Tips for Moving

[LadyLocust]

@Patchouli I wish you could start a thread about helpful tips for moving. Sometimes I make plans but then it doesn't come to pass. I would like to move in what will be the worst time of year in Texas, in July. I'm sure @dademoss would have helpful tips.
Here ya go Darlin'

Will also copy/paste from other thread:
The thing that helped the most when we moved. I wrote which room it went in on the box then abreviated what was inside. Like KITCHEN: utensils Or SPARE ROOM: bedding Then if you are not the one moving the boxes (I hope you have help), who cares about spare room bedding? Just put the box in the right room and we'll take care of it later. If it says the room it can go in, it will save a ton of questions during the move.
Also our first trip, we took our bed and bedding and bathroom stuff. Made the bed, got the towels hung in the bathroom etc. At the end of the "big move day" we could take a shower and go to bed without having to assemble it or look for towels etc. Made it much smoother.

 

[LadyLocust]

Another one: layer your kitchen towels between your plates for moving. Both go in the kitchen and at the other end when unpacking, it's that much less packaging you'll have to deal with.
*You can also use out of season clothing like shirts or sweaters then at the other end just make a stack and they are all together.

 

[zoomzoom]

Are you doing the move yourself or hiring movers? I have cautionary tales if you're hiring a company to do it.

 

[Patchouli]

Are you doing the move yourself or hiring movers? I have cautionary tales if you're hiring a company to do it.

Oh likely myself, family and friends will help too. I can’t afford a mover. My church is usually pretty good at coordinating and if I’m moving far the church people in the new area will know I’m coming and be there to help. We did have a moving company get us to Texas and they were excellent.

 

[Mountain trapper]

When we moved from Idaho to Alaska the company paid for the move. Everything went by truck to Seattle then put in shipping containers and loaded on a barge. I drove my truck and pulled a trailer loaded with 2 ATV's, tools, etc up through Canada.
When I took a job in Indianapolis the company moved us from Alaska to Indy. Again by barge to Seattle then by truck to Indiana. Both moves went flawless.
When we moved from Indiana back out west we hired a moving company. I made 4 trips pulling a trailer and the movers had to use 2 semi's. We were moving from a 5,000 Sq ft house in to 2 large storage sheds and a barn. We sold most of our furniture and equipment before the move too.
If we ever move again we'll have a large auction and sell almost everything we have. I hate moving, even if we hire a moving company.

 

[Wingnut]

Drive the rental truck, tow a vehicle behind it to house pets or use as extra storage space... I've moved several times in recent years, and I've always done most of the work myself. There were times when I paid helpers to load and unload, but much of the time I was on my own, working that dolly and shifting boxes. I didn't move large appliances, those stayed with each home when I flipped it, less trouble that way. I did break down and move the pool table... eventually, I let it go when the home in Benson sold. Moving a pool table is a PITA, lol. As I get older, I'm downsizing & streamlining just to make things easier all around, and that includes any possible future moves... streamlining is good!

 

[Patchouli]

Pool tables are like pianos, a hassle to move and nobody wants them.
I’ve moved in our early years a bit, less stuff, way shorter distances. Pick up trucks and frequent trips, was easy. This move will have to be a one time pack it all up and go. This helps, to hear others’ tips, experiences and suggestions.

 

[dademoss]

we will mostly be self moving, we may need "two men and a truck for the heavy stuff, but we have a 2 wheeler and trailers. It will be slow, but it will get done. a garage and dollies for moving and staging. I hope Lori draws me a map , especially for the kitchen stuff.

 

[backlash]

I'm in favor of burning down the house and starting over.
I hate moving.

 

[dademoss]

I'm in favor of burning down the house and starting over.
I hate moving.

I will concur with this. there are days I want launch codes for a tactical nuclear weapon.

 

[Peanut]

Between ‘89 and ‘00 I live in 16 cities in 7 states, including ny, ca and alabama. I had moving down to an art. Sometimes I had movers, sometimes helpers, sometimes alone etc.

