The Moving Planner Blog

Moving can be fun and exciting, whether it’s across town or to another location far away. The key to having a fun and stress free move is to plan it out. How can you do this? Well when I moved a year ago from my hometown to another town five and half hours away. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. I mean it’s not like you can just drive back to the place you once dwelled in to collect that favorite sweater you left behind, or that old beaten up chair you love to watch CSI in. So I knew I had to be prepared, making sure everything came with me before I left. I also didn’t want things to turn me into an anger ball (stress case) something I or anybody else doesn’t need when dealing with a life changing event. Below you will find the top ten things I did to turn a long distance move into a sparkling adventure of fun!

1.) List… list… list.

It’s important to be prepared. So I wrote down a list, or rather an archive of everything I owned (furniture wise) that I wanted to take with me. Sofa, chair, television, small table with burn hole in it. Yes it had to come it was a gift from my brother. You can make a list of furniture, things to clean in each room, things to make sure you do before you go like changing your address. When moving day finally came, I felt good as I ticked off each piece being loaded for transport. Nothing of mine was getting left behind. Guys don’t forget to pack my yellow hula lamp. Hey she glows in the dark, and dances for me. That’s a must have!

2.) Yard Sale / Give away.

Okay I had stuff I didn’t need when I moved. Who doesn’t? There is no better way to make an extra few dollars then to have a yard sale and sell your crap. All the stuff I didn’t end up selling gave me a few options for free give-aways. Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Local Churches, and my favorite your local Freecycle Network on-line http://www.freecycle.org/. They are all awesome choices.

One man’s junk is another man’s treasure. Just ask the junk brothers, home show stars who take peoples crap and turn it into art. Besides, it gave me less to pack into the boxes so how could I complain.

3.) Boxes.

Okay this one scared me at first. Finding boxes isn’t always easy, unless you know where to look. I wasn’t prepared to stink myself up and go dumpster diving, so I ventured to several local liquor stores in town. They always have boxes. I went in and asked when their deliver dates were and if they could set some boxes aside for me.

If you don’t have a friend to help you carry the boxes home (which I didn’t) I’m lonely can’t you tell. I ended up using a shopping cart to transport my much needed packing supplies and carting them home to use. It was easy. Other places you can check for boxes are: local fruit markets, packing supply stores, shopping malls, grocery stores, and libraries.

Another option: Go to Walmart or Target and buy bins with lids. They make packing dishes and clothes and linens easy. They stack great, and you can reuse them in your place to pack away things you need to like Christmas decorations.

4.) Packing up & Cleaning.

This depends on whether you are organized (unlike myself) or lazy (like me) and hate to pack. Packing can be easy though if you just follow what I did, which was to go room by room. I packed everything I was taking and not using or knew I wouldn’t use before moving. Once the room was packed I cleaned it, washed the walls, floors, vacuumed etc and checked the room off my list. In the bathroom I packed all my crap, kept the box open and made sure to put away the things I used after.

Things that got packed immediately were: all my knickknacks, linens, extra pillows, blankets, clothes (who cares if you wash and wear the same 3 pairs of pants and 3 tops for a week.). I packed up my entire kitchen (contemporary kitchen design new york), leaving my food box open to the side, and I left myself one dish, one of each utensil, one glass, and that was it. This way it was easier for me to clean my cupboards out, wash behind the fridge and stove (or no deposit returned remember) and although my house seemed bare, I was ready to go.

Hint: Take down your bed if you have a frame, and move your mattress to the living room. I did this, because I didn’t care if I slept on the mattress only for a week or so, and I put all my packed boxes in that bedroom giving me more space. I used Vera Bradley Luggage to carry my value staff.

5.) Moving Party!

It’s fun to involve the friends you are leaving behind. I gathered up everyone I knew, and when the big day came, everyone helped to move the stuff outside to be loaded onto the truck. Music played in the background, cans of pop were handed out, and I ordered pizza. I checked off my list, went through the house for one final sweep which was basically clean because I’d done each room after packing it. It was a fun farewell, everything was finished and I felt good that I was done and organized.

Moving doesn’t have to be stressful no matter where you move. It can be fun by making a few lists, organizing yourself a bit, call on your friends to help by having several packing parties and so forth. Hopefully your move will go just as smooth as mine did. I wish you luck!