Give Me Your Best Moving Tips - Please

[GJM]

Well the time is approaching a little too fast now - we are moving from NJ to SC the beginning of next month. We are doing this ourselves - DH thinks we can! However we would like someone to help pack the truck for us.

Does anyone know of anyone good in NJ that comes and packs the truck? Also in SC anyone that can help unload the truck?

Any tips you have I would love to hear -

Thanks

 

[Freyja]

Sorry. Cant really help with moving companies.

But one piece of advice I can offer is: Mark your boxes with numbers and make a list of their contents. It sure will help when you need to find a certain bowl, book etc.

 

[Kae]

I do not pack any kitchen stuff with Newspaper, it make everything so dirty. I used paper towels, the I used the paper towels to clean with as I was moving in.

Kae

 

[TLHB70]

Write the room name on the box. That way when you unload the truck and move the boxes into the house, you can place them in the correct room.


Wrap, wrap, wrap the breakables!!!!!!!

 

[bananiem]

The stuff you need FIRST when you get there should be the LAST things you put on the truck. That way they'll be the first things you take off the truck. I cleaned out one closet and then all the stuff we needed first once we got there went into there, then I boxed it last. Usually cleaning supplies, disposable eating utensils and paper plates, bedding,etc.

 

[MareQ]

Let's see - I packed as much of my kitchen stuff as possible in ziplock bags - then wrapped in paper. That way all I had to do was take it out and put it away - no washing needed.

Anything that was needed asap I tried to get on the tail of the truck and marked those boxes with red magic marker so they very easily stood out. IE - hardware for my daughter's crib, crib bedding etc.

I wrote the NEW name of the room on all boxes AND on all furnitire(I used copy paper taped to the furniture with notes on it. IE if it came from my living room in my old house but went to the FAMILY room - I wrote family room on it. Then when we got to the new house - I labeled every room for the movers - IE "Master Bedroom" "Daughters Room" so they didn't have to ask me where everything was supposed to go.

DH wrote a "packing list" for every box - just a slip of paper with a brief list of contents - then we used packing slip envelopes on every box so all we had to do was find the list to see what was inside.

Good luck.

 

[ducklite]

We put together a box that was labelled "FIRST BOX." We made sure it went on teh very, very back of the truck. (Or take it in your car.)

It had the following in it:

• Toilet Paper
• Paper Towels
• Clorox Wipes
• Scissors
• Pens and note pads
• Sharpies
• Packing Tape
• Duct Tape
• An assortment of small tools, picture hangers, cable ties, etc.
• Paper Clips
• A few file folders & envelopes
• Paper cups
• Paper plates & plastic bowls
• A dozen or so of those packages of plastic cutlery/napkin/salt & pepper packets left over from take out places where we brought the food home and ate with real flatware
• Small very basic first aid kit with Band-aids, Neosporin packets, antacid, Advil
• Flashlight and spare batteries

I'm sure there were a few other things but you get the idea. It was incredibly convenient having all of that right at our hands immediately. It is absolutely my number one moving tip!

Anne

 

[TLHB70]

I do not pack any kitchen stuff with Newspaper, it make everything so dirty. I used paper towels, the I used the paper towels to clean with as I was moving in.

Kae

Yes, that is how I do it too. It is much better this way.
I can't stand having my stuff wrapped in newspaper. I bought many rolls of paper towels and wrapped all of my breakable stuff in paper towels.

 

[minnieandme]

Instead of packing the clothes that hang in your closet, take a garbage bag and poke a hole in the bottom. Use that to cover your clothes and put on the truck. When you get to your new home, it's all ready to go back in the closet.

 

[lovemygoofy]

Are you just wanting help to pack the truck or are you wanting professionals?

If you are just wanting help, call up a local school and see if the football team needs a donation to their team or call a local college and see if anyone wants to earn some extra cash.

I agree with Anne about the box with the stuff she listed but also have a box with essential linens like towels and one set of bed sheets for however many beds you are going to use that first night.

Number and label every single box and keep a list on you of every box with its number and label. If you have some cherished dishes, I would splurge for the dish boxes that U-Haul sells. For your other breakables, sheet sets and other towels make great bumpers in the box. I have a book about moving suggestions, let me dig it out and see what else can be of help.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I can only say start packing NOW!!! Do not wait.

