This New House: The Best Moving Tips You’ll Ever Get

** “This New House” Series on MomFavorites.com is sponsored by Unpakt. Search our story on Twitter/Facebook with the #thisnewhouse hashtag!**

After I packed up all of my house and realized what a terrible job I did, I sent out an email to all of my friends who recently moved to ask them for their tips for what went wrong, and most importantly – what they did right to pack for their move so that I can share with you the Best Moving Tips out there!  Why I didn’t do this before packing all of my worldly goods, I couldn’t tell you.  But, I hope you’ll learn from these gals. Some of these ideas are quite genius!

What Went Right

• Move what you can yourself.   We took the drawers out of the dressers and moved them in our car.  That way, I didn’t have to pack any of the clothes in the dressers. Katie Fisher
• Hire movers.  As soon as you know your move out and move in dates start calling and getting quotes on moving companies. Don’t wait till the last minute.  Sarah Gibbs

• Do the kitchen first!  Packing up all kitchen stuff ahead of time and just leaving the necessities.  Katie Fisher
• Let the kids help.  Have kids help pack their boxes and then decorate with crayons and stickers. It’s easy for them to know which boxes are theirs and they’re anxious to help unpack them!  Laura Rothert

• Purge before you move!  I think it is much easier to do before.  As you are packing it is really easy to evaluate things and have a donate, give away or throw away pile.  Also, I have found I am less attached to things as I am moving because I am SO tired of packing.  While you are unpacking it just feels like more work.  There is already a pile of paper and boxes you have to get rid; add on that a donation, give away and throw away pile…UGH!  Sarah Gibbs
• Go disposable.  Buy paper plates, cups and silverware and know exactly where you packed them. It can take a long time to get dishes out, cleaned and ready for eating. And don’t forget bowls!!  There’s nothing sadder than telling your kid on the morning of waking up in a new house that he can’t have cereal because we can’t find any bowls. Bonus if you get disposable coffee cups. (Of course it’s better to use a reusable mug but sometimes moving gets in the way of being green!)  Nikki Prenoveau
• Throw all the sheets in a trash bag the morning of the move. Katie Fisher

• Get the kids settled first.  When you move in your new house get your kids rooms unpacked and decorated first. This really helped mine feel settled. We also tried to keep furniture in the same arrangement as the old house for a few weeks.  Laura Rothert

• Get the professionals in to clean up your house. There’s nothing worse than trying to clean a house after you’ve packed all of your moving supplies on a truck!  Sarah Gibbs

• Hit up the Dollar Store.  Stock up on new toys to entertain the kids when you’re in the new house either waiting for the moving van or during the unloading. Dollar store stuff can go far!

• Have someone deep clean your house before you move in. It’s so much easier to deep clean when there isn’t anything in the house. Also, consider having the carpet cleaned if you can wait for it to dry before moving in.  Laura Rothert
• Keep important documents with you. Know what you need from your important papers so that you can have a special file that you don’t pack and you always know where it is.  Georgia wanted some information I had packed so I had to make some phone calls to get copies. Also, I had a friend who was in the process of moving and tried to register her kids for school.  She did not know she needed their actual social security cards, not just their numbers…they were on the truck driving across country. Sarah Gibbs

• Send the kids somewhere else.  While packing and moving!!  Seriously.  This is a must-do.  Katie Fisher

• Know where the coffee pot is at all times.  Recruit some really good friends to unpack your kitchen and make sure you can find the coffee pot the morning after moving- you’re going to need it!  Laura Rothert
• Keep your shoes close and your trash labeled.  If movers are packing for you… I knew someone who moved out of state and their garbage went with them. Along those same lines, be sure that the movers don’t pack your or your kids’ shoes. It happened to my in-laws and my husband, a child at the time, moved out of state barefoot. Nikki Prenoveau

• Clearly label the booze.  Me (Katie Harding)

 

What Went Wrong

• Didn’t get rid of enough stuff
• Should have picked a moving method… click here for more details on this
• Didn’t pack boxes with purpose and mis-labeled or non-labled boxes
• Needed more of a sense of urgency about packing, purging, organizing, and cleaning
• Should’ve hired packers
• Wished we had packed a cooler.  Refrigerators take awhile to get cool… if you even have one right away!

Did we miss anything? What are your best moving tips?

Moving Tips provided by:
Sarah Gibbs, mom of 2, who’s moved 4 times in 6 years and was raised in a military family.
Katie Fisher, mom of 3, who’s moved recently from one home to temporary home to permanent home… phew!
Nikki Prenoveau, mom of 1 (and a half!), who has moved twice within the last few years.
Laura Rothert, mom of 2, who’s moved once recently and is about to move again!

Moving soon? Don’t miss out:

Save 5% on your next move with Unpakt.com! Enter promo code: THISNEWHOUSE when booking and save. Expires 8/31/13.

If you are new to #ThisNewHouse, go back to the beginning here:

Breaking down a move into manageable steps
Getting Organizing for a Move and Selecting a Mover
Putting Your Life in Box (Moving 101)

You can follow our journey with by using the #thisnewhouse hashtag on Twitter and Facebook!

*I did not receive compensation for any of the elements of the This New House Series.  I was provided with product and/or services to review and will only be sharing those with the audience that I fully support.  All opinions are always my own! *