Moving... Any Suggestions for Me?

I used color coded index cards on the boxes. The kitchen was yellow card, bathroom-blue, etc. that way when people were carrying in boxes they could just glance at the color and take it where you wanted it. I tried to be so organized but there is always that last minute stuff that gets out of hand. Good luck!

My cousin Shelley was the best mover ever...very anal but very organized! I lived with her when I was a teenager and we moved several times...her "technique" has served me well as an adult...she would keep a notepad and list all things she put into the boxes...and label all the boxes...

Example:
K-1
Silverware
Cooking Utensils
K-2
Pots and pans
Baking dishes
L-1
Movies
L-2
Pictures

The outside of the boxes got labeled "K-1, K-2, K-3"..."K" is for Kitchen..."L" is for living room...etc, etc, etc....the notepad made unpacking VERY easy and we were always able to find what we were looking for quickly!

Good Luck with the move!

when we were moving, we had a suitcase for everyone (luckily it was during the summer, so our clothes took up less room!) and we had about 5-8 days worth of outfits in them along with toiletries. Everyone also had one reusable shopping bag for whatever they wanted out, a special stuffed animal, blankey, books, etc. Everything else was packed up. We started with decorations, pictures, etc. Then the kitchen things, then the bathroom things, finally the bedrooms. The day before we started the bedrooms was when we packed our overnight bags. It seemed easiest to move room by room. The last night we all slept on air mattresses as everything else was packed. We were lucky, our move was only 40 minutes, so we could go back and forth a few trips and just hired movers for the big things, furniture, electronics, etc.

Good luck!!

Are you familiar with flylady? www.flylady.net She is a lady that gives advice on how to stay on top of cleaning etc. for those that don't naturally know how. Because of demand she had linked up with other ladies, one of which helps with menus and meal planning, on with fashion, a group for healthy exercise, a house fairy program to get your kids cleaning etc et c. she sounds horrible from my description but she is just a sweet normal, loving lady that has been there done that and with the help of her members offers advice. The main flylady part if it is all free the menues and the clothing suggestions are separate and have a nominal fee.

She also compiled a list of tips some of her own and lots from her members about moving. The ones i remember the most are color coding your box lables by what room they will be going to, and having a box with you in your car of the essentials you will need immediatly upon arriving at your new house, like TP and snacks lol. Tons Tons Tons of other suggetions.
http://www.flylady.net/pages/Flying_MovingTips.asp I ususally don't look up links but this one is so good. if you can't find it go to the purple box on the left click search box type moving tips that should take you there, or go to the site index flying lessons and then Flylady's moving tips under the As you progress section.

as for your kids. They can leave postcards with their classmates, if you prepay the postage, and pre address them, they may actually get quite a few back. make a scrap book of their fav places in your old town and then go to the tourism info of your new town and look for places you want to check out like mc d or an icecream parlor etc. gives them something to look forward to.

*Make a to do/make sure you take & move list, of course. ;).
*Look on the internet for places you will need when you get to your "new area" like closest hospital /doctor/drugstore or grocery store". Just the necessities.
*Call the school for start times and bus info if you're kids are taking the bus.
*Definitely code the boxes by room. Even if you just used a sharpie. Although the color coded idea suggested is quicker.
*Bring a small "transition" gift for each child to help ease w/the move.
*Maybe even scout out some fun places to go/eat: the mall, a familiar chain restaurant etc.
*I like the idea of keeping a small "carry on" bag of necessities to have immediately upon arrival or on the road: soap, toothbrush, contact case, contact solution, headache meds etc.
*Keep cell phone chargers at the ready!
*If you're driving a long distance, have a camera ready to take pix of momentous occurrences.
*Keep all necessities on hand to take with you in the car on the day of the move including food!
*Plan day of move food now: breakfast/ food/road trip food/snacks.
Good luck with the move.

Dear Catherine,
A few things that can possibly help:
1. pack yourself only the most important staff/documents and hire someone if you can or accept the help of friends to do the rest. Hire someone to do cleaning of an old house too. Those monies are well spend even if you need to borrow some to do it.
2. research online if there are in a new city the types of activities your kids love and share that information with them- like parks, sports etc. For my daughter it was helpful to learn that there is a good ballet studio in the new city and that I have called already and registered her there so she can continue dancing in a new town
3. make a list of places where you need to give your new address and inform them 2 weeks in advance letting them know the date when you will be in a new town.
Good luck to you!

I've been stressed and out of time in moves where I haven't done a good job of purging beforehand. Its hard to accomplish everything when you're focused on "packing everything". My advice: Don't move stuff you don't want or won't use... Throw out or donate instead of paying for it to be moved or letting it take up space in a truck you're renting (and then to be donated when unpacking)--thats a waste of time, boxes, packing materials, and money. Go through your closets and seriously, if you haven't worn it in a year/18 months, donate it. Toys that aren't favorites or that are broken , have lost pieces, etc. should be donated. You shouldn't bother packing cookware that you don't use, that is worn, chipped, or easily replaced. And don't take books and cookbooks that you don't use or aren't attached to.

1. Take some pictures of the new town so that your children can show their friends, and also so they don't worry so much about what it's going to be like. 2. Let the kids become familiar with the new school, if possible. Have them sit in on a class before the move, and ask the teacher if they can help you set up a buddy for them to walk/carpool to school with and have playdates after school with.
3. Let your kids think about how they want to decorate their new rooms, and do whatever you can to make that possible. It will give them something to look forward to.
4. Pack sheets & bedding in an EASY to find spot (backseat of the car?) and make sure beds are one of the first things set up. Depending on the age of your kids, they can be responsible for making beds, rather than hauling boxes or furniture.
5. Ditto with night lights, lamps and other lighting in rooms where there is no overhead light.
6. Order pizza or other delivery food before you get there and ask to have it delivered at a specific time. You won't have to look up the phone number in the middle of unloading and try to figure out what everybody wants. Get extra so you can have it for lunch the next day too.

We moved this summer, although our new house was only 2 minutes away. One thing we did, was to label boxes for either whose stuff was inside or what room it was going to. I also labeled each with a marker, NOW, SOON, or LATER. This meant we needed the NOW boxes right away, the SOON boxes had to be unpacked within a week or two, and LATER meant it could wait a few months. This saved me from opening and closing boxes that I didn't need right away. Almost 3 months later, we are still unpacking the LATER boxes.