Moving

[kll]

So the b/f and I decided with the economy in the shitter and the job market horrible (especially in our area), we are relocating.

I haven't moved a far distance in my adult life (a few miles doesn't count), so I am trying to make a list of everything that needs to be done in regards to the move.

Can you guys give me suggestions of what has worked for you, things you wish you had done if you could go back in regards to the move, things NOT to do, etc.


Thanks!!!

[jabumbo]

reserve your moving van really early, because its really fucking painful otherwise

[DandyFop]

This seems kinda obvious but get rid of AS MUCH SHIT AS POSSIBLE.
Seriously, it doesn't matter how much you love a certain collection or books you haven't actually read in years, you will hate those fucking things as soon as it is time to lug them across any distance.

I packed crazy light when coming to LA and I still feel like I have way too much shit.

[Myu-to]

Where are you moving to?

(please say Fukuoka)

[kll]

Woah, how did you know? Fukuoka is where it's at, man.


L.A.

Good stuff, dandy. No books!

[ScarySquirrel]

Hire day laborers. Duh.

[funk63]

I was court ordered to move to a different state, it sucked.

[Rock]

I just moved to Denver a month ago and it was my first move more than 15 miles away from where I grew up so it was an entirely new experience. So its all fresh to me.

I'm used to throwing clothes in a garbage bag and throwing stuff in the truck or my car. It was always easy and fast. But since we were moving pretty much across the country and packing up an entire house, we went an entirely different route.

Are you moving to an apartment? House? Is work helping out? Are you moving yourself or hiring someone to drive and load and unload everything for you?

Its never too early to start packing. We put things off too long and ended up packing til late night/early morning for about a week. With work (i worked until the day before we left) and what not and then the drive across country it was the worse decision we made. So start now. not now, but right now.

Boxes made things easier for us as far as fitting things in trucks and labeling everything but if you end up buying boxes its really expensive. If you go to local stores to get left over boxes you have the issue of everything fitting all fucked up in the truck. But i'd rather get mismatched boxes than pay an assload for them.

Pack everything into the truck room by room if at all possible because it makes things sooo much easier to unload.

Use clothes and newspapers to cushion valuables and trinkets if you don't want to go the super expensive bubble wrap way. Since all my moves before were a few miles apart i never cared about padding. but moving cross country with all sorts of turns and pot holes and what have yous I recommend padding everything that is breakable. by doing this we had zero things broken.

Go to www.irs.gov to look for relocation tax deductions. See if you are eligible for any of that.

Talk to your insurance company to transfer property and auto insurance. Talk to your DMV to make sure there isnt anything you have to do in person before you leave. Take care of all of your local property taxes if you have them.

Take all of your personal records and keep them handy so you don't have to go searching through boxes to find them.

If you know where you are going to live, try and figure out the floor plan so you know where everything will go when you are unloading. It gets rid of that one room where everything is piled up in because you didn't know where to put everything.

Obviously change your address with the post office as soon as you can, you can do that online. And any subscriptions you may have.

Get some paper plates and cups and cutlery for a couple of days before and after the move unless you dont mind spending the money to go out and eat for breakfast lunch and dinner. It was nice to not have to get all the kitchen stuff out of the boxes right away to eat. We also kept the toaster, coffee machine, and a couple of skillets/pans easily accessible for the same reason.

Now is definitely the time to get rid of things. Like Dandy said, get rid of those books they were the worst part about moving. Books and magazines. Just donate them to the library or something so someone else can enjoy them as much you did. We didnt' get rid of any and it was a bulk of the weight (my wife refuses to throw or give away any books). If you are hiring someone to move you, its going to be a lot of money for all those books.

I'm probably not saying anything you don't know but thats all the stuff we did or should have done.

Oh yeah...be as patient as you can be with each other. I turned into an asshole while we were packing and unpacking. And I know I'm not the only one like that. Lots of needless arguments about what to keep and what not to keep. Then again, considering we had about 4 weeks to do all of it and find a place here in colorado while I was working didn't help.

[b-grrrlie]

Rock has made some good points there.

