Moving Help!

[Help Please!]

Hey Budget Boards...

Since you all tend to be smart and thrifty I have a question for ya! We (my husband, almost 1 year old son, and I) have put an offer on a 2nd house not too far from where we are living now (about a 15 minute drive). I've never moved with a baby before, and we'd like to get rid of some stuff before we go! So....

1. Any advice for trying to move and dealing with a 1 year old?

2. How about 2 cats?

3. Any basic moving advice? How to pack/ label boxes, when to start packing, what to start with, etc?

4. Where do you get free boxes?

5. Anything else????

Thanks so much!

 

[the5marions]

Have made short moves like that several times. My best suggestion is to get a group of friends to help - a couple of guys and a pick-up for furniture and others friends to help box, etc. We would move one room at a time - used whatever boxes we could find from grocery stores, etc. pack stuff up and most boxes would fit in cars, so we just made several trips. With a group of people, you can pack up a room, unpack it at your new place, then go back and make more trips. At the end of the day we spring for food and beverages, and have a little party at our new place. For the kid - I would suggest having a teen or relative watch him/her throughout the day. Try to make the day fun - short moves are definitely the easiest.

 

[Jedana]

we moved cross country (NV to FL) with two cats. I got a very large dog crate (canvas) and stuck it in the backend of the SUV with a small bowl of water and food and a little catbox for them, along with their catbed. Changed the litter 2x daily and fed/watered them as needed.

Once we got to the new house, I put them, their regular litter box/food and water bowls, and the crate in one bathroom and shut the door. Left them there until they reacclimated to their stuff (3 days--we went to WDW and they were fine with plenty of food and water; we have done this before when we went on weekend trips to DL or San Diego or camping before, so they were used to this). Then we opened the door and let them explore.

With a little one, you need someone to either watch the baby or someone to move while you watch the baby. A playpen or playyard is useful to keep them penned up, out from underfoot.

Start with stuff you don't use daily--china, extra pots/pans, breadmaker, etc.

Then pack books, extra shoes (clothesbaskets for those!), extra toys, etc.

Clothes leave in drawers and just remove the drawers when moving the dresser. leave clothes on clotheshangers--tie hangers together with wire and cover clothes w/garbage bags.

Stuffed animals go in garbage bags, and are used to hold things like mirrors in place. Same with blankets and pillows.

I prefer to have boxes the same size. Makes stacking way easier. However, you can't pack them heavy (if large) and if they are small, weird shaped things don't fit. So, I have found that I use small boxes for books/heavy items and large boxes for lighter things (like breadmaker, etc).
The large boxes have to sit on the small boxes, so I usually stack two small side by side, go up four or five high, and then 2 large on top of these.

I always start packing for moves at least 6 weeks in advance. By 3 weeks out, I'm down to clothes and basics. All boxes are labeled clearly (books, kitchen glassware, china, DS's toys, etc) and placed in either the garage (if we have had one) or in one bedroom (that has been cleaned fully and the occupant is moved to share a bedroom with someone else).

One week out, it's paper plates/cups/silverware and pots and pans (which go in clothesbaskets for the move). Also, one week out, we're down to one bathroom and bedroom, kitchen and living room---the rest has been cleaned and doors closed. Last two days, the bedrooms are shut down and cleaned. Day before move, kitchen is shut down and cleaned--take out or out to eat only! Day of move, all there should have left to do is one bathroom and a living room floor (windows/baseboards already done).

 

[Help Please!]

You guys are soooo helpful! The last few times I've moved (college, into my first apartment, and then into the house my husband and I are currently renting), it's only been me....this is the first place my husband and I have been together, and I feel like now we have so much more stuff! Our bedroom is a disaster right now, and you guys have inspired me to go get some laundry done so I can get rid of some clothes and start packing other stuff. Sooo fun! (Okay, so moving is not super fun, but I think it will be much easier with all of your suggestions...and yes...we definitely will spring for lunch/dinner and beer for all of our helpers! And the good news is...the new home that we are hoping to get has a pool, so it would be GREAT to dive in after a day of moving!)

 

[riley2008]

My advice for the little one - set up his room like his old one as much as possible. After a few months, then update, etc. It will make his transition so much easier.