I moved for work, move 2000miles and start work the day I got to a new location? Not easy but it can be done with a little planning.

I packed one big tote with 2 week supply of linens, for bed and bath. A smaller tote for the kitchen. Again, two week supply, paper cups/plates disposable stuff… and a small boiler, a skillet, and few utensils, sometimes a couple plates. I also packed a 2 week supply of clothes in a suitcase. I thought of this as my mini-house, everything I needed to function for two weeks. If I could do laundry I could stretch that to a month.

Basically a 2 week supply of essentials so I could work and not have to unpack a dozen boxes every time I needed something. It allowed me to be ready to work my first day and most importantly allowed me to unpack at my leisure.

Also… colored stickers. I buy them from an office supply store. When I packed items, every room in my house got a color. I’d put colored dots on each side of each box. On top of boxes I wrote contents with a sharpie. Again, made it simple to get items into the correct room in the new house. I could unload a truck in a couple hours, everything would be in the room where it belonged.

 

[Pearl]

I'm in favor of burning down the house and starting over.
I hate moving.

Mine is paid for, not moving! If I ever have to I'm walking out with the clothes on my back!!

 

[Peanut]

Oh, one more bit... In the early moves I packed pictures, wall art, do-dad's by room. Over time I started packing all decorative items with the living room. One central place for all of them. I found this worked best for me. Once the 'house' was unpacked and stored then I started decorating. Just because a photo looked good in a room in one house doesn't mean it'll look good at the next. I'd reshuffle the deck when decorating after a move, worked best having everything in one place to start.

Edit to add, color dots... A couple times when I used movers or had people helping... at the new place I'd put a colored sticker on the door to each room... so anyone helping just has to look at the color on the box and put it in the matching room.

 

[Curmudgeon]

I can't imagine moving. I have been here over 30 years. My shop alone would be a nightmare.

 

[Pearl]

I can't imagine moving. I have been here over 30 years. My shop alone would be a nightmare.

I would HAVE to live with the new owners, they'd learn to deal with it!!

 

[Curmudgeon]

I would HAVE to live with the new owners, they'd learn to deal with it!!

I assure you they would be beside themselves with me lolol.

 

[LadyLocust]

Mine is paid for, not moving! If I ever have to I'm walking out with the clothes on my back!!

Be careful. I said something similar. After the move I said, "God, whatever else I said I'd never do, please forgive me. Lesson learned!"

 

[Peanut]

Something I learned with all those moves... if I planned the packing well, then the actual moving and unpacking was a breeze. Especially unpacking, I could do it at my leisure. Never frantically looking for things i need to live those first few weeks at the new place.

 

[Heartbroken]

I'm trying to pack up too. It's not the packing I'm finding so hard, it's the painting and sanding and repairs needed to get top dollar for the house that is stressing me out.
I started on the upstairs by never coming down from the office empty handed. It's not done yet, but the attic is mostly cleared out. Everything got staged in the dining room, boxed up and put in the shop building, or burned, or donated. I would stack the boxes on the porch then use the hand cart to move them to the shop in batches. It was going well until we needed to empty my Dad's house so now I have piles upon piles of stuff in the shop and no more room for moving boxes out of the house. Closing on the new house is scheduled for Monday so I really have to get it in gear.
I'm going to get one or two of those "pods", there aren't any movers here. I can stack all the stuff in the pods, they move them to the new place, and I'll unload them. I can hire a couple of young guys from my church to move the heavy stuff. If I can get it all done within a month it's $550 per pod.
My boxes of stuff will largely be stacked in the garage as I need to do the floors and walls in the new house.

 

[sonya123]

I'm in favor of burning down the house and starting over.
I hate moving.

