We will be moving in a couple months and dread the boxes. Are there any suggestions you all have when it comes to packing? We have some storage totes but they are to expensive to buy a bunch to pack in. I dont mind using boxes its just blah boring and more of a hassle.
So what do you reccomend? two adults and two kids under 3 with tons of stuff!! lol i have been weeding it out and things we dont need'use that are just more clutter than anything we are donating or trashing.
It's a good idea to pitch/donate the stuff now, before you move.
The key for better box packing is a tape gun. It will make it SO much easier.
And if you have things like totes/bins/hampers/garbage cans use those to pack things in, too!
Label all boxes with the room in the new house.
I always say the next time I'm going to move will be when they carry my cold, dead body out of this house! Hate it!
Good luck!
As much as I have had to move using boxes is actually better for us. When we use totes we tend to just throw stuff in there then forget about until months later. W/ boxes it was easier to mark things and keep separated.
FIrst, throw away as much as you can NOW!!
Second, pack in your dressers, cabinets, etc. You don't need to unpack those. That way, you really only need boxes for breakables.
For clothing we organized clothes by season, by how much we needed them or wear them, then vacuum packed them in Space Bags and Space Cubes. We also stored all our linens and bedding this way. Be sure to mark them with marker on the outside, or buy the ones that come in different colors and assign a color to each family member.
I tell you, this makes moving clothes a snap! You can move them yourself in the car, and put them directly on the closet shelf in the new house. No hunting all over the place and reshelving or hanging at the new location, until you're ready. And when you are, it's a snap! because everything is already organized, fresh smelling, and neat. It makes finding sheets and pillows sooo easy. When you're tired from moving and just want to get in bed, no need to hassle trying to find bedding. It's ready.
For boxes, organize them by room. Use colored duct tape and write the name of the room on the piece of tape. Color code the rooms, and be sure movers know that hot pink goes to dd's room, green ds' room, red to master bedroom, yellow kitchen, etc. and mark which boxes are fragile.
Move survival necessities yourself in your car either the night before moving day, or last thing on moving day so you can find them. Keep aside your microwave, vacuum, coffee maker, paper plates, forks, toilet paper, paper towels, diapers/wipes, toothpaste, tooth brushes, snacks, drinks, babyfood, bottles if needed, pet food, pet food dishes, kid's favorite stuffed buddy, 1 set of pjs for everyone, and a spare outfit or 1 set of work clothes/suit just in case and an ALARM CLOCK that runs on batteries and is ready to go. Keep these in the car, so you can get to them easy and they won't get mixed up with boxes etc.
I suggest weeding after you move if possible. Just put the things you are unsure about in special boxes slated for the garage or basement. I have found in the past, that weeding too soon means good things going missing, or having to buy stuff you really did need afterall. Short of moving into a smaller home, or apartment, it's better to weed after the dust settles.
Moved 4 times in 4 years, once was overseas.
1. Label every box well! We got plenty back from overseas that said "Misc" -- how very helpful NOT! Labeled by the movers. haha
2. Wrap dishes in washcloths/towels/etc. I always hated re-washing all dishes.
3. If you are moving a short distance, pack a box for stuff you'll need right away: dishes/toilet paper/paper towels/etc
4. Put books in the smaller boxes/containers due to weight.
5. I had a lot of beads that I put inside divider-boxes; I should've taped each section but at least put crumpled paper inside each division to keep stuff from getting mixed up.
6. Whatever containers you have, if you are moving a short distance, then of course laundry baskets, suitcases (maybe pick some up @ a garage sale or borrow?).
HTH
We just moved into my MIL house (financial necessity) :( It was only a 5 mile trip and we could move everything in the pickup truck in several loads. I already had bins of craft supplies, kids toys, etc. clothes went into garbage bags (yes, very redneck, I know), but I labeled everything with different colors of duct tape. Pink for the girls room (even on the trash bags), zebra print for my stuff in the bedroom, tie dye for my art and craft stuff, cammo for his hunting, fishing etc., demin blue for his clothes, white for kitchen, green for bath... Im sure you get the idea. It made placement and unpacking much easier. Oh, we used black for basement storage too so some boxes/bags had two kinds of tape.
