Idea #1: Keep a manifest (like an inventory log)
When my family moved from North Carolina to Idaho (long story), we labeled all of our boxes with a number. In a notebook, we wrote down what was in Box #1, then Box #2, then Box #3, etc. You could also wait to number the boxes until after you have determined which are the most essential to the most non-essential, and then use the numbers as a rank-order system.
Personally, unless you’re trekking across the country in a 20 year old, salt-eaten Ford Expedition toting a 6x10 trailer with ALL your family’s belongings (like I said, long story), then I think this method is a little TOO organized. And that is coming from someone who writes blogs about being organized! It’s also a TON of work, and most of the times that I have had to move have had to be in really short time windows. So, there is a situation in which this method is superb, but I give this one 3 stars.
Idea #2: Color Code!
Yes, I know this one sounds complicated, but it’s really not. Grab some of those 1,000 for a $1 colored dot stickers at Walmart and go to town.
- Green dots = Absolute essentials = open 2nd
- silverware
- dishes
- sheets
- towels
- clothes
- Cleaning chemicals
- Etc.
- Yellow dots = Mid-level essentials = open 3rd
- Extra kitchen stuff
- Desk or home office
- Possibly books
- Electronics
- Family games
- Etc.
- Red Dots = If you never opened these boxes it would be okay = open LAST
- Trinkets and decor
- The crap from the attic
- Books you’ll never read
- Junk from random places in your house
- That last box you kinda threw together with all the leftover stuff in the house
- Honestly, you could probably do better giving some of these boxes to charity and taking the tax write off.
- Blue Dots = Essentials with a time stamp = Open 1st
- Food (specifically from the fridge, but possibly the pantry)
- Suitcase with your clothes for the next few days
- Shower stuff
- Bathroom stuff
- Necessities and the kind of stuff you take on vacation
Personally, I have never used this method, but I have heard it from seasoned movers, and it seems to work well for them. So, as I am basing this rating on theory alone, I would have to give this one 4 stars.
Idea #3: One room at a time
This idea begins with an assumption that 1) you aren’t moving too far, and 2) you have some time. If you have a single day to pack and move everything, this is not the method for you. But if your lease on your apartment expires in a month and you’d like a nice calm, slow moving experience, this is fantastic.
I love this moving method, mainly because I get to see whole spaces transformed pretty quickly. The methodology is to pack the kitchen for example, which will use 10-15 boxes. Then you load those 10-15 boxes into the car and move them to the new house, then you unpack them and bring the empty boxes back to be reused. This method is great for saving money on moving boxes and on a moving truck. It’s totally doable and pretty easy to handle. You may end up eating off paper plates for a week, but its not that big of a deal. This idea gets another 4 out of 5 in my book.
Idea #4: Moving Day
Things to Purchase
- Black Permanent Marker
- Packing Tape
- Lots of Boxes
- Pizza
No one said you had to do moving alone. Pick a day and announce the event on Facebook. Depending on how many people show up, you may need to exercise some managerial skills. Have your strongest dudes move the furniture first, my advice. Then start spreading out boxes and filling them. I might employ the color dot system here. The trick is not to leave a room until the entirety is packed. I know this is hard, but trust me, you will otherwise flit from room to room picking up and packing a few things here and there but not actually accomplishing anything. Label the box simply with the room it came out of and deposit it in that equivalent room at the new house. Also, feed your people, whether it be pizza or something else. That’s just courtesy. This method gets a 5 out of 5! Why? Because I don’t have to do it all!!!
Idea #5: Loosey Goosey
This idea is another slow one and not totally my favorite. This is simply the idea of moving, for example, one piece of furniture at a time with all its accompanying contents. For example, when moving a dresser, one would simply throw the contents of the dresser into a suitcase, pack the dresser into the back of the truck, put the suitcase in the car and move it. On the other end, you put the dresser in place, replace the contents of the dresser and start over with the next piece of furniture. I do not like this method much at all, though I have used it. Overall, I can see the method behind the madness, but this method gets maybe 2 out of 5 stars.
All in all, moving is a stressful process that I have had to do more times than I care to recount. However, moving does provide an excellent opportunity to organize EVERYTHING and to get rid of a bunch of stuff, both of which I enjoy. I try to see the bright side. Happy moving!
Until next week,
Mrs. Ashley Seguin
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