKY]

Make a copy of everything you could prove that you are you, passport, medical ins cards, social security cards, credit/debit cards, libary, drivers license, etc. Take the originals with you, mail a copy to your mom, best friend, or some one you trust not to open the envelope. They can destroy the envelope with out opening it when you have arrived at the new location.

Sounds unreasonable to some, but a life saver to my sister when she moved out of state.

I second the box of moving supplies packed last, off the moving truck first idea. It was a life saver to us. Make sure you have a first aid kit in there, hammer, screw driver, nails, duct tape, toilet paper, soap, handtowel, plastic cups, plates, etc. If you have younger kids, pack a new game in there as well. Think of anything you might need for the first 24 hours in a new place.

A

 

[EthansMom]

Take a few days to organize your house now so that items are in the rooms you want them to be in when you unpack. Then ask the movers to make sure to label the boxes. That way, you'll KNOW what few boxes to look in to find the things you'll need.

 

[Imzadi]

Take a few days to organize your house now so that items are in the rooms you want them to be in when you unpack. Then ask the movers to make sure to label the boxes. That way, you'll KNOW what few boxes to look in to find the things you'll need.

Or get different colors of duct tape or markers to label different boxes according to person or room they belong in.

Pack boxes to be on the ligher side. Yes, you have movers. They will probably be using moving carts. But, packing the boxes lighter in case they need to be carried indiviually by you or the movers makes a world of difference on one's back. Also, the heavier a box is, the more prone it will be to being dropped down on the floor instead of placed down by the movers.

If you need boxes, Kinkos/FedEx has those copy paper boxes that they toss out every day. They are the perfect size for stuff and are quite stackable. Also, liquor boxes from liquor stores, tend to be made out of thicker, reinforced cardboard, since they need to carry glass bottles. They are extremely sturdy, good for crushables.

 

[diznygirl]

We took clothes out of our bedroom dresser and put in our sheets, pillows and bed blankets. It was a lot easier finding the dresser on that first night than the box with the sheets!

 

[Robinrs]

I've moved over 20 times in my life and my motto is PACK TO UNPACK QUICKLY!

Pack boxes with IDENTIFIABLE labels. I put VIP on the ones that have to opened first. Write a LARGE K on all sides of kitchen boxes, LR on Living room, MB on Master Bedroom items and your kids names on their boxes. If they are to be stored (seasonal) write the word STORE or where they will be stored on them.

Get FREE boxes from the supermarket. The dairy egg boxes are the best. They have handles and close completely. Invest in strong packaging tape and lots of marking pens.

Never pack anything you don't want or haven't used in over a year. Donate, sell or throw away, but don't waste time packing junk!

I have 4 cats and one child. When he was young I would move while he was at school but now that he's a big and strong 16, he helps a lot. My cats are a challenge. Depending on which home has the strongest bathroom door, I dump them in a bathroom until the moving is over and then let them out slowly. They usually take a day or two to adjust. If you're moving out of town check with your vet about sleeping meds. It makes it a lot easier to travel with them.

Good luck!!!

 

[Briarmom]

If she is getting movers and packers, none of these are options. They'll need to be labeled, of course, but often times they throw anything that fits into boxes.

My words of advice after this weekend: don't let them pack a car battery (we didn't know they'd done it) and if you can have your dh there with you to help watch them, go for it. I had to sit in the middle level of our house with the kids, so the stuff that was packed upstairs and in the basement is a MESS. They just threw books into boxes, and they dumped a snowglobe into a lampshade. The snowglobe is fine...the lampshade, not so much.

Oh, I also found a small jar of paint inside a Santa hat and an enormous air compressor or something inside a very expensive Longaberger basket.

These have been our worst packers, though, so that's good.

 

[Katy Belle]

We've moved several times using packers. BE READY. Before they get there, be completely ready. You will need to watch them. Have everything you need to do finished. All important papers, phones, passports, suitcases with your short-term clotes... put all of that in your car if you still have one. If not, put it at your neighbor's house.

