Packing your house to move.........

[Minnie_me]

Where do you start?!?!?!? SERIOUSLY!!! My husband left us 6 months ago, and I'm moving at the end of May. I have this huge house and I'm pretty much on my own to pack it up........... I'm overwhelmed!!!

 

[wdwfan16]

Where do you start?!?!?!? SERIOUSLY!!! My husband left us 6 months ago, and I'm moving at the end of May. I have this huge house and I'm pretty much on my own to pack it up........... I'm overwhelmed!!!

Sorry you have to do this alone.

Declutter. Toss/Sell/Donate/Keep

Only pack the keep. Start with winter clothes and only that which will fit next year.

 

[crisi]

Other good places to start are bookshelves, special occasion china. Basically, start in a room, pack/donate or toss everything you don't use regularly.

Also, storage areas where you are probably all packed already - although sometimes its on shelves that need to go into boxes.

(I like to start in the smallest bathroom - instant success!)

 

[JB2K]

Where to start?

As a veteran of a couple dozen moves, maybe I can help:

If you're hiring a moving company, they'll do all the work.

However, if you're doing it yourself...

You will need to line-up a truck -- from my experiences, Penske has the best-maintained trucks, plus they offer a AAA discount.

You can buy boxes, packing paper, wrap, etc. at most Public Storage locations around the country. In fact, many of the PS locations will even rent you a truck, making it a one-stop experience.

And, most importantly -- got labor? If you have teenage kids, chances are some of their buddies will gladly help out for a small fee.

 

[lovesmurfs]

I'm a list person, so I'd recommend getting your lists together. Google "moving checklists" and several pretty good Web sites come up. ABF has some good tips on http://www.upack.com/moving-resources/checklist.asp; Mayflower has one on http://www.mayflower.com/moving/full-service-movers/moving-tips/moving-checklist.htm. There seem to be some good resources on Amazon as well.

Babysteps. Once you have your supplies (boxes, packing tape--lots and lots--and Sharpie markers are essential), you need to hit the rooms. I'd start with those not used regularly to get your groove. Take the time to declutter -- moving with stuff you know you won't need isn't worth the time, effort or money. If you have kids, put 'em to work -- they want to help.

Set a timer. You can do a whole closet in 15-30 minutes, if you have the supplies you need. Break it down into bite-size tasks instead of looking at it as a huge project.

Best wishes. As you're packing, remember to rest, and get regular meals and stay hydrated.

 

[AKL_Megs]

I've done this three times in the past three years...

Start by throwing away anything and EVERYTHING you don't plan on taking to the new house.

DO NOT pack something that you will throw away when you get there. Just part with it NOW.

Next, pack away COMPLETELY things that you use in the winter. Coats, clothes, etc. PUT THEM IN BOXES AND TO THE SIDE.

Next, pack things you don't or won't use until you are in the new house. I did closets first, then the kitchen, then the bedrooms, then the bathroom. I was left with essential toiletries, cook and eat ware, clothes, and nothing else.

Finally, pack the things you used until you move.

 

[secretpantssam]

first off moving is bad enough and moving with little help is the worst!

I agree with the previous poster. Try to get rid of stuff you don't need or use. Have a yard sale or drop things off at good will. Also you can start by packing things you're not using right now. Winter and Fall things...and actually if you're moving by the end of May, you can pack summer stuff too.

Try to label all your boxes really well. I didn't do that during my move in October and it got really frustrating when I was trying to unpack. And try to remain calm...it is a lot of stuff, but if you let it intimidate you it will take longer and you may not pack as organized as you'd like.

You can get boxes from storage places and even from some stores...they get shipment in and just throw out the boxes when they're done so they're free for you!

 

[nunzia]

All good advice. Mine is: one step at a time. First, everything off the walls and all shelves, books, nick nacks, etc. As you do this you have boxes to stick: yard sale, donate, ebay (if you do that), toss. After you pack and seal, mark general idea of what's inside with a sharpie. Keep all boxes neatly in a central location. Then, kitchen stuff you won't use for awhile..out of season clothes, towels, sheets, can be used to wrap items. Again, every step of the way keep up your boxes to get rid of. After you have everything packed that you can in, say a dresser, move everything else up to only a few drawers. You can also stuff the drawers with stuff to pack, if you are careful what you put in there. It looks overwhelming, but just begin.
I'm sorry you have this huge job to do alone. Do you have some friends who might want to come and help? makes the work much more fun. Good Luck

 

[dis-happy]

I've packed up our entire household several times over the years, all by myself (my dh has always been travelling during the move times).

My best piece of advice: do one full room at a time. If you have time to declutter in the process, go for it. But do the entire room, label the boxes well, and be done with it. I usually try to do one room a night (put the kiddos to bed and pack for 3 or 4 hours). It's enough time to get it done.

Make a checklist for yourself and put it on the fridge. You'll feel and know that you're making progress that way.

Wishing you the best!

 

[SnowWtch]

We just moved to a new apartment last month and I would suggest you check with grocery stores before you go buy boxes. Our Publix stores gave us all the boxes we wanted for no charge. We also used our towels to pack up glass items instead of buying bubble wrap. It saved us a bunch.

 

[LilyWDW]

Steps to packing up a house:

1) Call your friends and promise booze and pizza if they come help.

2) Have friends come over, give them booze and pizza, and have a packing party.

