My moving checklist (for a local move---long distance is a bit more work):
1. Use PODS. I like PackRat, the local office guy has given me a discount the last two times we used them. Don't use UHaul Pods---they are tarps on a frame, not solid wood.
2. Pack. I use small boxes...it takes more, but I can pack them for my lifting capabilities. I don't pack stuffed animals or hanging clothes in boxes--those go in trash bags, so I can use them as "stuffers". Every room has it's own color sharpie---I don't have to read the words to know that Blue goes to DS's room or Pink to ours.
3. I start in one room, about a month or so ahead of time--usually the garage. I sort through whatever is in there, and box what I don't need in the next few months. If I know we need it, it goes to one side. If it's something I can sell or donate, it goes to a corner.
4. Once that room is done, I start with books and board games. Those get packed and stacked in the garage. If I don't have boxes to fit the games, I just tape the boxes shut (and they can go on the book shelves in the pod).
5. Next is kitchen stuff. Things I don't need, like china, gravy boats, etc. Pack and to the garage. (I'm also sorting as I go, and putting sell/donate stuff in the pile in the garage.)
6. Our bedroom is packed next. Anything that can be packed, is. Spare blankets, pillows, "dress" clothes, towels, etc.
7. DS's room--I keep out a few books, but then pack the rest. His toys are all in plastic tubs, so I just move them to the garage.
8. Living room, all knick knacks, pictures, etc, are now packed.
9. Two weeks from move, get the PODS. Start loading. The bookshelves, dining room table and chairs and big shelves from the garage and spare room get loaded by DH, then during the day, I can load up all the boxes that I've packed.
10. A week out, the spare room is now empty and the garage mostly so. I pack up most of the kitchen--leaving out just enough plates, glasses, silverware and pots/pans for the week. Time to purge--hold a yard sale, a free sale or take to donate.
11. I keep out a week's worth of clothes for each of us, and we POD the dressers (still full), the computer desk and chair, all the beds and the couch. We use air mattresses or our camping cots to sleep on, and we have camping chairs to sit on (and even an inflatable couch, but I hate that thing). The rest of the camping gear is packed away.
12. the spare room is cleaned top to bottom, except for carpets (I always do those last). The spare bathroom is cleaned. Both rooms are now off limits, with doors shut.
13. DS's room then gets emptied, and cleaned. Any toys or books kept out for his fun go into the living room, and we put his cot in our room.
14. Kitchen cupboards are cleaned, and kept shut. All the bedding for our beds is cleaned, stored in trash bags, and put in the PODs.
15. Two days out---I wash all the dirty clothes and bedding, and then the washer and dryer get packed in the POD. At this point, we have only 4 or 5 boxes of stuff sitting around the house, plus the tvs, computers, game systems, camping gear that we're using, and DH's recliner and medical equipment. Our bedroom/closet is cleaned, but we still use the bathroom, so I can't shut it down. The dining room is cleaned and shut down.
16. One day out, clean the kitchen. Fridge, stove, etc. Pack up dishes and pots/pans left out. We eat out that night, and on moving days. Spare clothes (all but two days) packed in the pods. Clean the bathroom and living room.
17. Day of move: Put rest of camping gear, the recliner and medical equipment into POD. have it picked up and moved to new location. TVs, computers, game systems go in the car, along with the dog and cat, and get moved to the new location by DH, while I stay at the old place and clean. One last run through the bathrooms and living room (and usually just a quick dust of the blinds in the closed off rooms) and I clean the carpets and steam mop the tiles. By then, DH is done with the movers and has emptied the car, then comes to get me.
Then I just reverse the process. A quick clean through the new house (wipe down counters, shelves, etc) and we start unloading, exactly in reverse of the load.
Have I mentioned I hate moving? Any advice on moving fragile funiture? Im gonna cheat and hire a crew to load and unload so at least I dont have to do that part. Sorry, Im rambling!
It was fun to get away. Then I came back and felt guilty, started purging again, went under the sink for a trash bag and leaned a valuable lesson, saws bite. I got a inch long cut thats pretty deep from that. Also learned one other thing today, JUST BECAUSE you purged it dosent mean u should pack it. I dont know where my head was at but I packed all be 3 towels and put my clothes locker under a bunch of boxes. I dont keep clothes in my dresser anyways, just sheets.