Have all trash cans empty. They will pack your trash. They may pack the logs from your fireplace. Yes, really. Get rid of all cleaning supplies that may leak. Give them to your neighbors, before the packers get there.

Keep your cats safe. This really happend, to a friend of mine. The packers were packing and nearly finished when Julie couldn't find the cat. The cat was sealed in a box. Really. It must have crawled in and someone didn't see it and sealed it up. So if your kitties could go stay with a friend it would be best. Another friend's son's turtle got packed, in the aquarium. They didn't figure that out until it was too late. Amazingly the turtle was alive when it arrived at its new home 6 weeks later--- an overseas move.

Our last move... they showed up before 8a.m. My youngest was still in bed. We got him up at 8:30. By that time his shoes, which were probably by the front door, were PACKED. He wore sandals to school that day, Dec. 17. Luckily it was Houston and warm and he was in pre-school. So be READY.

Not all packers think. We had some open puzzles, dump the pieces in a box and pack the box seperatley! Who does that??? Crazy. The pieces of several boxes were in a bundle of paper and each box was wrapped seperately. Crazy.

If both adults can be there, it is helpful.

It helped our kids adjust to the new place by keeping in touch with the old friends. We let them talk on the phone, helped them with e-mail, etc. for a long time. I think just knowing they could talk to that best friend, made making new friends easier.

Have a farewell party for your kids and their friends if no one does it for you. Its important to say good-bye and its a big deal, it needs to be treated like a big deal.

Make an effort to get plugged in to your new community right away. After move #1 I've always said, "There is no welcome wagon." Sometimes you luck out and a nice neighbor shows up, or there are kids your kids ages right next door. Sometimes not. Get your kids involved in school/church/community activites right away. If you are normally shy, make a huge effort to introduce yourself and get to know people. It is hard, but do it.

Good luck! I have such fantastic friends all over the world because we MOVE!

Katy

 

[dawson5]

We've moved 4 times, 3 for work related (out of state) moves. We save receipts. Hubby said something like receipts either 6 weeks before a move or 6 weeks after a move can be used, can only do before or after, not 3 before and 3 after. We had lots of friends help, we bought pizza and beer, saved receipts and we could write it off. We also invested in totes.

Taped on the outside what was inside the box, remove info after move and they are reusable. Wheeled also, great for kids going off the college. We have a large shelving system in our basement and now use these totes to store toys, holiday decorations and my husband's collectibles and even some camping equipment. Tax write off for us.

If you go to a place like uhaul or another moving company, they have garment boxes. That is the only thing I would make sure I purchased from them. They are large boxes, like refrigerator large but not as tall and they have a bar going across. All your hangable items go in here, they seal the top and it's just so easy. I think they are like $11 from the movers/uhaul. The night before each move (out of state ones) we loaded up our cars with things we needed to keep with us (dog food, cat food, change of clothes, baby diapers & wipes, portable gaming systems & games, etc.). In the morning the kids would get washed, eat and go and play while the movers did what needed to be done. Because of totes, this last move was about a 1/4 of what the first move was. The movers get paid to pack, the more boxes they pack the more they make and the weight also plays into it. We learned this after the first move when they refused to use my original boxes, with all packing materials, for my stereo. They said they would pack the stereo in their boxes and the boxes in a box. I think they charge by the box and they will take the boxes with them when they unload and use them on in town moves, don't think they credit those back to you either (this is what I was told by someone else, not entirely sure if that is true or not).

If you get the garment boxes, save them, great for hanging off season jackets and keeping them stored.


oh and keep track of the cable remote. Neighbors were moving and all of the sudden couldn't find the remote. The packers packed it. Luckily we had an extra, gave it to them so they wouldn't be charged for the remote.

