Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Moving To-Do List: What Am I Missing?

Since I moved out of my parent's house, I have never moved to a different city. Actually, I've lived in the same town since I was 6!

So I'm excited about moving.

But I also haven't done it in awhile (esp. to a new town).

I'm making a list of things to do so that it goes smoothly, and here's what I have already:
  • Forward address
  • Notify people/companies of our new address
  • Pack (obvious, I know, but I need to start now)
  • Continue getting rid of stuff. Currently we have 4 pieces of furniture for sale on Craigslist.
  • Find boxes somewhere (maybe this should come before "pack"?)
Once we get there, I have another list (besides unpacking):
  • Get to know the neighbors
  • Explore the town and find a bank, the library, community swimming pool, parks, museums.
  • Figure out a laundry routine (since I won't have a washer and dryer in my house).
Do you have any tips for making a big move go smoothly? 

This post is linked to Works For Me Wednesday.

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8 comments:

  1. Boxes, when I move I can never have enough of them. Start by packing up all the goodies that you don't use like all the stuff at the top of the cupboards and work your way down.Mark the boxes carefully (I use a colored marker or stickers so that you know that you don't need to unpack them immediately)-keep out only what you will need for a few days until you get organized and can properly unpack. A few towels, cleaning supplies, coffee maker, utencils ect...)Nothing worse that unpacking a finding a box of stuff that you don't really need right off the bat then searching for the stuff you need. PS I replied to your email-I am grateful that I won your B&B giveaway

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  2. Ooh, I've done this!

    One thing that helped with the packing was to have 2 boxes in a corner somewhere. One was 'give away' and one was 'throw away'. As we packed I'd toss stuff I hadn't used/didn't like/broken stuff into one of the boxes. The give box got taken to the thrift store, the other got tossed. It made sorting stuff SO much easier.

    Also, before you start packing go to your local newspaper or shopping news and buy a roll of newsprint. Generally any place that prints a paper of some type will sell the ends of the rolls for $7-10 and there is still a TON of paper on them (ours lasted 3 moves and several years of kid drawing projects). It's much nicer to pack with than used paper because your hands don't get black stuff.

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  3. Do you have to switch utilities? Phone service? If so, make sure the turn off date and turn on date overlap by one day - you don't want the electricy being turned off before youa re out.

    I always pack an OPEN 1ST box with all essentials for the first day/night - all meds, bedding, coffee supplies, toilet paper, napkins, paper plates etc... so that evn if you are too tired to start unpacking, you know where the important stuff is.

    Pack things that belong in the same room and label them as such, that way the boxes can be placed into the rooms they belong to be unpacked.

    I bought moving boxes for my last move - that way I knew they were clean and I could buy sizes I needed.

    I'm a big list maker so I made lists and just crossed things off as I did them and added stuff as I thought of it - it made things mush less stressfull.

    Best of luck.

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  4. Found you on WFMW. We don't drink but found the boxes from the liquor store to be great for kitchen glasses and vases and other small things. A friend just moved and she bought boxes at Home Depot and was pleased with them.

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  5. You guys are awesome, thanks so much! I love the idea of packing an "open first" box. Also, I will check out about boxes from our liquor store...that would be so much easier than packing every glass individually.

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  6. Second the comment about an "open first" box. Acutally, I used several "open first" boxes - one for linens (sheets, towels), one for paper plates, etc., and snacks, one for the dog, one with toys for the toddler and a suitcase with a change of clothes, all meds and toiletries. We kept these with us during the move.

    Label boxes clearly with room and an idea of contents. Learn from our mistake: We knew a moving company would be handling our boxes. When we packed up Hubs stereo/surround sound equipment, we didn't want the box labeled such (to avoid tempted hands), so we labeled it "kitchen knives" and circled "living room". Made perfect sense at the time. Fast forward 8 months and 2 moves. Major panic by the Hubs and stress by me to find that stupid box. I clearly remembered it wasn't labeled "stereo" but didn't remember what it WAS labeled!! Would have been much smarted to make a note to myself (hello, Evernote!) with that box info. Lesson learned.

    We set up our daughter's room first - so that it was as close to "home" as possible. Helped her acclimate to her new surroundings.

    We bought boxes from Uhaul and our moving company. They were more expensive, obviously, than free ones, but they were very sturdy, all the same sizes and it just worked out better.

    Also found that packing in tissue paper/blank newsprint worked much better than bubblewrap.

    I created a small box (12x12x12 ish) that just had packing supplied in it - tape guns, box cutter, black markers. We're still going to that box as we unpack and repack things for permanent storage. It was an odd box, so it stood out in the pile o' boxes and was always easy to find.

    Moving companies (if you're using one) have lists of things they will not/cannot transport (propane tanks, paint, ammunition/guns, live plants....). Keep that in mind as you pack.

    Finally, if you have anything you would be
    devastated to lose (grandma's china, etc) be sure it stays in your possession. Otherwise, remember things will probably get broke (at least one thing), scratched or dented in the process. Most of them can be fixed or replaced, and it's not worth the stress of getting worked up over it.

    Whew! Good luck with your move!

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  7. Wow, Tobie, you are so thorough!! Thank you.
    I will be careful to label everything clearly...that helps so much.
    We will be renting a moving truck and doing the actual moving ourselves.

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  8. Label all of your boxes! We've moved many, many times, and it's always so much easier to unpack when you know where the boxes and what's in them. Here's a post I wrote the last time we moved.

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