I've moved 33 times (at least) so when my aunt moved last year she asked for my help.
I'm a serious collector of all kinds of stuff (records, videos and books taking most space) so my moves have become more and more painfull...

Don't pack heavy stuff in too large boxes, cause they'll be too heavy to carry.
When packing heavier stuff in a box pack it only half full, use cushions for the rest.
Also mark which boxes include stuff that might break easier, so people don't throw them around.
Also mark boxes that can be sat on (you might need a break every now and then...)
Use carpets and duvets for mirrors and bigger framed things. Tie them properly and put them in huge bin bags when possible.
Label, label, label. Mark the boxes which room they're going to and also what's in them,
cause then you'll know which boxes need to be opened first
(it'll take a while before you've done with it all).
I've got loads of plants (well, doh!) and the wooden boxes for oranges and other fruits are perfect for carrying those.

And give away a lot of stuff to charities... :p

[HEIRESS]

my father hates my large book collection. absolutely abhores it.
and yes, I would refuse to part with it.

GOOD LUCK KLL!
movin' on over, movin' on up!

[Randetica]

my mum hates that i got no books at all

[taquitos]

i hope you don't have records, they are by far the worse.
(no offense to book people, they are just as bad. it just depends on the amount i guess.)

[Funky Pepp]

Keep all the important stuff close to yourself (money, passports etc.). And don't pay the moving company without getting a receipt.

(And don't give away all your stuff just because you don't want to move with too much. You'll miss everything soon enough...)

Good luck :)

[Dharma]

I economy is better in the land of fruit and nuts?

I hadn't heard.

Have a big garage sale ..weed out the crap!

I haven't done a big move in a while, but that is always my first goal.

Donate what you can't sale.

[ms.peachy]

Pack a suitcase of clothes and toiletries each as though you were going on a very boring 2 week vacation. This will be your 'living wardrobe' for the week before and the week after the move.

[jabumbo]

don't ask dharma for help, she will just whine and be a pain in your neck

[DIGI]

Damn, Rock, that's a big move. What for? Work? Snowboarding? Pot? Fat Tire?

[kll]

wow, great stuff guys. thank you. holy crap, rock - you are like, ON TOP of it.

how was i able to tell that Dharma was Skye in one post before anyone else mentioned it?

[paul jones]

I haven't got a clue.I've only moved once and I was only 3 years old at the time.

good luck on the movements anyway dahling(y):)

[Dorothy Wood]

get a big roll of saran wrap! or its equivalent. I had this big ol' roll of plastic wrap that came from cort's work or something when I moved last and it was great. you can wrap up framed pictures and odds and ends, it worked great for boardgames. it was awesome for those things that are just like, "wha, how am I gonna put that in a box?"

in my case, it was also good to make use of that roll finally. I just had it sitting in my room for whatever reason and people were like, "what the heck are you going to do with that?" and I was like, "I don't know, it could come in handy one day". and it did. so ha! naysayers.

[Rock]

Damn, Rock, that's a big move. What for? Work? Snowboarding? Pot? Fat Tire?

My wife has been unemployed since April and she was looking around for jobs and couldn't find anything she liked in the Washington DC area. She said there was a position for her here in Denver and since I was thinking about moving here before we started dating and I come here every couple years for snowboarding, pot, and fat tire I said why not.

[YoungRemy]

Oh yeah...be as patient as you can be with each other. I turned into an asshole while we were packing and unpacking. And I know I'm not the only one like that. Lots of needless arguments about what to keep and what not to keep. Then again, considering we had about 4 weeks to do all of it and find a place here in colorado while I was working didn't help.

this is probably the best advice you could give someone while moving. I know I have been the same way, cranky and short with people who were just helping out.

I moved all my stuff in a U-Haul ten years ago and I've been lugging it all back and forth cross-country ever since.

If you haven't used it or worn it in the last year, or since the last move, it's not worth keeping...

burn all your cd's into your computer and send for them later...

[DIGI]

My wife has been unemployed since April and she was looking around for jobs and couldn't find anything she liked in the Washington DC area. She said there was a position for her here in Denver and since I was thinking about moving here before we started dating and I come here every couple years for snowboarding, pot, and fat tire I said why not.

Makes sense.