 

[eeyore65]

Just to emphasize what others have said. They will pack EVERYTHING! They will also wrap EVERYTHING in paper, so they can charge more. It is absolutely worth it to declutter and organize before they come. The packing part goes very quickly. The unpacking is brutal as there is so much trash and it is hard to organize. Because of this - I have come to prefer packing myself. It is more work on the front end - but so much less at the new house.

Long distance moves are really hard! We just did a local one and moved all the small stuff ourselves. Nothing was really packed. I picked up the dishes from one shelf drove them over and put them on the new shelf. It took about two weeks but was painless - and it was a BIG house.

Along with all of the great suggestions here, get the name of a good local pizza place in your new area. Pizza is a move in day staple for us. You need no silverware and can throw everything away. You don't want to clean up after a long day of moving. In other long distance moves - I also like having a hotel room the first night. It was just too hard to get everything ready to sleep and it was so nice to go to a hotel room - with sheets, pillows, towels and no boxes!

I also suggest a cleaning kit. It is hard to move in to something not clean. I like to wipe down the shelves before loading them up. Think hard about kitchen placement of items before you arrive. Then label the shelves with what goes where so you can get some help.

My kitty did great in my last move. He spent a day getting "lost" and crying for someone to save him. I put my DS in charge of showing him around and rescuing him. It worked great for both of them.

Good luck - moving is hard but a fun adventure too.

 

[dawson5]

a different twist on PP comment, the people who bought our last house were from Penn., moving to Mi. We left pizza numbers, school info and babysitter numbers. And the telephone book, one of them at least. We did take one with us because you never know who you need to call.

 

[RadioNate]

We've moved several times with packers and movers and it is a whole different ball game than doing it yourself.

They pack quickly and indiscriminately.

You need a NO PACK room. Closet, whatever. Before they get there removed everything from that room and use it to put in things that should not be packed. Cat food bowls, your suitcases for the trip, lock the cats in there on packing day, special items, important paperwork, jewelry, anything you'll need between packing day and when your stuff arrives. Then LOCK it and put a big reminder sign!

Also before they get there, pull out any food or cleaning supplies you don't want packed. They will pack that nearly empty bottle of honey if they get their hands on it. Empty your trash cans before they get there. They will pack them and the trash. We had used tiny bars of soap packed once.

If your kids can go somewhere else, send them there. Do not try to help. They don't want your help and you will annoy them.

If you have any collectables that have original packaging...pack them up in their boxes yourself. Some packers won't use the original boxes. Have them pack the boxes into their boxes so the insurance covers it.

Good luck

 

[Moving]

There are a couple of great, free moving resources at Movers-Edge.com, such as the "Ultimate Moving Checklist" and "101 Best Moving Tips."

I found it really helpful to have a moving checklist to keep me organized, and the moving tips cover a whole range of different topics. Anyhow, let me know what you think.

Good luck on that move!

 

[Piglet4Ever]

Dh is in the Navy and we have moved 4 times in the last 13 yrs. Our biggest tips are, take pictures of everything you are having moved, so if anything gets damaged/lost durning move, you have proof of it's condition pre move. Anything that you couldn't bare to have go missing or get damaged, i.e. family photos, important documents, jewlery. Take with you!! Most of our moves have gone great, but our last move wasn't so hot, we had alot of damage to furniture and having our inventory photos was a great help when it came to putting in our damages claim. Good luck with your move.

 

[jen0610]

Back the truck backwards.

If you have a basement now and going to a house with basement, have this stuff go into the truck last. That way, when you get to the new house, the stuff is going into an empty house. You aren't fighting to get around family room or dinning room furniture. Then see the next step, below.


If you are going to a single level or a two story. Have whatever rooms that are furthest or upstairs from the front door or whatever door you are going to be bringing stuff in thru, needs to be last on the truck and is the first off, carring stuff thru empty rooms. Helped friends move who didn't do this. Trying to get their bedroom stuff around their huge sectional and other family room stuff was a major pain in the butt.


For each bedroom, know where you want the all the pieces set. That way the movers can put them in place, then start putting the boxes in the room.