Even when we moved and my boys were 6, we kept bedding and all the same, even though I really wanted to have a new look for them at the new house. My mother helped during the move, set everything up to look like their room, used their old bedding, curtains (that weren't made for the new windows, but worked temporarily) etc. and they transitioned great. (Then 6 months later we redid their room and painted the walls.)

Oh, we have a primarily outside cat. When we moved, we kept her in the house for 2 months and then began to transition her outside. (First week was tough as she wanted to be out.) I'd keep your cats contained as much as possible for a while, say a couple of weeks in a laundry or bathroom, then let them start exploring.

 

[mom2cookies]

when we move and anyone i know we usually have alot of friends and family helping. With only on day to do it. My tip, would be to label each room in the new house with a number, then label the boxes that go in that room with the matching number. If you just label them living room or dining room, or so and so's bedroom, they aren't going to know which is which in your mind. So a numbering system works great.
We ask our grocery store for sturdy boxes in the morning and pick them up the next morning. Usually, we ask the cereal or paper goods manager or the baby products shelf filler lol.

 

[wishing4PA]

My Dad was a preacher in a church that liked to shuffle ministers around every couple of years.
Nowadays, with businesses recycling and trying to make money off what used to be waste, this may not work, but we got most of our boxes from liquor stores. Very, very sturdy boxes. Looked great for a preacher moving.

As others have said, you may as well pack up things you don't use much first. The last stuff packed is the first stuff to unpack, and what you will need day to day. Do not forget to label the boxes (on more than one side.) One exception to the rule about packing up your ordinary everyday stuff to be opened first - be sure to pack your basic tools as part of the early boxes to open. You may find a sudden need for a hammer, screwdrivers, rags and hardware, etc., so for a while these are part of your everyday needs.

Don't pack up any old blankets. They go around your furniture in the moving truck.

I never moved with a little one, but if possible, I'd send the kid to grandma's or something like that for a few days. Then move him back into "his" new room, which looks just like the old room. I agree with those who suggest just keep his old blankies, etc for now. He may not even notice the walls have changed if all his toys are readily available. Give him a special treat at the new house, too. An empty box!

 

[Help Please!]

Amazing idea! Numbering the rooms and boxes...I NEVER would have thought of that, I was picturing myself standing at the entrance and giving directions to everyone coming in! Numbers will be sooooooo much better! : )

We have joined a church in the past year, and my husband has helped a bunch of people with moving/ renovations, so we're hoping they will help us back! We also have some family willing to help. Actually there is a younger grandmother at our church who loves our son, my husband has been helping with their renovations, I bet she'd be up for having him for the day. As much as I'd like him around, I bet I'd get nothing done!

And we will totally check out the liquor store for boxes! ha!

 

[malibuconlee]

Go onto your local Craigslist and look under the "free" section for boxes. If none are there post that you are looking for moving boxes. We move frequently for my husband's job. After teh company has moved us I can either give them away or the moving company comes to pick them up. I'd rather someone re-use them!

 

[happily single]

When I moved from one home to another I knew the move was going to be crazy, so I rented a storage unit at a local place. I made several car trips to the storage unit with all of the holiday stuff, stuff in the basement and stuff we didn't need right away.

THen, when I was all settled into the new home I would go back to the storage unit a take some stuff back to the new house. That really helped me weed out stuff that I didn't need/want but wasn't quiet sure if I wanted to get rid of. Aand then I had the time to find places to put the storage unit stuff.

The storage unit (5 x 10) was only like $42 a month or so and I had it approximately 3 months

 

[malibuconlee]

OH and a good idea is to make yourself a new house box, in it put toilet paper, paper towels, soap, paper plates, plastic tableware and clean sheets for everyone's bed! At the end of a long day everything will be in boxes in the new house and you will be ready to order pizza and crash! (maybe towels and toiletries too!)

 

[LJSquishy]

I much prefer to start packing as early as possible so that you know you won't have to scramble at the last minute to get everything in boxes. Since you have a little one, you won't be able to spend hours each day packing so doing a little bit at a time will be easier for you.

The best advice I can give you is: Purge as you pack! Nothing goes in a box unless you know you will be using it at your new house. It will probably cut down considerably on the amount of "stuff" you have to pack (and unpack). If you are not having any more children, you can get rid of the baby items your son can no longer use. If you may have more kids, get some plastic storage bins to organize the clothing and/or toys he has already outgrown so when you get to your new house you just have to put it in the garage or basement. A lot of people seem to gather a lot of unneeded kitchen gadgets, utensils, and lots of books even that they really no longer need or want so now is a great time to get rid of those items.

