Moving Right Along: Basic Moving Tips

As I believe I have established, I have a little experience with moving. It’s funny though, how every move is different and I learn something new every time. Some of the things I learn are totally common sense that I feel like I should have been born knowing, but some of them are really just good ideas! Here are a few of my basic moving tips.

~    Before you pack up anything, do a quick sweep to toss stuff you know you don’t need. This is not the in-depth purge you do while packing, but you’ll feel better if you can get some ‘stuff’ out of the way.

~    Label two sides of every box—not just the top! You can’t see the top label if boxes are stacked.

~    Speaking of labeling, if you feel so inclined, using a color coded system for labels works like a charm. I started out doing this on our last move and gave up halfway because I couldn’t remember which color went with which room. (So ashamed to admit that!) : ) {This site has a great free template that you can print out on shipping labels.} I know that 'dining' is misspelled on these labels, but you can use them as a starting point for your own labels, if you feel inspired

~    If you are a shopping bag saver like some weird people *cough*ME*cough* those things are awesome for wrapping up your glasses and stemware. Use them to wrap individual glasses and then lay down another level for the next layer. Side note: I feel super fancy saying ‘stemware.’

~    If you’re looking for good packing boxes, check out grocery stores (HyVee, Kroger, etc.) and liquor stores. These are very sturdy boxes and they aren’t too big, lowering the risk of overloading and ending up with a box that only Tom Hardy could carry.

~    Don’t load a big box full of books. Unless you really are friends with Tom Hardy and even then…maybe check with him first.

~    This one I’m sure you know but I’m going to say it anyway just in case a male stumbles on to this blog post: label ALL your boxes. You will not remember which one had your underwear, you will not ‘keep an eye on it,’ and your wife/mom/girlfriend might smother you with a pillow if you don’t. Just do it.

~    Pack up the freaking toys first! If you have kids, you have toys. If you have toys, you have too many toys. And if you have too many toys, your kids will be happy and refreshed to just play with boxes for a couple of weeks anyway. Trust me on this one. Leave out a few books and something they can use to hit each other with and they’re set. And you’ve already got the boxes, ‘cause you went to HyVee and got them, right?

~    Leave hanging clothes on hangers and use a plastic garbage bag to wrap them up. This works best if the garbage bag is unused, but it really depends on how smelly your trash is. That’s your call.

~    Pack one area at a time. You can use three different boxes to separate items from your closet, but stick to just your closet. Don’t pack the way my sister does. (Closet to bathroom to kids’ room to dresser to linen closet to—what was I doing? Oh! My closet!) : )

There are more ideas I want to share, so once we get to a couple of room-specific posts we’ll get into the nitty gritty details. Happy packing!