Happy almost-Fall! After a month’s “sabbatical” (i.e. moving and still unpacking with all the hassle that entails), I’m all fired up to inform readers what went wrong with my move and advice to avoid similar pain if you or someone you know contemplates a future passage. Let’s begin with packing tips, thanks to Real Simple magazine and more gray hairs in my 73-year-old head.
Purge, purge, purge. If you’re like my family, even when we think we’ve thinned out significantly pre-moving van, in reality waaay too many possessions/stuff end up at the new house. Before packing the first box, do a merciless elimination of ANY item that you don’t want or can’t use at your new place. Because Hubby and I downsized to almost half of our previous living space, we ended up storing over 100 boxes of “good goods” and furniture to boot in order to have a gigantic moving sale in a few weeks. “One man’s ‘trash'” you know. (Of course, it goes without saying to begin packing as early as possible; not only did we gather clean, sturdy boxes and a fortune in packing tape, we actually rented a storage unit to hold the boxes when time for house showings.)
Make “moving” files. With a number of manila envelopes at the ready, I labeled each for safekeeping: moving company; new utilities (which you’ll schedule at least a couple of weeks before the big move, as well as notifying current utilities for cut-off.); insurance; house contracts; and so forth. This method provides a secure way to keep these important papers available in one place.
Hire early. Painters, movers, and the like are busier than ever these days with the coronavirus. We have a sellers’ market in our area, mostly because of the Easter tornadoes which means these services are being booked right and left so don’t wait to schedule.
Be sure to pack necessities with you in a suitcase right before the move: a change of clothes, toothbrush/paste, medications, kids’ favorite toy, and any other provisions to take with you the next day or two.