I’m moving next Monday. Unfortunately, the company that’s moving me won’t pay to have the house packed, so I’ve been buying boxes and slowly getting things packed myself. This is the first time I’ve moved more than a few blocks by myself, so I was wondering if anyone had any tips or things they wish they’d done differently.
If you have a Doperific number of books – take them off the shelves in order, and number the boxes. This will make reshelving them at the other end a hell of a lot easier.
Only Mostly Dead and I just moved and there are so many things we wish we had done differently. My advice would be to pack things you don’t use on a regular basis first, and take the time to label all boxes with the contents. It seems a little anal retentive, but it helps you make decisions about what goes where and what to unpack first.
Also, next to every box, keep a trash can as you pack. There will be things you never use and don’t need - it goes in the can, not the box.
If you don’t already get the newspaper on Sunday, get one. There’s lots of paper in that sucker and most things don’t need bubble wrap, just a layer or two of newspaper.
I hope your company will pay for a moving van to come get the stuff. We’ve decided that next time, we’re at least getting a U-Haul. We only had our two cars, plus his dad’s pick up and any friends’ vehicles that they could come and help with.
Best of luck with the move, and be prepared to live in chaos for a bit.
Keep the toilet paper unpacked until the last minute, and then throw it into a bag that you carry with you, not packed away in the boxes. Ditto for a sponge, dustrag and any dust spray you like.
It sucks getting all your stuff in, only to realize that your new shelves are filthy, and need to be dusted or cleaned before you unpack your stuff onto them, but you can’t find the box with the cleaning supplies because it’s on the bottom of the stack of boxes. The toilet paper I think is obvious.
Also, label all your boxes. If you have a moving company, don’t label what’s in them (to prevent theft), but label them with numbers and keep a master list of what’s in each number box. Do label them with what room they go into in the new house. So “Kitchen - 1” and on your list, note “1. pots, pans, cutting board”. If you have friends helping you pack, assign the list-making activity to that lazy bastard who twisted his ankle last week and sits around drinking beer while everyone else packs. There’s always one of those. 
A few things to add, which you’ve likely thought of, but just in case:
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Before packing is the time to weed out your possessions. Get rid of the stuff you don’t really need/want.
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Label the boxes. My preference is write the contents on the boxes rather than just numbering them. And writing the general description on the top and the sides. That way if they’re stacked up, you don’t have to dismantle the pile to find the box you’re looking for. And why description, rather than number: What if you number and then lose the list that explains the contents?
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If you can, move fragile items or possessesions you really care about yourself.
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Newspaper is a good and inexpensive filler, but if you want to protect your belongings against smears of newspaper ink, you can wrap in paper towels first.
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Rather than packing them, I’ve left clothes in dresser drawers and simply taped paper across the top of the drawers to prevent them from falling out. I also then taped the drawers shut.
Just did this, and the stuff was in storage for 18 months, so my tip is: document document document.
Number the boxes with a big magic marker.
Write each number on a piece of paper/spreadsheet with a pretty damn precise list of what’s in the box.
Write a list on the box too.
Count them all out, and count them all in.
We’ve finally got everything in order, but it’s taken two months to do it. I’m not normally anally retentive, but the above was totally invaluable.
I wrote the contents on the boxes in my last move, contrary to the “list” advice I received, and a single box went missing after the movers took it: the one labeled “Master Bedroom - jewl.” Yes, I was dumb enough to label the box as containing my jewelry. Of course, since they didn’t pack it, it wasn’t insured. None of it was valuable, mind you. It was mostly costume junk with a few $60-100 pieces, but I was devestated nonetheless. My class ring. The pasta necklace my kid made 10 years ago in preschool. An amber pin my husband gave me when we were dating. All gone. I was left with the one necklace and two pairs of earings on my body.
I wish I had used a list. Or at least not labeled that box.
Labelling the boxes is critical, because you really can’t get them all unpacked fast enough, and then when people come over and you’re cooking dinner and put them to work, and they ask, where are your knives, and you show them the one knife you’ve managed to find so far, and they claim they can’t cut whatever with that knife, which really wasn’t all that dull and probably could have done the job with minimal bloodshed, but whatever, you can find your real knives to make them happy.
I’m just saying.
And the first bag to go into the house is the TP, ice cube trays, cups, and cleaning supplies bag.
The other thing that’s worked in the past, when I’ve been organized in my moves, is to get colored stickers. You can then direct the movers that all green stickered boxes go to the kitchen, blue to the bedroom, red to the office, etc. Makes supervising much easier. Good luck!
Also, liquor store boxes are just about perfect for packing books. They are sturdy and small enough that the boxes aren’t too heavy when fully packed.
…and other essentials, like a corkscrew and the coffee maker!
Another first-in-the-house item is the bedding for your bed. As soon as your bed is set up, make it. When you are dog tired the first night, the last thing you want to do is be stumbling around trying to get the bed made, and sleeping on a bare matress is so demoralizing.
I still haven’t found my corkscrew from my last move, and I loved that corkscrew. 
Fortunately, I’ve got a loaner, but I know I’ll have to give it back eventually.
Buy a box of large trash bags with pull tie handles, and use them for clothes, towels, bedding, etc. Much easier to move than boxes.
Don’t forget to pack paper plates and plastic utensils and keep them with you (and your toilet paper). That first night, you’ll need them.
