Life lessons: Moving

Nobody likes to move. Some people even delay upgrading to a new home simply because of the prospect of moving. Packing up, physically moving, and unpacking – the procedure becomes daunting just from the thought. The following post are things I learned or was taught during my move a few weeks ago.
This is from the perspective of someone moving within driving distance and up sizing on a house. Down sizing would mean taking #2 more seriously. I have no experience with long distance moves – sorry.

There are rules:

1. You have way more stuff than you thought you did.
2. Now is the time to purge. Don't waste time and energy moving it just to throw it away when you get there. If you forgot you had it, donate it to a charity or throw it away.
3. If you have more than a studio apartment get a moving truck! You don't need to hire a company to do the move, just head town to u-haul (or whoever has the best prices by you) and rent one. Moving in borrowed friends pickup trucks is not the way to go. Also, remember rule #1 when sizing it.

As long as you follow the rules, these tips will be massively helpful as well.

Prep:

• Start packing early. Not only does rule #1 mean that you have to physically move more stuff, but you also have to pack it up. You don't want to be fumbling at the last minute trying to pack things, or having your help throwing un-packed things in the truck.
• Get help. As a guy, its hard I know. Do it. Friends, coworkers, people from church it doesn't matter, you just need more hands that can lift boxes. Swallow the pride and ask. Make sure you ask with enough lead time that people can work their schedule. Ask too late and you wont get much/any help.
• Wrap fragile things tightly and pack them into the boxes tightly as well. It sounds counter intuitive, but once they're in there, you don't want them wiggling around against each other.
• Don't unpack your drawers! Pull it out, wrap it in a large garbage bag and move it as if it were a box. Lots of time saved.
• Tape! Buy every color tape you can find. Every room in your house gets a color and tape the box that color. No one has to read your scribbled-2AM-packing-binge handwriting. “Red tape? Master bedroom” Also pick a bright color for anything fragile. We used orange so it stood out.
• Don't pack up the hung up closet clothes. Much like the drawers take a large garbage bag and cut a hole in the bottom. Grab a section of hangers and push it through the hole. Tape all to the hangers together so they stay in a bunch. At the new place hang up the bunch and cut the tape/bag.
• Even if its square, box it. Boxes are easier to move and more importantly, they stack nicely in the truck.
  Save all those free newspapers – start months out. They're perfect for wrapping glasses, dishes, beer bottles and anything else the ink wont stain.
• Label the boxes with everything that is in them. This is for you, not the movers. Once the stuff is at the new place, its much easier to unpack in an organized manner when you know what is in the box.

Moving day:

• Have a plan. Know if you want to move furniture first, household items or everything all at once. When your help starts to arrive they are going to need some direction. As a general rule, big stuff first.
  Start early. Corollary to rule #1 says it will take longer than you think too.
• Once your first few big items are in the truck, stop! Pack as many boxes into the nooks and crannies as you can. Not only will it help keep things from shifting during the drive, but rule #1 says you're going to need all the space you can get in the truck.
• Make sure your fragile stuff is marked well. Stuffing that next to the couch is a great idea.
• Couch cushions make great packing to keep important boxes from shifting.
• Comforters and blankets are also good “stuffers”.
• Buy lunch. If the people helping you move aren't being paid, at least offer some food and water. It is as much for you as for them.
• Its going to be a little overwhelming. Take a deep breath and count to 5.

Unpacking:

• Slow and steady win the race. That's really all I've got. It takes time. Assuming you purged per rule #2, there should always be something you need in a box. When you do, unpack the whole box.

Have any more great moving tips? Let me know, I'll add them to the list.