Moving Advice Here!!!

[DCJenn]

AS most of you know, I've moved 18 times since grad school (and 4 times IN grad school) so here are a few of my hints that I've learned over the years. and i think I can say with authority that I have had some of the worst moves in the history of packing up camp and heading out with the spears and teepees.


1) keep track of pets
2) keep track of ALL sets of keys
3) know where all parts to all pieces of furniture are located- either baggie them up and put them in a purse or suitcase (MARK IT ON THE OUTSIDE) or baggie them up and tape them to the inside of a drawer or door to the furniture piece itself
4) Go ahead and pack up dishes/silverware/pots and pans and eat out the last few days because invariably those are the last things packed and stuff gets left behind.
5) You will not keep condiments and that last maraschino cherry in the fridge- toss them, recycle the bottles and move along.

WHEN YOU GET READY TO LEAVE- have the following items in your vechicles-
1) one 4pack of toilet paper
2) one three pack of paper towels
3) two bathtowels
4) accessible snacks and drinks
5) pet food and wee-wee pads for cats and small dogs, just in case
6) a flashlight and extra batteries
7) carry with you copies of everyone who is travelling medical records and any pet's veterinary records in case of emergency along the road.
8) If you have passports, legal documents, professional certificates, etc. put them in an accordian file and take them with you.
9) for clothes for a three day drive in the summer- two pairs of comfy shorts and two comfy shirts, one pair of sweatpants or comfy pants, a bathing suit (hotel pools!), a pair of sandals and a pair of closed toed shoes of your choice. That's IT. You will not be fine dining and you will be tired. Sleep in the shorts and t-shirt unless the hotel is really skeevy and then you'll want t-shirt and long pants.
10) Toothbrush, toothpaste, sunscreen.
11) two rolls of quarters for vending machines at rest stops.

Add any other hints and let's get these people moved!

Jenn

[oceanchild]

If you are driving your own truck, pay for the damage waiver. And watch out for low-hanging trees.

[medpedspouse]

Ditto to all AND

Anti bacterial wipes - for any "suspect" places along the way, for when you first arrive to your new place & not sure how clean it is or to clean hands while eating said snacks, etc.

Shampoo/wash gel - along with the towels. First thing I wanted to do once all was unloaded was shower.

Set of bed linens/pillow for each bed. Bare minimum though - second thing I wanted to do was crash.

Air mattresses (if you have them). We arrived a day before the movers. Much better than crashing on the floor.

[bokelley]

Great List... So helpful for the move next week!! I am running around crazy trying to make sure everything is done!! Ahhhhh

[MarissaNicole]

Wow - 18 times that is giving me anxiety just thinking about it! Thank goodness we are not moving this year but of my two "reoccuring dreams" is that we are moving and we only have like 4 hours to get out... and we haven't started packing!

Moving is sooo stressful (I think it is in the top three most stressful things in life, up there with starting a new job and losing a family member - and to think that most of you are doing two of those three!)

Thanks for the advice - I am going to mentally pack it away!

[MrsK]

Hooray for Jenn! Thank you!

Question: This is for later when we are driving to KS with Moxie. . . we've done this three times already and still have not worked out decent eating arrangements. Most places don't allow pets so we end up eating fast food, taking turns running into groceries, convenience stores, and panera-type places, or having pizza delivered to the hotel. Any recommendations or do we have all our options covered. This is always such a PITA when we are trying to eat nutritiously.

[Vishenka69]

Confirm with your movers two day before and make sure to have cash for tipping. If at all possible, hire packers as well.

[HouseofWool]

Be sure to allot ample time for cleaning on your way out.

[ladymoreta]

- Get a little notepad that will fit in your purse. Bonus if you can find one with a little folder pocket inside the front cover. You'll have a ton of random thoughts and things to do in the weeks leading up to the move, and getting those written down keeps them from swirling around inside your head and making you nervous. Cross things off as you do them.

- Label at least two sides of your boxes, so you can see what's in them with minimal digging.

- Don't put your boxes in the spare bedroom. We did this once, and didn't end up completely unpacking for six months. Also, don't move anything you won't use for six months. Most of that ended up going to Goodwill or the trash.

Good luck everyone!

[DCJenn]

We usually just try to eat at places with outdoor seating- Starbucks, some fast food places, etc.

and healthy eating is not ever a priority during a move.

Jenn

[KCwife]

This thread would be nice as a sticky. : )

[scarlett09]

Shrink wrap is awesome for furniture. On the pieces we couldn't completely disassemble or take the drawers out of, we shrink wrapped it. All of our furniture arrived in one piece.

Packing paper is also great. We probably used an entire tree in the process of moving, but all of our breakable stuff arrived unbroken.

Label boxes with what rooms you want them to go into in the new place. Our movers (three college roommates of DF's) left things in our garage that were definitely not labeled garage. I digress...

Definitely make sure you secure all items that will be traveling with you in the car. I had to stop around the corner from our old apartment because a large plastic bin slid over from the passenger seat and hit me. Frustration and a bruised right arm are not good ways to start out the trip.

Use Google maps or iPhone to scout out places near your new digs to grab lunch for yourselves and/or your movers/friends. Nothing makes people unpack a U-Haul faster than a full stomach. And this info will also come in handy when you don't want to cook dinner that first (or second) night.

[oceanchild]

Use Google maps or iPhone to scout out places near your new digs to grab lunch for yourselves and/or your movers/friends. Nothing makes people unpack a U-Haul faster than a full stomach. And this info will also come in handy when you don't want to cook dinner that first (or second) night.

This is such a good idea. Do it before you leave if you don't have a smartphone. We didn't have internet immediately, and it took several phone calls to find a pizza place that would deliver to our house, since we didn't really know where we were.

[scrub-jay]

I'm so glad I stumbled across all of this advice. We are making the big move halfway across the country in a little over a week. *yikes*

I am starting my preparations now! Thanks for all of the great ideas!!

-C

[radwife]

We used Penske and rented a few dozen of their moving blankets to cover our furniture to prevent scratching. Everything came over looking unscathed. We also got plastic mattress covers for our bed and box spring. We also bought a package of moving boxes at Costco it was a lot less inexpensive than the moving stores.

...wish I would have found this list before we moved. I would have prevented losing my keys (still haven't shown up I think they are gone for good) and we wouldn't have been running around the new apartment yelling at each other "which box has the toilet paper in it!?!?!"