If anyone is a moving guru it should be me….except…I’m not. I am a procrastinator to the core! I’ve lived in 7 different buildings in the last 5 years. I remember moving from my junior year apartment to my senior year apartment and my move out day was the Friday leading into Memorial Day weekend. I had lived alone that spring semester so when it came time to move, I had no help with the packing and cleaning. I had also never been responsible for getting back a security deposit. Oh and did I mention I was on the 4th floor of a building with no air conditioning or elevator?? My mom called her stepdad’s ex-wife’s nephew who brought his two young children to try and get my dresser and bed down the stairs and across campus. One of my best friends showed up to carpool up north and became an unwilling participant. Yeah, that move probably takes the cake for the worst move out experience so far. You never really know how much stuff you have until you have to carry it all down the stairs and jam it into a strangers SUV.
As I shit my pants looking at how few days I have to pull this move off, I have compiled a helpful list of 8 things I think are crucial to planning a stress-free move.
1.
First: If you have the funds, I suggest hiring a
moving crew and truck. I did this the
last time (when I had engineering job #1).
You can save time and money by packing ahead of time, otherwise they
will charge you their hourly rate ($75-100+ an hour) to help you put things in
boxes. They came on time (IMPORTANT),
they loaded everything up and unloaded without me noticing any theft or
laziness….okay maybe a hint of laziness but it was hot out. Don’t forget to tip! There are plenty of
local and family owned moving businesses in the Milwaukee area to choose
from. (I used All My Sons moving, they
called in advance multiple times to confirm the appointment and to update me as
the time of arrival changed. Reasonable
prices, friendly service).
2.
Avoid: Last minute rentals. Especially if you are moving on or close to
the first of the month, call early and set something up! I have attempted to rent from U-Haul on two
different moves and each time I’ve had to cancel. In the rental reservation stage you get to
choose what size vehicle you want to reserve and the date/time, but on every
confirmation, it was a different truck on a completely different day and
time. If you are hiring help, they
should be catering to your schedule, not the other way around. At the same time, you should give any company
enough notice to meet your demands.
3.
I try to tackle one room at a time. Pack the things you use the least,
first! Last night I started on my
kitchen: I packed away any bigger
appliances like the electric skillet and crock pots into their original boxes
and started stacking them in the closet.
I started to go through the drawers and pack away any extra linen and
gadgets that aren’t used every day. As
it gets closer I will start to pack up my dishes, pots and pans, and
silverware; leaving one or two of each to use up till the move.
4.
Stay organized!
I’ve learned it’s a good idea to label your boxes not only with what
room it will go in but also a little summary of what’s inside. There have been so many times I’ve had to go
looking for something and it was still in a box. Trust me, label everything.
5.
Have a game plan for the larger items. Especially if you aren’t renting a truck, you’ll
have to find a willing friend to haul mattresses, couches, etc. If things like tables can be disassembled, do
it to save space! I usually try to move
all of boxes and smaller items myself and gather everything for last that I
need help with. Then once it’s over, I
treat my generous friends to dinner and drinks (they deserve it and you never
know when you’ll need their help again!).
6.
“Clean as you go” was a phrase driven into my
brain by the food/catering industry. But
it is wise advice for any application.
Don’t be afraid to lighten the load!
Go through your clothes and get rid of anything that doesn’t fit or hasn’t
been worn in a year or more. Donate
whatever you can. Sort through junk
drawers and get rid of any clutter. As
you clear a drawer, wipe it down. Clean
out your fridge and try to use any items in your pantry first instead of buying
more groceries. Moving will be less
stressful when your place is clean!
7.
Ask for help.
It’s insane to think you can do everything by yourself. Ask everyone you know for help in advance
because nothing is worse than scrambling for extra hands when you’re on a
deadline (Memorial Day *cough cough*).
Offer to pay them an hourly rate!
Offer to make them/order them dinner!
Turn it into an impromptu house-warming party! Ask often and early and let them know how
much you appreciate it.
8.
Boxes: I scavenge
freecycle.org on occasion for free boxes, most places I’ve worked have let me
take some boxes home for my move, you can try driving past Walmart or Home
Depot and seeing if they have any by the dumpsters. I met someone through work that sells boxes
on the side for $1 and I think that’s what I’m going to do this time. If you’re interested, their site is www.1buckboxes.com. While browsing through that site I came
across another website, www.borrowmybins.com/,
where instead of cardboard boxes you can rent plastic bins/boxes in the
Milwaukee area.
That’s all for now! I have more boxes to pack and more drawers to
clean…..