Same! I hope I never have to do it again...
When we moved here, after living in the same house in Orlando for about 30 years we had so much stuff ( after selling a bunch ) that we filled up a large U haul truck, a U haul trailer, a Yukon XL, a Dodge Durango, and we still had to leave things at the side of the road because it just didn't fit.
IT was especially horrible because we had to get out of our house in 3 days ( it sold the first day for more than we asked but we had to get out) and we had not even closed on this property yet . Closing date on the new property was about 3 weeks after having to get out the old one. So we rented a storage and unloaded the stuff, and went on a 2 week trip to Maine , then we stayed a week at a cheap motel until our closing date. THEN we had to haul everything from the storage in town to our new place an hour away with the 2 SUVs. It took a month just to get our stuff here

 

[Wingnut]

Pool tables are like pianos, a hassle to move and nobody wants them.

Actually, a pool table is nice to have if you have the room for it... I enjoyed mine very much when I had it. I put it in the largest room in the house... as a bachelor, I could do that. Had a lot of good times playing pool with friends over the years, but you're right, the tables are a hassle to move. When I made my last move, I knew I was going to a somewhat smaller home, and I had a choice between keeping the table or having a home theater... the theater won, and I didn't have to schlep the table either, lol. The younger hand who bought my Benson home was moving back to be near his dad, and they both were looking forward to playing on the table... I like to think of three generations playing pool on that excellent 8' table! The buyer's kids were already 4 or 5, so they probably already started (perhaps with the aid of a stepladder or stool). Here's a shot of my table, I miss that table at times, but there's a pool hall here in Alamogordo...

 

[Patchouli]

My husband wanted the family pool table, but his sister got it with promises and swearings that she’d always have it, we’d always have Christmas at her place…that lasted two years and at some point she sold the table. It was a nice one! So there ya have it. I was good at pool.
Sounds like most of us are not real excited about moving!

 

[Morgan101]

Move is a four letter word. I have done it dozens of times for myself and other friends and family members. I swore when we moved into our current house over thirty years ago, that the next time I moved someone was going to carry me out in a box. Even though it was long ago it is still fresh in my mind. We had "stuff" in at least five locations I can remember. Many who have been on here know the stories about my basement are legendary. My hand to God, this is the gospel truth. We built the house we are in now, and had to make a double move. We had to rent an apartment before the house was ready, so everything from the old house had to go somewhere. There was no where near enough room in the apartment. One of the locations we used for storage was my In-Laws basement. I one section of that basement there were 350 boxes. No exaggeration. There were seven rows, 10 deep, and five high. Some of those boxes are still in my current basement, and they haven't been touched in thirty plus years.

I was very fortunate that I could get all of the boxes I needed from the place I worked. They were a very manageable size, and we took full advantage. If there was one suggestion I have it is pack in manageable size boxes that the average person can lift. We made that mistake very early in our marriage. My wife got appliance boxes to pack in, and then filled them. I asked her "Who do you think is going to carry that?" They weighed more than the appliances that came in them. Don't overload. Marking the boxes with the room they are going to is good advice. Hopefully, you only have to move it once. Not schlepp it all over the new location.

You know the worst part? Once you move it you are only half done. Now you have yo put it all away. I'm with Backlash on this one. Burn the house down, and start over.

 

[LadyLocust]

I'm trying to pack up too. It's not the packing I'm finding so hard, it's the painting and sanding and repairs needed to get top dollar for the house that is stressing me out.
I started on the upstairs by never coming down from the office empty handed. It's not done yet, but the attic is mostly cleared out. Everything got staged in the dining room, boxed up and put in the shop building, or burned, or donated. I would stack the boxes on the porch then use the hand cart to move them to the shop in batches. It was going well until we needed to empty my Dad's house so now I have piles upon piles of stuff in the shop and no more room for moving boxes out of the house. Closing on the new house is scheduled for Monday so I really have to get it in gear.
I'm going to get one or two of those "pods", there aren't any movers here. I can stack all the stuff in the pods, they move them to the new place, and I'll unload them. I can hire a couple of young guys from my church to move the heavy stuff. If I can get it all done within a month it's $550 per pod.
My boxes of stuff will largely be stacked in the garage as I need to do the floors and walls in the new house.