As the others have said, label the boxes on more than one side, and be specific. A box that says "Kitchen" is a little helpful, but if it says, "Kitchen: Glasses/Stemware/Plates" that is more helpful because you may need to get into that box right away vs the "Kitchen: Bakeware" box that you probably won't need to access for a few days. It will be helpful on that first night or the first few days after.

Don't overpack your boxes, either. As you fill them, lift them periodically so you know when to stop filling them. Make sure YOU can lift them all yourself...because if your husband isn't home, you will be out of luck if you need to dig through boxes!

Focus on setting up your sons room first (assuming he sleeps in his own room).

I have always packed a box just for the cleaning items/tool essentials I will need right away. I put that in the truck or car last so it is the first box that I unload. I always wipe down surfaces & the inside of cabinets as I put things away.

I don't have cats so I can't help too much with how to make their transition easiest...I guess if you have a neighbor or friend that could watch them at their house on the actual moving day that would be best. You will have doors open constantly so your cats could easily escape (assuming they are indoor cats only). Otherwise, I would probably lock them in a bedroom or bathroom with their litter box, food, & water. They will probably be stressed for a few days no matter what.

I happen to LOVE moving! I love the feeling of a new environment, fresh start, new decorating, etc...so good luck to your family!

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I moved with 2 cats and a 6 month old and 4 year old.

For the 6 month old and 4 year old, I hired babysitters. I had them lined up one after the other all day long. Sometimes a sitter could only come for 2 hours and another one could do 4. It worked great until one didn't show up. Then it was a mess and I had to stop packing up the kitchen to watch the kids until I could find someone to take her place.

For the cats, I closed them into the master bedroom bathroom that I had already packed up in the original house. I put a note on the door not to open it because pets were inside. Then about 3/4 of the way through the move after all the big stuff was loaded onto to the moving truck, I moved the cats. I put them in the new master bathroom with the same note on the door.
They lived in that room for a day until one got out and then they were fine.

I got my boxes through Craigs List and the grocery store. I spent a minimum of 2 hours every night after the kids were in bed packing. My husband was useless for this. He didn't help at all. On the plus side, I did get rid of alot as I packed which I wouldn't have been able to do if he helped. He is a pack rat. The bad part was I just couldn't get it all done before moving day.
I rented a storage space and put alot of items in that even before we put our house on the market to make it look more spacious.

We hired a moving company to load and unload the boxes and big stuff. We ended up with a partial refund because they showed up with the wrong size truck. My husband let them leave after delivering one load to the new house. So we ended up struggling to move things that we had paid the moving company to do. I was very peeved and got the refund after complaining to the company about the wrong size truck.

I labeled everything with what was in it and where it was supposed to go. I also had 2 boxes marked urgent. Those had the things I knew we'd need right away like diapers, wipes, kitchen and bathroom stuff.

We moved on the same day we closed and the new people were scheduled to move into our old house that same day. Why it was done that way, I'll never know. I will never, ever, ever do that again. We were stressed out and didn't finish until nearly 4am.
It sounds like you won't have that problem though.

Hopefully you won't have any of the issues we did. Good luck.

 

[tink576]

I would get boxes from local grocery stores. If you call around you'll find some are willing to save them in the back to be picked up.

 

[disykat]

My easiest move was from house to house about 12 miles apart. We got into the new house 3 days before we had to be out of the old house.

The best thing that happened was that the old owners had scheduled (and paid for) carpet cleaning that wasn't going to happen until the day we got in. Since the carpet was wet, we could only get into the garage and kitchen so we moved those things first. My kitchen in the new house was set up and working FIRST. It was soooo nice with small children to be able to fully function in the new kitchen while going back to clean the old one! DH enjoyed getting his tools all arranged as well.

We moved a bunch of stuff over in our vehicles that first day. The next day we mostly did it ourselves with a one day rental of a small u-haul and some friends, but I was worried about my piano. We called professional movers and they had a two hour minimum. For a small fee, I think it was about $60 at the time (13 years ago!) they moved the piano, fridge, washer + dryer, couch, a large dresser, and a couch. Basically I knew they'd have about 20 minutes in each house and I had them take all the big stuff they could do in that time frame.