Today we are hearing from Paige from Come + Take It. Paige is currently expecting her first child, and just moved for the umpteenth time while her husband is currently deployed. She's an entrepreneur (check out her company, Black Dog Branding) and an expert mover. Below are her tips on how to stay sane & organized through the entire moving process. I definitely wish I'd followed this advice two
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Hi ya’ll! This is Paige from Come + Take It, a lifestyle blog devoted to the pursuit of life’s good things. I am so excited to be guest posting for Amy while she is moving!
Moving (even a good deep clean) can be so stressful, but I’ve learned from experience (over 20 moves) that with a little planning and a few fun extras, you can get through even the worst moves without a tear shed.
Here are some of my tips for getting through the process unscathed:
1. Start planning for your move early
If you are lucky enough to be using movers to pack or move your things, or both, this will likely involve just a few phone calls and you’ll be ready to go. For the rest of you, starting the process early is imperative. I’d recommend starting as early as 6-8 weeks before your scheduled move date. Why so early you ask? Because you have more to do than you think.2. Enlist help (& bribe your friends)
You could try to do it completely alone, but be prepared for quite a few long days and a few frustrated attempts at moving that oddly sized couch. Enlist the help of friends, it usually helps if they owe you a favor or you helped them move, but promise them plenty of water, snacks and cold beer (or another beverage) at the end of the day. As nice as it would be to start the cool beverages flowing at 2pm, don’t forget, they are carrying and moving your things. Order a pizza, swing by a convenience store and survey the success at the end of the day, together.3. Update your address & contact information at one time
You should already have a list of credit cards, bank accounts and the contact information for security’s sake stashed away somewhere. Add to this any reoccurring payments you have so that when you are moving you can sit down and change everything at once instead of running to your computer every time you think of something. The post office allows you to change or forward your mail online starting from any date. Instead of risking missing a letter from your grandmother, update your address information early so that you can rest assured that you wont miss anything. Magazine’s can sometimes take longer to update address information, so be sure to change the address on file early.
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| Moving checklist from Come + Take It |
A little moving timeline to help keep you on schedule and ready to go:
6-8 weeks before your move:
- Survey your current space and get a floor plan of your future space. Map our your furniture and figure out if you will (or want to) donate or sell any furniture or belongings.
- Tag the items you want to get rid of and either photograph and post on Craigslist or call your local Goodwill or Habitat Restore to get the items picked up. Getting the furniture out early will help you have the space to pack and organize the rest of the things you want to keep.
4-6 weeks before your move:
- Load up on trash bags.
- Go through each room and use one for recycling (if your community participates), one for trash, and one for things to donate.
- Getting rid of all of the dead weight will not only give you less to pack and move, but it will help you organize before you pack, saving you precious time once you move in to your new place.
- Don’t focus on getting fancy organizational supplies. Wait to decorate and fully organize until you are in your new space and have a better idea of layout and function.
2-3 weeks before your move:
- Finally, start packing. Walmart sells boxes and packing supplies fairly cheaply, but you can also check Craigslist. People will frequently post in the “free” section any unused or extra boxes they have available.
- Instead of slowly starting and going from room to room haphazardly, start in one room and finish it as best you can before moving on to another
- Set aside anything you will need to use until or through your move. This could include your toothbrush, clothes, etc. You don’t want to finish packing one day and then not be able to find something important.
- Set aside any valuables and pack them in a suitcase to keep with you. This is particularly important for longer moves when you may be leaving the truck or boxes along for a period of time. Be aware of who is going in and around your truck – you don’t want to have everything boxed and labeled only for someone to steal your Living Room box full of electronics.
1 week before your move:
- You should have everything but the essentials packed at this point, survey your place and see if you need to take any of the remaining items to the trash or donate them before the big day.
- Confirm your truck rental and don’t forget a dolly – it is worth the extra $20 to save your back. You’ll have more energy and be much safer!
- Fix any holes and touch up paint as needed. If you have to do a major repaint, wait to do so until your belongings are in the new place. It will be easier and you wont risk getting paint on your favorite couch, table, wedding dress, etc.
Day of!
- Get a good night’s rest the night before. You’re going to need it!
- Pick up the truck, get started loading. Don’t forget to put the heaviest items (big furniture) at the front and the smaller, lighter items toward the back, or closest to the door.
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A big THANK YOU to Paige for all these lovely tips!!
Go stop by her blog & say hello ♥
