There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Moving is one of the most daunting tasks known to man. Every toy, photo album, and coupon clipping you tucked into a drawer or closet, now confronts you. As the stress builds up, you may wonder, "How will I survive this move?" Here are 7 steps you should take that have proven useful for me during 22 house moves.
1: Downsize. The less you have to move the better. Have a garage sale 1 or 2 weeks in advance of the big day to get as much money as possible for items you don't want to take with you. Whatever is left you can donate to charity and possibly get a tax write off. As for the too damaged to donate, unsellable and unwanted "stuff," trash it!
2: Pack your kitchen. Grab those unused coupons tucked in the drawer, newspaper, and 1 or 2 loyal friends who are willing to help you. Aside from all other rooms, the kitchen has the most fragile items in your house. It also takes the most time and care to box. Close friends want your china to arrive in one piece and will pack accordingly. Live with eating and drinking from paper plates and cups.
3: Reserve a Penske truck. Penske's trucks are 2 years old at the oldest. Their engines are in great shape and won't leave you broken down on the side of the road. After 22 moving days, I can tell you that these are by far the best trucks out there.
4: Don't sweat the details. Pack everything that belongs in the bathroom in a box that will be unpacked in the bathroom. Don't worry about pictures being mixed with towels and hairdryers in one box. What is more important is to label the box correctly so the movers know where to take the box in the new place.
5: Have a glass of red wine. Period.
6: Feed your movers. Hungry people are angry people. Angry movers break your things and dent up your walls. You don't want hungry movers. Swing to Little Caesars and grab some $5 hot and ready pizzas for them. Snag paper towels too. Your movers will LOVE you for this and work better.
7: Unpack everything the SAME or very next day. The longer your boxes stay unpacked, the longer they stay packed. Your zeal to get this step done will diminish within a week and you'll be dragging items from boxes as you need them for weeks on end. Save yourself and get your life out of cardboard asap.
So that's it. 7 steps that will help you survive a move time and again. In review, downsize, pack the kitchen, order a Penske, label boxes according to rooms NOT items, go to happy hour, feed your movers and unpack fast. These steps helped me and they will help you too. Best of wishes!
1: Downsize. The less you have to move the better. Have a garage sale 1 or 2 weeks in advance of the big day to get as much money as possible for items you don't want to take with you. Whatever is left you can donate to charity and possibly get a tax write off. As for the too damaged to donate, unsellable and unwanted "stuff," trash it!
2: Pack your kitchen. Grab those unused coupons tucked in the drawer, newspaper, and 1 or 2 loyal friends who are willing to help you. Aside from all other rooms, the kitchen has the most fragile items in your house. It also takes the most time and care to box. Close friends want your china to arrive in one piece and will pack accordingly. Live with eating and drinking from paper plates and cups.
3: Reserve a Penske truck. Penske's trucks are 2 years old at the oldest. Their engines are in great shape and won't leave you broken down on the side of the road. After 22 moving days, I can tell you that these are by far the best trucks out there.
4: Don't sweat the details. Pack everything that belongs in the bathroom in a box that will be unpacked in the bathroom. Don't worry about pictures being mixed with towels and hairdryers in one box. What is more important is to label the box correctly so the movers know where to take the box in the new place.
5: Have a glass of red wine. Period.
6: Feed your movers. Hungry people are angry people. Angry movers break your things and dent up your walls. You don't want hungry movers. Swing to Little Caesars and grab some $5 hot and ready pizzas for them. Snag paper towels too. Your movers will LOVE you for this and work better.
7: Unpack everything the SAME or very next day. The longer your boxes stay unpacked, the longer they stay packed. Your zeal to get this step done will diminish within a week and you'll be dragging items from boxes as you need them for weeks on end. Save yourself and get your life out of cardboard asap.
So that's it. 7 steps that will help you survive a move time and again. In review, downsize, pack the kitchen, order a Penske, label boxes according to rooms NOT items, go to happy hour, feed your movers and unpack fast. These steps helped me and they will help you too. Best of wishes!
