I need to start packing but I don’t know where to start.

balder · 05-26-2009, 02:29 AM

I’m feeling really overwhelmed with having to pack up my home. I’ve got so much stuff, I don’t know where to begin. My family put me in charge of coordinating the effort because I’m not working right now, but I want some advice on how to make this as easy as possible. Are there any tricks of the trade I should know about? I found some advice on websites for (edited) , but I want to hear advice from real people. What can I do to make this run smoothly? I’d love to hear your stories.
"It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that things are difficult." Seneca

**ItsASecret** · 06-04-2009, 11:30 AM

You can hire a moving company. They will move your big stuff like sofas, chairs, beds, tables ect. Packing can be done by yourself but it would take a long time and the safety of your items may be compromised. Moving companies will also have a packing crew that you can hire. Problem is these moves can cost a lot, but it is done in a fraction of the time while still having care taken.

**WildChild** · 06-04-2009, 12:51 PM

I grew moving constantly it seems. Unless you have a lot of pretty fancy stuff or or going cross country you can do it yourself pretty easily. Start with determining what you don't want to move and have a yard sale, take a trip to the Goodwill, get it out of your way and your life. Then designate an area for packed boxes, the garage is good since they will be easy to move out. A basement may be out of the way but you'll have to haul them up later.

Create a packing list system and code your boxes. EX; B = bedroom, K = kitchen, BA = bathroom, H= holiday. On the box note major contents, on the list you can get more specific if you need to. Code the boxes based on where they are going when you unload after moving. Items that get infrequent use such as the Xmas tree and decorations can be sorted and packed right away. Really examine anything you keep stored. How much do you really need to haul around stuff that gets used so infrequently -if at all? Out of season clothes can be packed, again if it's dusty in the back of the closet - do you really want to move it? You will be surprised how much junk you have and how fast your give away pile grows. Don't let that pile sit, people have a way of reclaiming the most useless stuff. Everything you move costs in time, effort, a bigger truck, more weight.

Some items such as china and crystal are worth getting special packing materials for. These can generally be packed well in advance too, how often are they really used? Within a week of moving everything except everyday absolute essentials should be packed. You can use paper plates and don't need 10 pairs of shoes available. This will give you an opportunity to get cupboards clean and make sure you are getting it all.

When you load the truck remember, generally first on last off, most accessible. Unless you plan to take several days unloading. I'd put beds and such so they are pretty much first off the truck so some family members can be assembling them while others are unloading. Designate a place to stack the nonessentials, you can deal with them later. First off you need bathroom, bedrooms and kitchen usable.

WIth planning this isn't a big deal and can be fun. Remenber to feed and water your helpers liberally!

InLoveWithMyHusband · 06-14-2009, 01:40 PM

good tips whildchild!
I too am getting ready to move in a month. Every week I bring home 1-2 boxes and I pack things according to room. Right now I am packing just stuff we don't need or can bare with out for the next month. As you stated, I am labeling them by room and by what is in them. So when we move to the next house, we can easily know which room each boxes will go in. And, it'll make it easier for my husband and I to take our time unpacking because since we'll know what is in each box, we can just unpack a box at a time as we need the items in the boxes or as we have time (since we are both working we won't have any full days to do the move, just evenings after work), rather than digging through a million boxes trying to find a single item.
I like doing the packing by myself, if my husband where to help, we would never get anything packed in advance. He would say, Oh, but I think I will need to use that soon! The only thing I'm leaving out for him are his video games because they'll keep him distracted from the other stuff I'm packing! hehe.

05-26-2009, 02:29 AM	#1
balder Junior Member Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 1	I need to start packing but I don’t know where to start. I’m feeling really overwhelmed with having to pack up my home. I’ve got so much stuff, I don’t know where to begin. My family put me in charge of coordinating the effort because I’m not working right now, but I want some advice on how to make this as easy as possible. Are there any tricks of the trade I should know about? I found some advice on websites for (edited) , but I want to hear advice from real people. What can I do to make this run smoothly? I’d love to hear your stories. "It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that things are difficult." Seneca Last edited by CHANDLERS WISH; 05-26-2009 at 02:31 AM. Reason: outbound links not allowed

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06-04-2009, 11:30 AM	#2
ItsASecret Silver Contributor 100+ Posts Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Canada Posts: 313	You can hire a moving company. They will move your big stuff like sofas, chairs, beds, tables ect. Packing can be done by yourself but it would take a long time and the safety of your items may be compromised. Moving companies will also have a packing crew that you can hire. Problem is these moves can cost a lot, but it is done in a fraction of the time while still having care taken.

06-04-2009, 12:51 PM	#3
WildChild Gold Contributor 500+ Posts Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Western USA Posts: 6,223 Blog Entries: 5	I grew moving constantly it seems. Unless you have a lot of pretty fancy stuff or or going cross country you can do it yourself pretty easily. Start with determining what you don't want to move and have a yard sale, take a trip to the Goodwill, get it out of your way and your life. Then designate an area for packed boxes, the garage is good since they will be easy to move out. A basement may be out of the way but you'll have to haul them up later. Create a packing list system and code your boxes. EX; B = bedroom, K = kitchen, BA = bathroom, H= holiday. On the box note major contents, on the list you can get more specific if you need to. Code the boxes based on where they are going when you unload after moving. Items that get infrequent use such as the Xmas tree and decorations can be sorted and packed right away. Really examine anything you keep stored. How much do you really need to haul around stuff that gets used so infrequently -if at all? Out of season clothes can be packed, again if it's dusty in the back of the closet - do you really want to move it? You will be surprised how much junk you have and how fast your give away pile grows. Don't let that pile sit, people have a way of reclaiming the most useless stuff. Everything you move costs in time, effort, a bigger truck, more weight. Some items such as china and crystal are worth getting special packing materials for. These can generally be packed well in advance too, how often are they really used? Within a week of moving everything except everyday absolute essentials should be packed. You can use paper plates and don't need 10 pairs of shoes available. This will give you an opportunity to get cupboards clean and make sure you are getting it all. When you load the truck remember, generally first on last off, most accessible. Unless you plan to take several days unloading. I'd put beds and such so they are pretty much first off the truck so some family members can be assembling them while others are unloading. Designate a place to stack the nonessentials, you can deal with them later. First off you need bathroom, bedrooms and kitchen usable. WIth planning this isn't a big deal and can be fun. Remenber to feed and water your helpers liberally!

06-14-2009, 01:40 PM	#4
InLoveWithMyHusband Junior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Missouri Posts: 17	good tips whildchild! I too am getting ready to move in a month. Every week I bring home 1-2 boxes and I pack things according to room. Right now I am packing just stuff we don't need or can bare with out for the next month. As you stated, I am labeling them by room and by what is in them. So when we move to the next house, we can easily know which room each boxes will go in. And, it'll make it easier for my husband and I to take our time unpacking because since we'll know what is in each box, we can just unpack a box at a time as we need the items in the boxes or as we have time (since we are both working we won't have any full days to do the move, just evenings after work), rather than digging through a million boxes trying to find a single item. I like doing the packing by myself, if my husband where to help, we would never get anything packed in advance. He would say, Oh, but I think I will need to use that soon! The only thing I'm leaving out for him are his video games because they'll keep him distracted from the other stuff I'm packing! hehe.