Can I clarify? So you started your move, then had to move your dad’s stuff (his house) and back to yours and into another? You’ve mentioned in other threads, but if this is correct, I didn’t realize you were moving 2 households. How are you still standing?

 

[Heartbroken]

Yep, this will be my last move. I'm doing it to go to a smaller home, all on one floor, main floor laundry, and lower utility bills. The smaller bathroom already has a walk-in shower, I'm going to remodel the main bathroom to install one there too.
I second that on the boxes. Bought a bunch of the small and medium sized boxes from home depot. I've already filled the boxes we saved when my Husband moved in and we no longer have a local grocery that will give you boxes.
Another investment I made was buying the hinge-topped plastic totes in bulk. Everything I'm really trying to keep nice - my grandma's china, my Husband's pictures, etc. - go in the plastic totes which are then taped shut. Most of my stuff is going to be stacked in the shed or the garage until I can get everything sorted, so that will keep it safe from insects and mice.
I'm also doing a multi-stage purge. First was going through all of my Husband's things and giving a lot of them that I would never be able to use to his friends. Then there's going through what's in the house and donating stuff I really don't care enough about to bother packing. This is kind of a quick assessment and getting rid of things like cook books, excess kitchen gadgets, clothes I realize I'll never wear again, stuff like that. The third purge will be when I have the new place remodeled and it's time to put things away. Aside from my books and some keepsakes, there's really no reason to keep tons of stuff. It's just me; the large family get togethers are no more, and my daughter doesn't need to deal with a ton of stuff when I'm gone.

 

[LadyLocust]

My husband wanted the family pool table, but his sister got it with promises and swearings that she’d always have it, we’d always have Christmas at her place…that lasted two years and at some point she sold the table. It was a nice one! So there ya have it. I was good at pool.
Sounds like most of us are not real excited about moving!

I can’t wait to find a place and move as long as it’s our last move . We moved a lot growing up so as an adult I’ve tried to minimize that task. It’s tedious and tiresome but also rewarding. I like that everything gets cleaned.

 

[Heartbroken]

Can I clarify? So you started your move, then had to move your dad’s stuff (his house) and back to yours and into another? You’ve mentioned in other threads, but if this is correct, I didn’t realize you were moving 2 households. How are you still standing?

Clarity is in short supply at this point! Yes, everything is happening at once. The bank took Dad's house, which made my brother homeless. But I was part way through negotiating my new house purchase so it didn't make sense for him to stay with me, since I'm putting this house on the market just as soon as I can, so he's going to stay with Mom for a while. But Mom doesn't have the storage space I have here, so all the stuff from Dad's (which includes Grandma's things, Dad's things, and my Brother's things, and none of them ever threw anything away!) had to come here....at the same time I'm trying to pack up and declutter this house so I can put it on the market....so we moved everything from Dad's into my shop building and sheds here. Now I'm closing on the new house next week, and we need to pack all of that up, plus my stuff, and move it all to the new house. My Brother has been told he's going to be box-hauler-in-chief in payment for storing all that at my place.
I really HATE moving stuff!!!

 

[LadyLocust]

So to be ornery (who me) if you’re helping someone move who you really don’t like: put the can opener in with the towels, books in large boxes and shoes in with pillows.
They probably won’t ask you for help next time.

 

[Mountain trapper]

So to be ornery (who me) if you’re helping someone move who you really don’t like: put the can opener in with the towels, books in large boxes and shoes in with pillows.
They probably won’t ask you for help next time.

Last time we moved, the movers took my book and reading glasses off my dresser and packed them away. It took 6 years before we found the right box. Good thing was, since I retired my eyes improved back to 20/20 and I no longer need glasses.
I really hate moving. If I get my way I'll die here and the kids will have to deal with everything.

 

[dademoss]

Mine is paid for, not moving! If I ever have to I'm walking out with the clothes on my back!!

I said that too, yet we close on Tuesday

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/50-Cobble-Stone-Ln-Clarksville-OH-45113/227509866_zpid/