3) Realize you should have done the packing BEFORE the booze

4) Clean up the mess and end up packing by yourself anyways.

Seriously though... go room by room. Take it one thing at a time. Collect boxes, newspapers, bubble wrap, ect now and get more then you think you will need. Sort through all your things and trash/donate anything you don't want to take with you. Then, pack up non essentials like decorations, winter clothes, your fancy china, ect ect. Write on the outside of the box what it is and where it belongs in the new house. Designate a room that you don't usually use (guest bedroom or dining room for example) to put the boxes, separated by what room they will go in (aka keep all the boxes from your bedroom together, for the kitchen together, ect).

Good luck hun! If you get over whelmed, step away for a moment and clear your head. Then start back up... you don't have to do it all in one day.

 

[Minnie_me]

Great tips, everybody --- I'm going to start as soon as we get back from an overnight trip out of state. My 12-year old will be able to help, but my 9-year old, not so much.

I've just always been the type to *delegate* the big jobs to the DH, ya know? And now that he's gone, I have to find a way to tackle them myself. And still keep on doing the laundry, cleaning, childcare, working fulltime, etc.

I'm getting boxes from my workplace. We're using movers, but not to pack. I'm doing the packing, and they're just doing the actually moving. That'll be a big relief.

 

[malibuconlee]

If you are packing up yourself check out the free section on Craigslist. We gave away all of our packing paper and boxes to anyone willing to come pick up. You can also just post that you want moving boxes.

 

[MomtoGKC]

I'm trying to pack our house right now. We're moving in less than 2 weeks and I can't imagine how it will ever all get done - we have accumulated so much junk since we moved to this house! (3 kids will do that to you I guess) It is SO overwhelming just looking around the house trying to decide what to do next.

I started with the kitchen. I packed most everything except a few pots & pans, silverware and dishes. Then I went to DS's bedroom when he wasn't home (makes it WAY easier to get rid of old toys when he's not around!) The hardest part so far has been the messy toy area where we kind of throw everything in bins - I was super stressed to start that project but got it mostly done yesterday. I tried to go through and match up all the missing parts to toys, throw out broken things and make a pile of hive away stuff.

Then the house got SO messy after all that packing (didn't have time to catch up on dishes or laundry, plus there were toys all over one area and CDs and DVDs all spread out over another area. Then there were big boxes everywhere, we could barely walk around. So, today I focused on cleaning and straightening a little bit-tomorrow I get back to packing.

Anyway, it's good that you are starting now - you should have time to do it little by little.

 

[DisneyDizzy]

Great tips, everybody --- I'm going to start as soon as we get back from an overnight trip out of state. My 12-year old will be able to help, but my 9-year old, not so much.

I've just always been the type to *delegate* the big jobs to the DH, ya know? And now that he's gone, I have to find a way to tackle them myself. And still keep on doing the laundry, cleaning, childcare, working fulltime, etc.

I'm getting boxes from my workplace. We're using movers, but not to pack. I'm doing the packing, and they're just doing the actually moving. That'll be a big relief.

Don't knock the 9-year-old. We're moving right now and I'm 7 month pregnant. My 8-year-old has been a Godsend! He can empty all the bottom cabinets in the kitchen so I don't have to bend over, get under the beds, bottom shelves and ALL his toys. they don't really need "wrapped" so it is easy for him to pack the boxes.

He's earning a new swing set, a really cool one, for the new house. We figured since we have a new little one on the way it'll get another 10 years of use out of it anyway. Plus, he told me today, he really likes helping me move. It makes him feel important!

 

[sherry7]

We just moved to a new apartment last month and I would suggest you check with grocery stores before you go buy boxes. Our Publix stores gave us all the boxes we wanted for no charge. We also used our towels to pack up glass items instead of buying bubble wrap. It saved us a bunch.

Liquor stores are a good place to get smaller sturdy boxes too....but your new neighbors might think you're an alcoholic. We've moved a few times and never bought a box or bubble wrap.

Like several other people said, get rid of stuff as you pack. Have a box ready for Goodwill donations and a big trash bag. Make sure you mark the boxes clearly with what room they go to in the new house.

 

[2girlsmommy]

Check out usedcardboardboxes.com we bought boxes from them so that we had uniform boxes and they were cheap and not really used and it was nice to have boxes that were the same size for stacking. also check out this lady's site she has some great suggestions! http://www.flylady.net/pages/Flying_MovingTips.asp

 

[quasar4legs]

Don't forget to make sure that your 'goods' are insured when on the move.

 

[mom2alix]

Flylady has some great tips here that might help:

http://www.flylady.net/pages/Flying_MovingTips.asp

Oops, I see that 2girlsmommy beat me to it. LOL That's what happens when you stop to answer the phone in the middle of posting.

 

[Handbag Lady]

Someone already used my major tip: use towels and linens instead of newspapers and bubble-wrap. It makes for less boxes and less waste.

I also do the one room at a time thing. I just pick a room, and pack left to right, placing everying in a box that I'm not tossing or donating.

It also helps to have 10 boxes or so built at a time, instead of just one. This way, when you get several different sized items, you can put the big one in its own box and the smaller ones in the same box, instead of wasting space in the boxes. Does that make sense? You sort as you go until a box is filled, then you grab another ready-made box.

I also wear a small pocketed apron with a sharpie, scotch tape, gum and candy. (Gives you no excuse to leave the general area when you are working.)