moving boxes

[daisy1234]

We will be moving at the end of the month...We are probably going to move ourselves...Anyone have any advice to make it easier? How do we estimate the number of boxes and size needed? I am hoping to get a bunch for free from Freecycle but we may have to buy some more. Are the wordrobe boxes good or are they a waste of space and money??? Any tips are appreciated!

Laura

[aliceinwonderland]

I've been living with my husband for 4.5 years and we've moved 3 times in that period, so here's some tips.

Try hard to be in a good mood; it's going to suck. Try to enlist some help if you can. Someone needs to be watching the kiddos full time. We loved the wardrobe boxes, just a couple would be fine for the nice stuff.
I think different stores can save boxes for you if you ask in advance. It will take longer than you estimate. And, NEVER, EVER EVER use UHAUL. Seriously, I will haul everything down the highway on a pack of mules before i use UHAUL again. I have stories I could tell you, but it would take a long time and they're very traumatising!

[DebbieJ]

We've done two cross country moves. Each time we've underestimated the number of boxes needed. Start collecting them now. Start packing NOW, clearing out closets and packing things you don't use daily. Wardrobe boxes are AWESOME!!! We used four and could have used 2-3 more. Check out freecycle and Craigslist. Some companies sell used moving boxes (hoping Lori will chime in here) at a significant discount.

Definitely try to get help, either free or paid. We packed all our boxes ourselves, but hired guys to load the truck for us. You WILL need someone to keep tabs on little ones--our son unfortuately became very intimate with Baby Einstein and his pack-N-play during our packing and moving.

Are you moving locally or further away?

~ deb
DS born at home 12/03
2 year check up: 25 lbs with clothes on and 35 inches!
BFARed for 20 months and 6 days
(Breastfeeding After Reduction is possible! www.bfar.org)

http://www.bfar.org/members/fora/style_avatars/Ribbons/18months-bfar.jpg

[Katia]

I've gotten wonderful boxes from Borders and Barnes & Noble. We have tons of books, and of course their boxes are the perfect size! They were all in great condition (probably used only once) and it was nice having boxes that were all the same size (easier for stacking). The stores were more than happy to give them to us -- once they even told us when their next shipment was coming, so we'd be sure to get lots!

I second the recommendation for enlisting help. DH and I have always found that having a third party around keeps us from snapping at each other :-) Also, moving is a whole different game when you have kids. If I had to do it over again, I'd have hired more help for our last move.

Good luck!

Katia
DS 2003

[Jo..]

OOh good suggestions, great thread. I also may be looking at moving pretty soon, pregnant! I would like to chime in: Do NOT get your free boxes from food or grocery stores. When we moved here two years ago I got a million boxes from a fruit store in Brooklyn near my office, I loaded them in my car, and when I was taking them out a ROACH crawled out of one of them. You could have heard me screaming for miles. Needless to say those boxes never got used. Boxes from other free sources should be just fine.

[DebbieJ]

I got some good boxes from a thrift store. I drove around back where people drop off their donations and there were a whole bunch stacked up. Also got some from behind Kinkos of all places.

~ deb
DS born at home 12/03
2 year check up: 25 lbs with clothes on and 35 inches!
BFARed for 20 months and 6 days
(Breastfeeding After Reduction is possible! www.bfar.org)

http://www.bfar.org/members/fora/style_avatars/Ribbons/18months-bfar.jpg

[Sillygirl]

We bought a few flat packs of file boxes from Staples, much cheaper than U-Haul or other moving supply companies. They are very sturdy, they have lids rather than folding flaps, and they're meant to be stacked. Five years later and they're still being used for storage in our basement. I highly recommend them.

[BarbieSmith]

Try www.uline.com for great prices on boxes. Shipping to your home can add quite a bit, but they are still some of the cheapest around. You will have your order 1-2 days after you order, they are super fast.

Barbie

[Momof3Labs]

Try Craigslist, too, for inexpensive moving boxes. We got most of ours from www.uline.com but lived close enough to pick them up rather than paying shipping. The wardrobe boxes that we got from the moving company were used only once, and they only were charging about a dollar for them, so check with moving companies for used boxes. The wardrobe boxes do make things easier since there is no folding of clothes, and everything arrives relatively unwrinkled so can go straight into the new closet. We even packed DS's clothes in wardrobe boxes, and used the empty space below for bedding, pillows, etc.

You will need a LOT more boxes than you anticipate. I think that I sent DH to uline twice for another order of 25 boxes, and we thought that we had bought plenty up front!

FYI, if you get boxes for around $1-1.50 each, you will be able to resell them for almost that much when you are done, so it is well worth it to buy them if it saves you frustration!