We rent a storage shed and load it up. We have too much stuff.
For whatever reason for us, getting the packed stuff out of the house makes it go smoother. Why I don't know.

Is your house for sale or sold? Do minimal cleaning and focus on packing if your house is already sold.
Once a room is empty you can clean it well then.

I go through and do the ALL breakables first. In the beginning I am gung-ho and tend to be careless at the very end when you are trying to hit the deadline and clean the house.
Also it seems to be very time consuming and requires a big expense on packing materials.

Good Luck...

 

[Kimberly]

There also is this company called "PODS" in NJ. They send you this dumpster-like container that you load all your stuff into for as long as you want, and then they will take it down to SC for you when you are done with it. I haven't had first had experience with them though, I just know that my friend used them when moving to Alexandria, VA last summer.

 

[GJM]

Our house is sold - and this is going to be quick, because my DH is going to school for a new job so he will fly home Fri. night - pack the truck (as fast as possible) drive to SC - we are renting a house for 3 weeks because our house won't be ready - unload the truck into the house and then my DH has to be back at school.

We are trying to rent from the people buying our house, but don't know if we can.

We are looking for a place to help with the packing of the truck only for us.

Thanks for all the advice - I never did a long distance move before.

 

[Southern4sure]

We moved from AL to FL ourselves. I went to U-haul and bought paper, it was dye free and thin like newspaper. I bought 1 box of the paper and it was more than enough. I also bought roll after roll of packing tape. It was cheaper to buy it at Sams Club. I found a local office supply company to buy my moving boxes, which are the same as U-haul but way less expensive. I used specialty boxes from U-haul for things like large mirrors and closet boxes that you just hang your clothes in. I cleaned/dusted as I packed.

I used www.emove.com to load the U-haul truck for us and then to unload the truck when we arrived in FL. You are charged by the hour which it took 3 hours ($200) to load and less than 3 hours to unload ($175). I would use this service again and it was worth every penny. Im satisfied and nothing broke and the guys from emove.com was awesome and quick!

ETA: My Dh was also away and flew in the night before we drove to FL. He had to start his job in FL a month before we moved so I did the packing by myself.

 

[ducklite]

I've got a few more...We moved ourselves from NJ to Florida.

To get the really big stuff in the truck we fed a few of DS's teenage friends dinner. We only had two things that DH and I couldn't handle on our own.

One thing we got ON the truck but couldn't get off. It was an Ethan Allen piece. Fortunately Ethan Allen was making a delivery the day we were unpacking the truck, and we gave the two guys an extra $20 each to bring in the one piece for us, which they gladly did.

OK, now on to packing. Call your local Disney Store and ask them to save softlines boxes for you. You will have to arrange to pick them up the day they are unpacked, but it will save you hundreds over buying boxes. Having uniform size boxes makes packing the truck SOOOO much easier.

Don't buy the bubble wrap at Office Depot, instead buy it in the huge bulk rolls--look up "packaging materials" in the Yellow pages. It will save you at least $100! Use the bubble wrap to pack all your dishes, glassware, china, crystal, etc. Don't be stingy!! Get liquor boxes with inserts from the liquor store and pack you wine stems in there--wrap each in bubble wrap then slide it in, the inserts will keep them all upright and protected.

Get 30-40 packing blankets and go to K-Mart (they have the best price) and by ratchet straps (load straps) to hold everything in place. Every three-five (front to back) feet in the truck strap the load down. Many truck wrecks happen due to shifting loads. It's also how things get broken or damaged.

Slide any large paintings, etc. between the mattreesses upright in the truck. Wrap them in blankets or bubble wrap, before hand.

For about $8 each you can buy wardrobe boxes from U-Haul or pretty much any self-storage place for all your hanging clothes, they are soooo worth it! My strongest suggestion is to load them AFTER you've got the boxes on the truck.

I used fat markers to clearly identify the contents of each box. I used probably 6-7 rolls of packing tape (We had razor knives in First Box as well) and taped everything very securely.

I'll post as I think of more.

Anne

 

[WDWVillain]

hum, well I have moved 5 times in the pst 4 years, and everything everyone has said is good. thou I use bubble wrap, and get my boxes and wrap at Lowe's it seems to be much cheaper. Also make sure you clean eveything OUT that you do not want! I would go into a room start with the closet and pack...throw out things I have not used in the past 6 months. etc...and make sure you label all your boxes, I put masterbedroom and second bedroom on storage boxes that were being moved into those rooms to store..

