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May 26, 2009
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9 comments

Taking a Day Off

moving

I update this blog every day. And rarely do I come at you with excuses. I figure you just want posts, not drama. But I’m not putting up an original post today because this is what my dining room looks like right now.

I promise, come the weekend, there will be some fantastic pictures of my new apartment.

I leave you with my number one tip for organizing a stress-free move: boxes. Be prepared with more boxes than you think you could ever, ever need. You will use every last one of them. And you will thank yourself.

Got your own great moving tip? Leave it in the comments below.

Comments for this entry

Christine

I have a tip: Choose one place to live and then NEVER EVER MOVE AGAIN. That is my current philosophy – we move tomorrow. And will live in that house FOREVER. I refuse to see another box for the rest of my life.

jf

Here’s a moving tip from someone who has moved at least once a year for the past ten years: don’t do it.

Jayson

Hire movers…if they’re competent, they’re worth every penny you’ll pay them.

Christine

I agree about the boxes but don’t ever pay for moving boxes. Just go to the produce department of your local grocery store and ask them to save boxes for you and then come back for them the next day. Banana boxes work ok but apple boxes are the best!

olecrow

Moving is a great time to purge–get rid of things you don’t need and haven’t used in ages. Set aside bags/boxes to fill with donations and then plan a few trips to the Brown Elephant to drop off donations.

Jessie

I know we will be neighbors soon, but i’m going to miss your old place….
this picture makes me sad like a little kitty.

Rhonda Radford

My favorite moving tip – hire movers! I can’t believe you are moving even further away. Can’t wait to see your new place.

M.E. Ward

Pack a ‘must-have’ box that is immediately accessible in your new place (either bring it over in your car or make sure it is the last box loaded on the truck). In it, include all of your absolute, first night necessities:

- Toilet paper, hand soap, toothbrush & paste, dish soap & towel, coffee & coffee maker, simple breakfast fixings and/or snacks, sheets and your pillow, daily medicines, etc. If you have animals, any necessities for them, as well. Try and make your first morning as painless as possible!

For the rest of your packing, while this is pretty basic, try to pack and label your boxes by room, and make sure your movers (or friends!) put the appropriate boxes into the appropriate rooms in your new digs. Ideally, includes some details on the outside of the box as to specific contents, also (i.e., “KITCHEN: Plastic ware, pots & pans”). That way, when you’re desperately hunting for your clothes (or a frying pan), you’ll only have a limited number of boxes to go through to find them.

Enjoy your new home!

Rachel

I must concur – hire movers! I moved 8 times in Chicago using friends and then the last 2 times using movers. Just in the time saved it was worth it. I could get to my unpacking, cleaning, and even start cooking in the new place on the first day, saving restaurant $$. We also purge with several trips to Brown Elephant before each move. Movers were usually about $300-400 for me.

One thing I do, since i have a lot of linens and fabrics, is to use those to pack between plates, vases, ceramic turtles, and other breakables before I start using up newspapers and bubble wrap. I also get rid of my boxes under “free stuff” and Craigslist and often get new ones the same way. Watch out for bugs with produce boxes… my fave is liquor boxes.