Tuesday, July 12, 2011

What I've Learned About Moving...So Far

With the clock ticking down on our big move and packing now underway, I thought I'd share a few things I've learned about packing and the moving process thus far.  Obviously we've got quite a bit to do before we can say goodbye to St. Louis and hello to South Bend but for now, I thought I'd share some tips we've learned along the way (it will also serve as a great record of what we did when we have to move all over again in a year or so).

One, like voting in Chicago, pack early and often.  I am trying to pack two to three boxes a day so that we aren't scrambling to get everything done at the last minute.  This is especially important because J will be out of town taking the bar exam in the days before we move. 

Piles of boxes are becoming an increasingly common occurrence in our house

Two, be resourceful.  Ask your friends or your office mates for boxes.  Check Freecycle.  In our case, friends and coworkers had boxes to share and that they were happy to get rid off having just moved themselves.  I was also able to snag a few boxes that were on their way to the recycling center from work and a whole bunch of bubble wrap from four new office chairs we had delivered this week.  With any luck, we won't have to buy a single box!

My big bag of bubble wrap courtesy of some new office chairs at work!

Three, you can secure items in a box with more than just bubble wrap.  In packing so far I've used everything from newspaper (another free item thanks to a generous Walgreens employee) to bath towels to pages from old issues of The New Yorker (if you take out the staples out of the center fold, you have pretty decent size pieces of paper for wrapping things!).  This way we are able to save the good stuff (bubble wrap) for the really fragile stuff like my grandma's china and our crystal ware.

Apparently being a semi-hoarder has it benefits after all!

Four, labeling is tough.  I end up listing almost everything that is in the box in the *probably* vain hope that I'll know where things are once we get to South Bend.

I know silver sharpie can be hard to read but it is all I could find at the time!

Five, be prepared to make a few trips to Goodwill/Salvation Army.  So far we've donated around eight trash bags full of stuff (mostly clothes, an old comforter, a few books, picture frames and other odds and ends) and I know we will have more.  If I hadn't used it for at least a year or worse, at all since we moved here two years ago, into the donation pile it went.

Six, it's okay to take breaks.  There are some days I don't feel like packing at all and because we've started early (see number one), that's okay.  The plan is to pack when I feel like it and to try not to force it, at least until the final countdown has begun.

Seven, think outside the packing box.   This weekend as I sat trying to figure out how to best wrap and secure my grandmother's china, I remembered a Styrofoam cooler we had in the basement from one of our trips back from Peoria.  Seeing as there is no Trader Joe's in South Bend and we will be making semi-regular trips to Chicago to stock up on TJ supplies, I knew we needed to bring the cooler with us anyway.  Why not pack the cooler really tight with carefully wrapped china for extra protection that a plain cardboard box won't bring?!?

Eight, reward yourself with small things when you can.  Whether it's a glass of wine with dinner, a quick run for ice cream after dropping things off at Goodwill or allowing yourself to indulge in a gossip magazine one afternoon, you need to reward yourself or you will burn out long before the job is done. 

I do love me some Teen Mom :)

Nine, remember, it will all be over soon!  Enough said. 

Do you have any moving or packing tips to share?  Or how about what not-to-do's?   One of my biggest what not to do's involved not packing anything before my mom was set to arrive to help me move out freshman year.  Talk about a busy two days!

18 comments:

  1. I would buy some big plastic totes for packing china and glass. Honestly, they aren't that pricey and are great for storage after moving. Not a piece of glass was damaged in our move and I am confident it was because of the totes.

    Good luck!

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  2. My advice is to not try to pack your entire apartment into a U-haul the day after you get married! I think you got that one covered, so you should be all good:)

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  3. I'm always an organized packer to begin with. Everything in its right place. And as it goes along, I get sloppier and sloppier until things are just being thrown in random boxers. Glad you are having a little bit of an easier time, and that magazine, priceless reward! haha

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  4. Oh, good advice!

    When we moved, I really wish I had taken a picture the inside of each box as soon as it was packed and stuck it to the front of the box. I remember what I put inside based on the image in my head of what the box looked like, but not the list on the side. We haven't been able to unpack completely yet because we're staying with family and there are so many things I can't find!

    Good luck!

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  5. I am a big fan of packing plates wrapped in towels instead of bubble wrap. I also like using plastic bins when I can since they can take a bit more abuse and aren't so big that I overpack them and then can't carry it. Good luck!!

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  6. Great tips! How funny that we're both moving at the same time! Good for me, I am not allowed to pack...when moving overseas the moving company packs everything cause of insurance...I only pack private stuff! Good luck with everything! xxx

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  7. I'm glad I don't have to move for a little while, but I love those tips!

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  8. Ugh. I don't envy you this task! I always find though, that once I get started, the packing goes way quicker than I would've thought. Although, I've never packed up an entire house ... it's always been a small apartment.

    I hope it goes quickly and easily for you!

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  9. I have a tip that my sister has used -- she's moved numerous times. She packs as best she can, for the rooms. For example this box is all bathroom stuff. she numbers it #1. the bathroom at the new place will receive a coordinating number. bedroom #2, kitchen #3 and so on. Then she puts signs with the numbers on the rooms at the new place and this way when friends are helping them move she doesn't have to tell them where the box goes-- they just find the room with the matching number! Yes, it takes some organizing-- and making sure you pack all your like-roomed stuff together... sometimes there is overlap but overall she says this system works great!

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  10. Moving makes me absolutely beyond crazy. Then when I am unpacking I can never find anything that I need at all!

    xo

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  11. Oh man. I am moving too!!!! What a pain! haha good luck :o)

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  12. These are great tips! Moving is one of my least favorite things, and this is actually the first summer since high school where I haven't had to move anything- woohoo for staying in one place for two years! ;) My biggest tip, at least what is helpful for me, is to keep one or two boxes separate from all the boxes with just the essentials- things you will definitely need at the new place right away and will never be able to find if they are mixed in with the other boxes- these include toilet paper, paper towels, a few dishes/ pots, and shower stuff. And if you hold on to them instead of the movers you will know exactly where the super important stuff is. :) I have had a lot of moving do-nots too, like taking apart ikea furniture and then forgetting how to put things back together and losing all the screws somewhere in the jumble. Just leave the ikea furniture constructed- way easier! ;) Good luck!

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  13. All great tips! It's wonderful that you're getting such a head start - procrastination is always my biggest downfall.

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  14. Great tips. Moving is so hard that more organized you can make it, the better.

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  15. Sorry but I do not envy you right now! I hate packing! I'm usually the last minute cram it all in so it gets packed person :) You sound like you're doing an amazing job!

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  16. packing is never easy, it is the little rewards like you mentioned you have to give yourself to get the motivation to continue. haha i like your statement like voting, pack early and often, you made a girl with a political science heart laugh! good luck with the move. meg

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  17. Goodness gracious, we move so much and usually across oceans so packing and unpacking is my least favourite thing in the world. If you CAN be organised (something I struggle with) a photo attached to each box showing its contents helps enormously. Also, packing your essentials (tea and coffee making stuff and bathroom things) in a box that you have with you at ALL times is always so helpful. Good luck lovely! xo

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  18. I JUST bought storage bins at Target while they were on sale - as they start College Supply time. Since we'll be moving so much with the Navy, I figured I could get better use out of these than boxes. We're moving in a few weeks - seems to be a popular time to get outta the StL humidity!

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