Moving Tips

[mina'smomma]

Hey everyone sorry I haven't been on in awhile. Cadience has been keeping mommy very busy. Anyway that is another post. Hubby, baby and I are going to be moving and I was wondering if anyone happens to have any packing tips that they could share with me.

[Freedom]

Label boxes to which room they go IN to (which is not necessarily the room they came out of!)

Don't pack the toilet paper or paper towels, just take them over first thing!

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

Label boxes to which room they go IN to (which is not necessarily the room they came out of!)

Don't pack the toilet paper or paper towels, just take them over first thing!

Perfect advice!!
I also used colours. Red sticker was for upstairs, green for the ground floor, and blue for the basement.

[moosmom]

I wouldn't be much help since when I left MI to move to CT, I put everything I owned into large black leaf bags. They didn't take up as much room in my little car as boxes would have.

Good luck with your move!

[Laura's Babies]

I always wrote a brief list of what was in the box so I wouldn't have to open all the boxes to look for that one item I needed.

After done as you unpack, break down the boxes so they take up a lot less room and are easier to handle. Tape up stacks of flattened boxes with either duct tape ot masking tape. Sooooo much easier to handle!

[moosmom]

Are you moving yourselves or having a moving company move you???

Just a word of advice, as it happened to me...

It's the kind of story you see on 60 Minutes. If you are looking for a moving company, PLEASE make sure it is a reputable one. One whose name you've heard all around. Do NOT (word of advice from a govt. agent who was investigating MY moving company) go on the internet to find a mover. That's what I did.

The total cost would've been $1,245 from CT to MI. I was told I'd have my stuff in two weeks. 2 MONTHS later the stuff arrives (I'd stayed at my SIL's apt with my 6 cats). I was so excited!! The driver, a real redneck complete with a switchblade to open boxes, (or perhaps slice thoats) tells me that my stuff won't be release till I come up with another $1,500, plus $200 because no one told him there'd be steps.


BEWARE= Regal Moving and Storage (out of NYC)!!!

Long story short, I had to come up with the extra $$ in order to get my stuff back. I tried to sue them in small claims court. But the court clerk said even if I did win, it'd be impossible to get any money out of them. AND, alot of my stuff was missing and broken (sentimental pieces that were irreplaceable)

Sorry, didn't mean to bogart the thread. But I felt it was important to know.

[mina'smomma]

Are you moving yourselves or having a moving company move you???



Since its just down the road from where we live and not thousands of miles away we are moving ourselves.

[moosmom]

Well, that makes it so much easier.

My move from one building over in the same complex to another wasn't bad but going up and down three flights of stairs showed me how outta shape I'm in.

[sirrahved]

I guess I'd have to consider myself a seasoned mover. I moved from Michigan to Indiana, Indiana to Nebraska, Nebraska to Indiana, and Indiana to Nebraska all in FOUR YEARS!

My tips- Great time to get rid of the clutter! If you have doubts about it THROW IT OUT!

I ditto the short list of box contents. This way it doesn't take forever and a day to find what you're looking for!

Pack a suitcase with a few clothes for everyone... Clothes take forEVER to unpack, this takes some of the pressure off.

We used storage bins for a lot of things. They're sturdier for your heavier items, stack easily, and can be reused.

Finally, get all the help you can!

[Randi]

Make a list of what's in each box! Also tape screws to table legs on to the table, or put them in little plactic bags and write where they belong.

Good move! :)

[Freedom]

Ooh a close move!


We did that when we bought this house, it is just a mile from our old apartment.

We moved all but the big stuff. I had movers do that, took them just 4 hours. beds, chests and dressers. They move chests and dressers with all the clothes in them, they have the equipment for it! No way we could have done that, we'd have had to take out all the drawers etc.

We had just about everything in over a few days, just going to the apartment to sleep. Even had breakfast at the new place a few times (ok so we didn't have little ones.) The day the movers came, they did their thing and we slept in the house that night. Still had small items leftover at the apartment, most of which we put in the dumpster.

Best wishes!

[Karen]

My moving tips:

1. Wrap all the clean dishes with paper towels, not newspapers. That way they don't need to be washed again before you use them, and you can never have too much extra paper towel when unpacking at the new place. Neither of which is true of crumpled newspaper.

2. Buy a box of clear "trash" bags. When packing clothes, clean ones go in the clear bag, and any dirty clothes can go in a normal black or brown one. Makes it easy to know what still needs laundering, and to see what's in the bag. That also gives you a nice soft "cushion" to place between large items in the truck, if you are renting a truck.

3. If you have a lot of books to move, ask a local bookstore if they have boxes. Book boxes are smaller and sturdier - if you fill a normal "moving box" with books, it is too heavy to lift!

[cyber-sibes]

I also used colours. Red sticker was for upstairs, green for the ground floor, and blue for the basement.I also used colored labels - even thought the movers didn't get everything exactly in the right place, it was so much easier to sort the boxes out. I also write a brief description on the side and top of the boxes.

For a source of clean paper, call your local newspaper & ask if they have any "end rolls" you could have/purchase. There's tons of ink-free newsprint on them and some newspapers give them away or sell them really cheap.

[cassiesmom]

When I helped my best friend get ready move, her mom made a "this box first" box with scissors, paper towels, toilet tissue, a clean towel for the bathroom, liquid soap, some Band-aids, Windex spray and a bottle of acetaminophen tablets. That box didn't go with the movers but in my friend's car. That way she had all that stuff ready when the movers got there. She debated using a mover vs doing it with a bunch of friends and family - i'm glad she hired a moving service.

[RICHARD]

Pack like you are going on a trip.

Pack extra underwear.

All the stuff you need, especially combs, pastes, gels and deodorant goes into a duffel bag and into the car.

My first morning in a new place was soooo much fun...

No hot water, soap, comb or towel.....no deodorant, clean drawers or socks..

I rode a bike to work, so I had helmet hair anyway. :confused:

[charleydog]

Anyone else have moving tips? I'm going to check with some friends as well, but a move may be on my horizon. I'll post what I find out from friends. Thanks!

[charleydog]

ok, I talked to my friend that at one time worked for a mover - he said to make sure that if I hire a mover they are AMSA (http://www.moving.org) (American Moving and Storage Association) certified as "Pro Movers". Imove is a moving companies (http://www.imove.com) website with all "Pro Movers" certified moving companies. Also, he said to check with several companies before I sign any contract to have one move my items. And ask for a not to exceed quote from those that give you an estimate on moving costs.

does anyone else have any insight that might help? still not sure we're moving, but would like your thoughts...

[Karen]

I'd just reiterate what I posted above in this thread - that's all my "moving" wisdom. That, and where there are pets involved, be very, very careful.