I'm moving!!! And feeling very overwhelmed!!!

mas2388

mas2388

O.G.
May 17, 2006
6,074
12
#1
I have about two weeks to pack all off my, my SO's and my dogs' stuff up and move it to a house that's a 10 minute drive away. We have 2 weeks before we have to move which doesn't seem so bad but I am starting to freak out!!! I want to start packing things now but I don't know where to start.

Do I start packing everything away now leaving the barest minimum that we need to use? Or do I clear one whole day from my calendar to just pack? We'd also rather not use professional movers so we will be dismantling furniture and packing boxes all by ourselves.

Also, I am out of the house from 8 to 6 everyday so I only have a few hours a night to be able to pack.

What is the most painless way to do this? I am so scared. LOL!!!

Any advice would be most appreciated!!!
 
#2
Are you doing the moving & packing by yourself or did you hire a company? I'm assuming from what you wrote, you're moving yourself. EEP!

I've never moved myself (we always had movers) so I don't know how this all works. But I would start packing the things that you don't need now (ie. winter clothes, those pots and pans you never use). How are you packing? Have you bought boxes and packing paper (or newspapers??) or are you guys going to be doing it laundry-basket and spare-box style??

Considering that your new place is only 10 minutes away, I guess you wouldn't have to wrap everything...But I'd at least wrap the expensive breakable stuff just to make sure it doesn't break!
 
#3
When I've moved in the past, I started by packing up what I could first, eventually leaving only the very essentials. If you start now it will be much less stressful that way. Start going through your things and boxing them up.

LABEL THE BOXES! I've found that labeling them by room is incredibly helpful for moving into the new place. You can just bring in the boxes and put them directly into the room they're meant to be in. On some of the boxes I would label them more closely, such as KITCHEN: PLATES AND BOWLS or something like that. Labeling makes things so much easier, both for unpacking in general, but also for finding the things you'd like to have right away.

Also, now is the time to get rid of anything and everything you don't need, want, or adore. It's a great time to declutter; don't bring all that stuff into the new place. Throw things out and donate to friends and to Goodwill before you move, not after.

Good luck!
 
#4
i would start packing now, every day bit by bit. it is very hard to pack a whole flat in one day, plus I think since you will dismantle furniture yourself, you will need the day off anyway.

will you hire a van? if yes you could pack big boxes, if no, use whatever spare bag you can find. actually, I always packed stuff in huge bin bags - especially clothes etc as you can fill the empty spaces in a car. I moved about 6 times when I lived in UK, although never with furniture but always in my own car. it is really not that bad. all the best.
 
#6
Trust me I'm an expert mover I'm in the armed forces so I am used to upping, packing and moving on a regular basis, whether it's 10 mins down the road or to a different country.

Start now, start packing the stuff you don't use on a day to day basis like books, dvd's, cd's etc. Do it a day or every other day basis at a time - If you start now and even if you only pack 1 box a night you will feel less overwhelmed come a couple of days to moving day. - I find it easier to do it by room - pack the spare room first and then everything else that gets packed up the boxes go in the spare room so the only things left out is what I need for the last few days in the old place the the first things I need in the new place. I also find it a great opportunity to have a clear out, I always keep a couple of boxes or bin bags (trash sacs) to one side that I can throw things in ready to go in the bin or the charity shop.

Most important thing is to lable each box or if you are really anal like me I number the box, and then have a contents list that corresponds to the box!
 
#7
I remember when I was back in college, I only had one room to myself and I had about 20 boxes of stuff on my own! (And these were not small boxes either...think of the boxes that your computers with the old CPU monitors got delivered in and it was like that!)

Why am I such a packrat...I am going to definitely need to throw stuff away!
 