Eating KFC mashed potatoes with my fingers isn’t the most fun meal I’ve ever had.
I was going to say that! Also pad out boxes with possible fragile stuff with towels or blankets…
I’m proud to say that we’re nearly unpacked after a long-distance move, and we have only had one thing that broke.
It was, weirdly enough, the darkness selector lever on the wafflemaker. :dubious:
I wrapped everything delicate tightly in a single layer of newspaper, then put it in a box filled with packing popcorn. (Never buy popcorn, BTW. Ask your friends and/or local businesses.)
I warped the bodies of glass bottles containling liquid in bubble wrap and packed them, along with un-wrapped plastic bottles into the cooler, making sure to distribute the glass around among the plastic. They packed in fairly tightly, and there was no danger of their necks clinking together. (Your bottles and/or cooler may vary.) I packed dinnerplates with a square of bubblewrap between each plate, and bubblewrap firmly taped around, and the whole shebang in a box. For bowls and saucers, I put a square of bubblewrap between them and stacked them in 1.3 gallon Rubbermaid cannisters with bubblewrap on the bottom and at the top. Extra Rubbermaid cannisters also came in handy for random, small objects; just chuck stuff in and seal them up.
And for Og’s sake, label your boxes. I labeled the boxes I packed. The hubby didn’t. Guess whose stuff was easier to find after the move?
Ditto. Clear trash bags!
It’s probably not possible in your situation, but maybe you should have had a yard sale to get rid of as much stuff as possible. Unless your possessions are valuable antiques, I think you would have appreciated having as much cash as possible. Hope this helps.
I just moved too, so here are my thoughts.
I bought small plastic bins with lids for breakables (wineglasses, figurines, etc.). I wrapped individual pieces in bubble wrap then packed them in shredded paper.
I actually don’t recommend packing bedding, clothes, etc. in plastic bags if you are being professionally moved; the bags rip too easily. YMMV. BUT those sort of large squshy loose items can be stuffed in cabinets and drawers since the moving company doesn’t usually take the drawers out when moving a piece of furniture. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t unload and pack, say, the contents of your dresser. A fully loaded dresser would be too heavy to move, but you still can stuff a couple blankets in your otherwise empty dresser.
I labeled all boxes as follows: A label with my name and the city I was moving from plus the street addy of the place I was moving to, in case a box went astray. Boxes with fragile items were prominently labeled FRAGILE and stacked separately. Each box was given a number as I packed it, and that number corresponded to a simple inventory I kept by hand in a note book (Box Number: 3 Location: Kitchen Contents: Pots & pans.) Each box was also given a numbered sticker by the moving company and their numbers were not the same as mine, of course, but my inventory came in handy when unpacking, when I needed, say the can opener, and wasn’t sure what box it was in.
I kept one small rubbermaid bin open for “day of move” odds and ends, and tossed things in as the move was wrapping down: the one plate, bowl, knife, fork, spoon, and plastic cup I’d kept out to eat off of; the iron; TP; markers and tape and moving supplies; etc. This was the last item on the truck.
If you’re moving your vaccuum, remember to take the bag out first.
Seconding the idea of keeping aside your most valuable things and moving them yourself. Among other things, I transported in my car: A ceramic piece of great sentimental value to me; a plant; a box of CDs; a box of DVDs; a portable file box with all my personal papers in it; and the stuff I needed for myself and my pets for a one week cross-country trip.
Most second hand shops will no longer take electronics, like TVs and VCRs, even if they are in perfect working condition. If you don’t want to take them, you may have to haul these items to the dump if you can’t find someone who wants them.
Paint and cleaning supplies that you don’t intend to take with you are not supposed to be thrown out as trash; you may have to haul them to a special hazardous materials drop-off location.
Don’t pack candles or “contents under pressure” items like hairspray. You don’t want to pack anything that can melt or explode.
The total breakage from my move was a single wineglass. But I’m still looking at boxes to unpack, and I moved eight weeks ago. Good luck! Moving is a true PITA.
As to what I wish I’d done differently: I wish I’d better estimated the amount of packing I had left to do in the last week. I was up packing until 2 a.m. the night before the movers came because I (wrongly) didn’t think I had that much stuff left. This made the day of the move pretty stressful for me. Pack early if you can.
Can you believe not one thing broke on us? 1 move of a hundred miles, out of the truck, 18 months in a barn, back into the truck, another move over the Irish Sea and a few hundred miles, then out of the truck into the new house - and nothing broke at all. Nothing. My wife did the (over)packing, see…
Since we moved in, though, I’ve broken a plate and three wine glasses.
Don’t put your master bedroom boxes in the master bedroom–keep that room uncluttered so you’ll have one area of the house that isn’t totally chaotic as you get settled into the new place.
Ditto on getting rid of stuff before the move–you’ll never do it afterwards.
Don’t assume your computer(s) will make the trip unscathed. Back up all data and software you value and take them with you. If your computer goes down or goes missing, you’ll still be able to restore our goodies.
Ditto on the liquor store boxes. They are also good for VCR tapes, DVDs, CDs, any small item that needs a sturdy container.
Also, label boxes on both ends, that way, no matter how they’re stacked you can see what’s in them. Much less of a pain in the ass when you have eight rows of boxes stacked four deep and what you want is at the bottom of one of the rows.