Nine Essential Moving Tips

How many times do you have to do something to become an expert? I’ve moved 9 times in the last 9 years….an average of once a year. You’d think by this point I’d be a pro, right? Well, this last move was by far this worse. Probably because it’s the first time I moved out of a house. It’s amazing how much you accumulate living in a house.

Here’s some issues I encountered, yes even in my 9th move, hopefully you can learn from them.

1. I under estimated the amount of stuff I had. When you live in a home, don’t forget about things in the basement, the attic, shed in the backyard, and in my opinion…the deadliest of all, the garage.

2. Loose items. Those random items that you don’t really pack take up a lot of space..things like brooms, snow shovels, and bikes.

3. Going cheap on the truck. A 24 ft truck just sounded enormous. I in no way thought I’d need anything that big. Instead I got a 16 ft rental truck and ended make two trips. It ended up costing even more because in addition to the cost of renting the truck, you pay a fee for each mile.

4. Hired help. You can find help on sites such as craigslist, but you never really know what to expect. One of the helpers I found avoided carrying anything heavy…which is really why I hired him. I felt uncomfortable confronting this guy, so he really didn’t end up helping much at all, but I had to pay him anyway.

5. Books. It’s tempting to just sit at the bookshelf and fill a box with books, but that is going to end up being a very heavy box. Only fill a box half full with books and then put light items such as towels or Tupperware.

6. Used boxes. I got all the moving boxes I used for my move second-hand. Be selective about the quality of the box and what you put in it. Some of my heavier boxes were falling apart due to the weight. Also, when so many boxes say “fragile” , it’s hard to know which ones really mean it. I’d consider getting colored packing tape to differentiate the truly fragile boxes.

7. Where is….? Don’t think you’ll remember which box certain items are in. Think about what you’ll want right away in your new place….towels, cleaning supplies, a few kitchen items. Put those in a box and somehow mark it so you can just open one or two boxes to get what you need instead of going through all your stuff.

8. Cold water. Isn’t it always hot on moving day? Moving into a new place you won’t have cups or ice readily available. I made this mistake on a day in the 80’s. All I could do was drink from the kitchen sink. Get some bottled water and have it handy!

9. Stacking boxes. My nice stereo, which I’ve moved a handful of times, got damaged in this move. Even though I had it padded with bubble wrap, that doesn’t necessarily protect against weight. I think a heavy box (like a box of books) was placed on top of it. Keep this in mind when stacking boxes.