Well, OK, the staying sane part while moving might be a stretch, but I am going to try my best this time. I am getting ready to move, and Christy is also getting ready to move so I thought it would be a good time for us to try to come up with a post of tips and tricks. Also, if you’re moving into a rental (or military housing), then check out Christy’s post {here} about how to decorate a rental property to make it feel like home.
Y’all kicked in your suggestions via facebook and email and it was great! I am already making use of so many of your tips. On this topic, I know that our military spouses (a crown Christy wears as well) readers know that of which they speak. Thanks for the input, everyone!
In case you missed it, we’re packing up our current home and moving “home” in a few weeks. Being that this move is our choice as well as long-distance, we don’t have the budget for a crew of trained packers to come in and wave their magic wands and leave me with all our belongings nicely in boxes. I am that magic fairy, and I am going to be working hard these next few weeks! So, again, any way possible to make it easier will be a HUGE help.
So here is all the great advice you all gave me when I asked, such great tips!
- Take everything off the walls and keep together. Label boxes with each room. Live off paper plates and paper products. Pack up the kids room leave out only a few toys. Pack and stack boxes in your garage while kids are at school. Pack suitcase of clothes for each kid and yourself and live out of and wash only that. Pack the rest. Use towels to pack breakable vases and such. ~Megan (9 military moves)
- Pack your bedding in the dresser that goes in that bedroom.~Suzanne
- I put all our clean clothes into those giant ziplock bags {you can get those HERE} with dryer sheets, that way they stay reasonably folded and clean and don’t have that cardboard box smell. The movers just put the bags into boxes and also strange men aren’t pawing all the clothes. This has made unpacking the clothing of a family of 5 way easier on the other side. Good luck, we are up this summer, moving to Germany! ~ Allison {Thanks Allison, Good Luck to YOU!}
- Go around the house now, open every drawer and closet and photograph- will really help if your whole shipment disappears or, more likely, you have a few missing or damaged items.~Mary (11 military moves)
- Pack silverware and kitchen utensils in gallon ziplock bags {those available HERE} and they stay clean….just empty into the new drawer at your destination.~Kate
- Give the house a good cleaning before you start packing or packers and movers show up! Everywhere should be exactly where it’s “supposed” to be before you start packing (even if it hasn’t been in the right spot in years lol) It will keep you motivated and bring your stress level down when everything seems a little more organized and clean to start.~Tianna
- Put all your breakables that are treasures in one spot, like on the dining room table. Have the packers pack them first when they are fresh for the day.~Lezlie
- One of the best helps I’ve come up with is having 2 boxes. ONE for bedding and any household supplies, packed and ready to use upon arrival AND a box that I mark “PARTS”. Every top of a lampshade, every screw, every key, plug, wire etc etc etc goes into that box. Both boxes are LAST on the truck and first to come off. ~Kathleen
Christy gave me her tips {below}, these from the girl that if you visit her two weeks after she moves in, will already have her house perfectly squared away and probably be painting her cabinets. Trust me, I know.
- I always try to pack and LABEL a box that has a hammer, nails, drill, picture hanging hooks, drywall anchors, doublestick tape and Command hooks, spackle and putty knife, etc. so that I can start hanging stuff as soon as I unpack it. And last, but definitely most important, keep your corkscrew, shaker, and coffee maker out because alcohol (and caffeine) consumption spikes sharply during a move! 🙂 ~Christy {11Magnolialane, her 8th military move is coming up}
I am going to add in a few more tips, believe it or not we’ve moved nine times and we’re not even military. The first tip I always utilize originally came from my cousin-in-law, Mary, who was a military spouse. She said to put all the contents from each linen closet in a clear garbage bag, then pack it in a box. Then, when you unpack you can just drop the garbage bag in the closet and toss the box, that way you can unpack at your convenience but everything for the closet is already where it needs to go. Brilliant!
Here is my number one moving tip: prior to all of my moves, I take the kitchen layout, pour a cup of tea and sit down with a pencil, I plot and plan where my kitchen items will go. It saves a ton of time when you actually are unpacking not to have to think on the spot what cabinets to put the glasses in, what drawer for the silverware etc. My Mom was sweet enough to help with my last move and she could also reference my plan instead of asking me over and over where to put things, it was a great help.
Above is my diagram I did prior to moving into my current home, sorry, I know it’s hard to see as I wrote in pencil so I could adjust things accordingly. I used my cabinet layout provided by our builder, and as you can see below it mimics my kitchen layout perfectly. You can also just work off a picture of the kitchen and just draw it out, then label where things should go.
Another tip before you start–stock up on moving supplies {if you are packing for yourself} so you aren’t running back and forth to get more. You will need more boxes, bubble wrap {at a good price for large bubbles HERE and small HERE} and packing material than you can imagine when you start, so buy extra! It is easier and cheaper to buy it in bulk ahead of time than from a moving company. Home Depot is a great resource for inexpensive boxes. I have found this plastic shrink wrap is a huge help. I shrink wrap what I can together, like these glass plates, and it keeps things from moving as much during the process and seems to help. You also will need quite a bit of packing tape and extra {they disappear!} sharpies for marking boxes.
One more tip about packing supplies–check Craig’s List, you may be able to find someone finishing a move who will sell you all their packing materials for less than they cost new. And, keep that in mind when you are done–we’ve sold all of ours and recouped much of the cost after a move.
Also, I found these adorable labels {Via Pinterest} from onlinelabels.com to use on you boxes. I may not quite get as far with the “cute” factor this time, but had to share them nonetheless!
OK! I am off to pack boxes now…but thank you so much to those who shared tips, and for any tips we’ve missed please leave them in the comments section so that this will continue to be a great resource for all facing the FUN task of a move.
{Now that my move is complete, if you would like to see my new home please click HERE}
Christy has written a follow up to this post and you can read it {here}.
Thanks for stopping by!