Moving Advice

Moving sucks. There is no way around it. We both moved across the country, but this move was different. We actually had a house full of stuff to move, not just a microwave and a stack of photo albums from college.

A four bedroom house with a garage and basement means you have a lot of places to put stuff and all that said stuff needs to be moved with you.

 

We are not professional movers and never will be - refer to above photo. If that POD on the right doesn't send your anxiety into a tail spin, well then you aren't nearly as OCD as me. In the end, everything got packed and we certainly learned a few things in the process. Thought I'd share, for those of you going through a similar situation.

1. Do research and determine the best storage/moving device for you. There are a lot of options out there when it comes to moving - U-Haul, PODS, Storage Units, Moving Companies, ReloCubes, Your Parents Basement...and the list goes on. When Scott and I sold our house, the first thing we did was call around to get quotes. All of the storage units within a 30 mile radius were full (for the size we needed), so we went on waiting lists. Hiring actual movers was out of the question. We were nearly busting our budget for the new house, so we didn't want to fork out thousands of dollars for professional movers, no matter how much I begged tried. U-Haul would have been a great option for us if we knew we could load up the truck and drive it directly to the new house (we couldn't because it's not ours yet). Or if we had a storage unit to deliver it too. But that also means moving twice - once to the truck and then back out again when you get to the unit. No thank you, once is enough. So the best option for us was PODS. The initial conversation to discuss logistics, size, number of PODS, delivery location, delivery dates, etc was a little lengthy, but the rest was smooth sailing (and their website was very user friendly). They had a quote ready for me within minutes and although it was more expensive than a storage unit, convenience won in the end.

2. Pack/Prep everything ahead of time. Mr. B and I began packing our house three weeks prior to moving day. The first items we packed were those that we didn't need or use often - wall décor, winter clothes, basement storage, garage nonsense, spare closets, guest bedrooms, etc. The days leading up to the move included the more heavily used items - kitchen dishware, underwear drawer, and bathroom toiletries. We dedicated one room (the dining room) to boxes and another to large furniture (the living room). That way when the movers arrived, we had a plan in place. If your getting free help - don't waste their time. Every bit of organization, will make moving day that much less stressful.

3. Take large furniture apart. This is one thing we hadn't done ahead of time. Mr. B's dad was the first one to arrive on moving day. He quickly took a census of everything we had and when he saw the dining room table, he said, "Let's take that apart." He walked upstairs to my office and said, "Oh, we need to take that apart too." Large, awkward items store better when they are easier to maneuver. Mr. B looked at me and said, "He's done this before!" This leads me to my next comment...

4. Assign someone that is good at organizing in the POD/Storage Unit to arrange your belongings. If you know a person that has moved a few times, ask them to join you on moving day. More than likely they can be the person that organizes the PODS (storage unit), to ensure you are maximizing your storage space. Believe me, you may need to use every last inch of that space, so you better pack it right tight. This person can also be the one covering the large furniture and exposed items to protect them during the move. We had a bin full of extra sheets, blankets and towels that we set next to the POD for easy access. You'll want to do the same. If you don't have a linen closet full of extra linens, you may want to ask a friend if you can borrow their extra bath towels. U-Haul also offers blankets for rent, but I believe the fee is "per day." That could get ugly expensive, real fast.

5. Have food, water, and booze to keep your moving help happy. We had donuts and mimosas for the morning crowd and my uber kind mother in law brought a crockpot of sloppy joe's, chips, pickles and brownies for lunch. It was a hot and humid (what?!)  day here, so the women had to keep reminding the men to stay hydrated, by tossing waters to them about every 30 minutes. By the end of moving day, the boys were ready for celebratory beers. Cheers!

One step down, thirty more to go.

If you have more tips, share them in the comments section. Obviously, we need all the help we can get.