Also anything fragile mark with GLASS instead....movers are afraid of Glass, they do NOT want to get cut!(this I learned FROM a mover). and when the movers came....(or yourselves) I had everything ready to go the date of the move..beds down and apart, I also taped baggies to anything that had screws etc. that way I knew where everything was when it came time to put back togther. Anything glass, (furniture) I wrapped in bubble wrap then put my blanets around it and taped it.

sorry, I have to much info on moving ...I could go on and on!
Good luck!

oh, also, if you want your TV cable or internet right away, make sure you arrange to have an install the day you plan to arrive. and when move in get the TV set right up! (I need mine ASAP after a move)

 

[lovemygoofy]

If you use a packing compan to come pack you, take everything you do not want them to touch or pack and put it a bedroom with the door closed with a note on the door to not pack anything in it.

The best thing about packing is that you can get rid of a ton of stuff that you will find that you owned and forgot. You can just get rid of this stuff and a ton of other stuff that you'll be why in the heck do I still have this? Make up a couple of more boxes or trashbags that are for goodwill or whatever.

 

[ducklite]

MIght seem obvious, but some people don't know this...

You truck needs to be packes heavy to light. The heaviest items (fridge, heavy furniture such as armoires and entertainment centers) all need to go as far up towards the cab in the box of the truck as possible. Thsoe items need to be individually tied down with ratchet straps to keep them from shifting.

Here' is the back of our truck on the first trip. (We moved in two waves)

You can see how things are tied down with rope--DH used some sort of rigging knots that don't slip but untie quickly. All of the larger pieces of furniture are up front and ratcheted down.

See the lock hanging off the grab bar on the right of the photo? Get one like that, not a cheap lock. A heavy duty lock will be far better protection when you stop to eat or whatever. Also if you have to leave the truck anywhere, back it up against a wall/fence/building and park the car in front of it so no one can get in the box and no one can drive--or tow--it away.

The box with the duct tape at the very back is "First Box." We became very attached to that box, as it had sat out with things getting tossed into it for several weeks before the move. Oh--we also had Ziplocks and plastic garbage bags in there.

My advice is to start that box NOW and as you go through daily life you will think of things to add.

Anne

 

[GJM]

Thank you all so much - I am going to be printing this all out.

I will be the one doing all the packing - I will have to have everything ready to go as soon as DH arrives. I have boxes and tons of bubble wrap. My DH uncle just moved from NJ to Charleston, SC so he had boxes left - even wadrobe boxes. When he unpacked he sent by UPS 12 boxes of bubble wrap. The UPS guy must have gone nuts - all the boxes had "fragile" written on them but where so light - just filled with bubble wrap.

I am going to go to K-mart and get those straps.

I will check out emoves - we really only need help packing the truck. I will have the boxes and everything done.

Back in Jan. I cleaned out my whole house, got rid of stuff we didn't need so everything that is in the house needs to get packed.

 

[my4kids]

I have done this so many times!

Don't use newpaper, buy the printless stuff (I got a roll of newspaper that was not yet printed on from a local newpaper print shop) then you don't have to wash the newsprint off all our dishes when you arrive. Set a sched for packing. One or two rooms a day. Dining room and kitchen are the hardest (china and dishes) so allow extra time for that. Since dishes take the longest, don't leave out the pots and dishes thinking you might need them for cooking. I did this once and was still packing the stuff when the move truck arrived. Pack them at least a week ahead and stock up on paper plates and plastic utensils. You can eat carry out the last couple of days and go ahead and pack your pots.

Dont be obsessive compulsive with bubble wrap and stuff. I have found no need what so ever for bubble wrap in any of my moves, and have never had one thing broken. You are not packing to ship it to the moon, it will not be tossed bucket brigade style into the house. It will be carried and gently put down . Just wrap breakables in printless paper and cushion the bottom of the box with some balled up paper. make sure you put balled up paper around the sides and the top before sealing. Mark it clearly that it is breakable, and make sure the contents are secure enough that they don't shift. This is all that is neccesary, and you will nto have anything broken. I had a friend that went insane with wrapping each dish in bubble wrap and spent a fortune on the stuff. When the move truck showed up, she still wasn't done packing the china and dishes. She had to move all of it herself later. Just make sure all boxes are ready to go at least 2 days before the truck is to be loaded.