#8
I think in the long run it would help with you had movers to move your stuff. It is not expensive for a short move like that. With you working full time it is really hard to pack. Start in one room and just clear in out. Throw out, donate or get rid of anything you don't need. I would start in the rooms you don't use. Then move to the kitchen and just leave out the basics for now. I hate to sound bad but it really seems next to impossible to do it in two weeks. I have been there and done that a few times. We worked from home so were able to do things but we still burnt ourself out and it was way too much stress to even function. Try to have friends help with packing if you can. I know too many people who were injured moving furniture themselves, so to me it is not worth the risk.
 
#9
wordbox said:
When I've moved in the past, I started by packing up what I could first, eventually leaving only the very essentials. If you start now it will be much less stressful that way. Start going through your things and boxing them up.

LABEL THE BOXES! I've found that labeling them by room is incredibly helpful for moving into the new place. You can just bring in the boxes and put them directly into the room they're meant to be in. On some of the boxes I would label them more closely, such as KITCHEN: PLATES AND BOWLS or something like that. Labeling makes things so much easier, both for unpacking in general, but also for finding the things you'd like to have right away.

Also, now is the time to get rid of anything and everything you don't need, want, or adore. It's a great time to declutter; don't bring all that stuff into the new place. Throw things out and donate to friends and to Goodwill before you move, not after.

Good luck!
Click to expand...

ITA
 
#10
mas2388 said:
I remember when I was back in college, I only had one room to myself and I had about 20 boxes of stuff on my own! (And these were not small boxes either...think of the boxes that your computers with the old CPU monitors got delivered in and it was like that!)

Why am I such a packrat...I am going to definitely need to throw stuff away!
Click to expand...

Donate it if you have time- Salvation Army takes everything--------- and I mean everything!

If you don't have time to donate it......... then yep- trash.
 
#11
riffraff said:
Trust me I'm an expert mover I'm in the armed forces so I am used to upping, packing and moving on a regular basis, whether it's 10 mins down the road or to a different country.

Start now, start packing the stuff you don't use on a day to day basis like books, dvd's, cd's etc. Do it a day or every other day basis at a time - If you start now and even if you only pack 1 box a night you will feel less overwhelmed come a couple of days to moving day. - I find it easier to do it by room - pack the spare room first and then everything else that gets packed up the boxes go in the spare room so the only things left out is what I need for the last few days in the old place the the first things I need in the new place. I also find it a great opportunity to have a clear out, I always keep a couple of boxes or bin bags (trash sacs) to one side that I can throw things in ready to go in the bin or the charity shop.

Most important thing is to lable each box or if you are really anal like me I number the box, and then have a contents list that corresponds to the box!
Click to expand...

ITA 100%- start packing now.

Wow- congrats on the move! It's always fun to move! I moved our entire housing stuff a few times alone while DH was going to Iraq or we were moving back to Barrow or I was moving stuff from Uhaul to the new place....

What makes it go faster are those gigantic bins... but I don't think you'll need them if you are planning on moving just this once. then nah. not worth the moola.

Good luck with the move!!! Be careful with your bags but I'm most positive you already knew that-

oo- that's what I'd buy a bin for- the purses....
 
#12
Make sure you have a box for the stuff you forgot to put in any of the other boxes! The "s--- I forgot" box proved to be very useful when I packed up at the end of each school year.
 
#13
I always pack my real delicate items first, I have a lot of antiques & I don't want anything to happen to oil paintings, pottery, vases when LARGE items are being moved. Also things I have found helpful:
1. Pack all your books, CD's DVD's.
2. Limit yourself to bare bone basics for the next 2 weeks & start packing all your shoes. Then do bags, then tops... focus on 1 particular group at a time & label, label, label.

Good Luck!
 
#14
I'm afraid I haven't any good advice lol. The times I've moved I basically threw everything in my car (clothes, books, shoes, etc) and the furniture on my dad's truck. Not such a bad idea though, but you'll have to go back several times. Besides, some of the stuff might get a little damaged (i.e. my china lol)
 
#15
I think you will def need more than one day to do this, and if you start now little by little, you won't stress as much. Honestly, I hate packing and moving, but once you get to the new place I bet you will both be so happy! Good luck and keep us posted!
 
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