And I agree with the advice to start NOW! Pack up everything you don't need - if you do 10-12 boxes per day you will have a much easier time come moving day! Also, as you are packing, set aside anything you don't want to keep, even food items. Either donate that stuff before you move, or (for nicer items) keep the stuff together to save for a garage sale or eBay (and then actually do it).

[brittone2]

Start now as the PPs said!

Declutter as much as you can possibly part with. It is one of the rare times in life that you are forced to touch almost everything you own, kwim? Weigh whether or not some things are worth the effort and expense of moving (for example, for some people it may not be worth it to move old, dated furniture, but rather replace it once they get to their new destination).

We used a system I read about online, and it was a big help. Get a bunch of those dot stickers that are dime/nickel sized from staples. When you pack your boxes, prioritize them in terms of how important they are to get unpacked. For us, red was "very long term storage" (a lot of this stuff went to the attic for example). Yellow was "unpack in the near future, but no immediate need." Green-dotted boxes were the highest priority to get unpacked. Theoretically you could start packing stuff that will be "red dots" now...get some of that out of the way now! You could also use different colored markers to indicate priority...whatever works for you. Label all sides of the boxes clearly with contents and destination. Some people even do a box inventory (list the major things in each box, kept in a notebook, number the box in your notebook and number the physical box). Some people suggest taking photos of some of your things beforehand in case they are lost/damaged in the move. If you will be getting help from friends/family at the new destination, label all of the rooms in the house (plan this in advance before packing your boxes so the room names match up). That way everyone will be clear on what stuff goes to which bedroom for example, or what room is the family room and which is the living room, kwim?

www.organizedhome.com has some good moving tips and an article about moving on their website. That's where a lot of the ideas we used came from.

Make a box to unpack first at your destination, and bring that with you (don't put it in the truck). Toilet paper, cleaning supplies, toiletries, medicines, change of clothes and jammies for everyone, some silverware/dishes or plastic cutlery/paper plates. Coffee pot and coffee. Telephone. Etc. etc.) Clearly label it as "not on truck/open first" and make sure it goes w/ you. FWIW we also had several boxes of photos or really special things that we clearly labeled "not on truck" and made sure it went with us in the car...things that were irreplaceable.

We puchased some boxes at Home Depot/Lowes, Uhaul, and online (may have been the site mentioned above). We got some wardrobe boxes from family and bought some....they are definitely worth it. Fill the bottoms of wardrobe boxes (particularly the kids' stuff since their clothes are short) with lightweight stuff like decorative pillows.

We had to move ourselves from PA to NC. We got lots of help loading from friends and family, and both of our families helped us unload. It went much better than I thought. We used ABF U-pack, so we paid them to drive the truck, but we did the load/unload. We were very pleased with them.

Definitely get good, sturdy boxes, lots of sharpies, tape for the boxes, unprinted newsprint (won't leave your hands and stuff black..can buy from UHaul stores or online), make a moving notebook (put info in there on numbers to call to set utilities up in case things aren't on when you get there, box inventories if you go that route, numbers for the moving company, phone number for the nearest pizza places to get you through the first day or two, etc.)

Start now. Sort through things ruthlessly. Donate, freecycle, throw out while you can. Don't drag stuff you don't love or use with you to the next house.

HTH.

[daisy1234]

Thanks you all so much for all the great tips especially for the starting early tips!!!! I keep thinking I have all this time! I now have to get some boxes and get packing!!!! :))))

I hope more people will chilme in if they think of any additional hints!

Thanks again!

Laura

[JTsMom]

Liquor stores are another great source for boxes. A lot of them have dividers in them, which are great for glasses, plates, etc. They tend to be really strong also.

Good luck, and get packing! We're moving soon too. What a chore.

[Jen841]

We moved a few times ourselves, and paper boxes are the best for things that will fit in them. It is pretty darn hard to make them too heavy, and they all stack together neatly.

What I learned the last move.... packers are the best luxary in the entire world, and daycare was wonderful to have during the move days! We had a corporate move, so all expenses were paid thank goodness. I took vacation time, but that was fine. DH's company made us move, so the move was on his shoulders. I went to work, and came home to our place packed! We unpacked ourselves, but I was fine with that. Jude was in daycare the whole time.

Advise I was given, which I found priceless- Pack the kiddo's room(s) last, and unpack it first so they can keep their nest.

[jayali]

Buy a tape gun. It was the best thing I had for our move. Made sealing boxes so easy. Especially when you are doing it by yourself, which you will be. Oh, and even made sealing DH mouth easy when he started to complain about the little that he had to do! They sell them everywhere and I always buy one for a friend who is moving!

[brittone2]

2nd that. We bought our tape gun at Costco and it also came with several rolls of tape. Well worth it.

