Thursday, July 7, 2011

How to Move! Tips gathered from experience! +Info Links

We are in the process of packing to move...we hope.  Even though there are a few problems with the sale, the closing is is scheduled for July 22.  Talk about being the pickle in a sandwich...this has got to be it.

So we are putting things in boxes, sorting out and disposing of unused or wanted clothes.  We are trying to simplify our lives and make this move easier. We have moved in cars, farm trucks, pick-up trucks, u-hauls and moving vans.  There has been the dorm room to apartment rental move, apartment rental to small house rental move, small house rental to small house purchase move.  Moves up and moves down only to move back up again!  For most of those moves we have used old stuff from family or bargains I have found.  We have very few valuable things.

There are a few things I have learned as I traveled "around the block of experience."  Just in case:
Moving Van?
Image by Andrew Torris
  1. When you hire movers, always buy their insurance.  Your insurance may say they will cover it but we learned the hard way that their exclusions were our problems.  A box of china  was crushed by careless movers and my insurance company would not pay!
  2. Check on the movers carefully.  If you are storing items, insurance becomes more important that ever. 
  3. Buy a package of boxes ( at Costco) that are sized correctly.  This makes loading a van easier.
  4. Don't assume that bedding, towels and clothing are lighter.  Those boxes can be very, very heavy.
  5. Mark all boxes carefully.  Note what order you want them taken into the new house.  Some things can be left in boxes for a few days (or until you move again!).
  6. If you are moving with your partner or husband try to pack together. Both people should know what is in each box. This can be a stressful time and cooperation really helps.
  7. I like to downsize before I move.  I do not want to do any sorting when I move into the new house.
  8.  Pack suit cases as though you were going on a trip so you have the necessities on those first days.  
  9. Accept that your storage areas and garage is very full of things. Allow room for those things.
  10. Remember, when you think you are through packing, you still have a lot to do.  I once forgot how much room our gardening supplies could take up.  What looked like a pickup load turned into much, more.
We are not young and we are eating an elephant just one bite at a time.  The trick is to take it slow and easy.  Gulping does not work.

Just a thought.

6 comments:

  1. I do not look forward to my next move! Bon Voyage!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you JBO. The beauty of this move is that we are retired. Even moving this fast is not that hard. The trick is relaxing while we deal with the issues. Sigh!

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  5. Marking all the boxes appropriately can help save you a lot of time and effort. When we moved into our new apartment, we spent more time trying to find where we put our sheets among the more than 20 boxes we had.

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  6. I totally agree with you Michael. It helps to mark all the boxes. Before we moved out, we had a yard sale to dispose "unwanted" furniture, clothes and toys. We then used the money to pay the moving van.

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