[DebbieJ]

We also used ABF U-Pack service and were very pleased both times (from Chicago to Los Angeles and back :) )

~ deb
DS born at home 12/03
2 year check up: 25 lbs with clothes on and 35 inches!
BFARed for 20 months and 6 days
(Breastfeeding After Reduction is possible! www.bfar.org)

http://www.bfar.org/members/fora/style_avatars/Ribbons/18months-bfar.jpg

[bostonsmama]

My mother and I have been helping a family friend move her house all this past week and weekend (her DH died). I'm surprised at how easily we've found cheap resources such as free boxes, donated newspapers, loaned hand trucks/dollies, and a neighbor's truck (she's moving in with her adult daughter locally). Appliance boxes (for TV sets, stereo systems, etc) have been great for heavy china. On Friday I packed 15 boxes just in the kitchen, and all the plates went into a TV box, the fine crystal went into a home theater box and mugs went into a DVD box. We figured heavy items would break through the bottom of lighter weight boxes no matter how much paper/cushioning we used.

We also used a colored sticker labeling system, as her new housing would be smaller (green for long-term storage, yellow for daughter's house and orange for easy access in storage). Unfortunately, my friend (in her grief) was not able to go through sentimental items under a time constraint and designate keep, toss, sell and donate (in a Clean Sweep manner)...so if you can do that, you'll probably have way less to pack (and pay to ship) if you don't pack trash you'll throw away once you arrive at the new place. A good rule of thumb is that if you haven't used/worn it in 6 months, you're probably not going to in the next 6 months (save for holiday decor)...so toss or donate it. Tax write-offs are nice!

I've moved about 8 times in my life (military spouse and father), and here are our tips. Loaned blankets for furniture-wrapping are essential to avoiding nicks/dents.
If you can't find plastic to wrap your mattresses, use an old fitted sheet from a thrift store & toss it when you arrive.
For kitchen utensils, save space by lining a box w/ bubble wrap and just toss them all together w/ a sheet or two of paper between. Don't waste time washing china and dishware before wrapping...if you're like me, you'll just wash them again when you get there.
Use newspaper on items you can run through a dishwasher (glasses, plates) and save the pricier unprinted paper for books, candles, photo frames, and cloth or wood items.
Don't pack the vacuum until the end.
Have a trashbag in every room.
Get a retractable or wide-tip Sharpie and mark all sides (which is all you'll see when the boxes are stacked). Use simple terminology like "Holiday Decor," "Kitchen Utensils," "Dining Room: Serveware," and "Hall Closet: Linens"...when you're unloading the truck, you need to know at a quick glance where everything needs to go. A detailed list of categories in each box is nice, but if there are some things you know you're going to want to get to right away, put them all in a box marked "Essentials" and have it packed last so it's the first to come out.
If you've packed your holiday decor well, don't waste time re-packing it.
For DIY packing, don't be afraid to use old clothes to cushion nick-nacks from your room.

I second holding a party (with delivery pizza and cold canned drinks from an ice chest so you don't have to wash more cups & plates). I also second (third?) avoiding U-haul for boxes. Mayflower is also a good company which hauls away boxes you've already packed and delivers them as well across state, etc.

That's it for now. Everyone has given such great advice, so hopefully you'll find some low-cost solutions that work for you.

Larissa

Making the decision to have a child - it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking outside your body.
~Elizabeth Stone

[Jo..]

If you are moving yourself, sometimes it's cheaper or easier to get a "you pack we drive" service than to rent a Uhaul, etc. They drop off the truck , you have a set amount of time to load it up (could be hours or days), they drive it to your destination where you unpack. The two least expensive and most reputable according to movingscam.com (a huge great resource including message boards to avoid getting ripped off in a move) are ABF and Broadway Express.

We used ABF Upack during our last move and saved several thousand dollars over full service movers and it was also slightly cheaper (maybe a couple hundred bucks) than renting a Uhaul. Their prices vary depending on origination/destination, time of year, etc. but it is always worth getting a quote.

http://www.upack.com/
http://www.broadwayexpress.net/

Also, if you need more manual labor than your friends can provide, you can hire inexpensive temporary workers. For example, moving labor store says I can get 2 men for 2 hours for $230, plus $60 each additional hour. This can be a really great resource as you and DH can avoid the heavy lifting and get the loading/unloading done much more quickly. Try one of the following sites:

http://www.movinglaborstore.net
http://movinghelp.emove.com/
http://www.laborready.com/default.aspx
http://www.moving-staffers.com/ABF/order.html (more $$$ than some of the others)

HTH

[jenmcadams]

We used Broadway Express for our last move and will be using them for a move in a few weeks too. They are great! I've also heard good things about ABF. A great site for inside info on moving companies and actual reviews is www.movingscam.com

[daisy1234]

This is one good thing about moving...I don't lose my BBB support system!!! :)

Thank you everyone for all the helpful posts! I had no idea about many of the tips listed! Thank you again!!!!!

Laura