Our guest blogger Dedreanna shares her packing tips.
Packing for the Big Move Has Started by Dedreanna
With less than a month until the Big Move, we’ve begun to pack the items we know we won’t need until then. The first step in this process was to find boxes- this included even some good old fashioned dumpster diving (not my proudest moment, lol.)
Here are some places we found you might be able to get boxes suitable for moving .
1- Your local liquor store. The boxes are sturdy and usually in a cleaner condition than grocery store boxes. We happened to catch it when they were unloading the truck, so the boxes were still put together. A lot of the boxes were also the same size, so they fit inside each other and saved space.
2- Cardboard Dumpsters. These are different than regular trash dumpsters and they are labeled “ Cardboard Only”. The best ones are behind stores like dollar stores and clothing stores because the boxes are big and the area is clean ( no garbage around from restaurants to attract bugs.) These boxes are usually collapsed but can be easily put together. Just make sure to tape the bottom to keep your stuff from falling out
3- Moving Stores. If you have extra cash to spend (or are just paranoid about bringing home unwelcome critters in used boxes,) stores such as the Container Store or moving companies have cardboard boxes for sale. The prices usually range from $1-$4 per box depending on the size.
Personally, since my fiancé and I are moving straight from my mom’s house into our new apartment, all I have to pack is my room, and anything I bought for the apartment. Unfortunately for me, my room has a lot in it, plus a closet full of items from my childhood.
It’s been really hard trying to figure out what I’m going to take with me and what I’m leaving behind. With a room full of memories, I don’t really want to leave any of it behind, even though I know I have to. I’ve decided to only bring the items I know I’ll look at or use. For example, I know I want my photo albums with me, but will I look at the box full of notes my friends and I wrote each other in high school? No.
Depending on how much you have to pack, it’s always good to start at least a month before you need to move, so you don’t have to pack everything in a hurry.
Start with anything you know you won’t need before you move. For me, the first thing I packed was all of the books I’m not reading now. Next I packed all of the decorations in my room (candles, picture frames, wall hangings, etc.) I try to pack like items together, according to room, to make unpacking easier. I wrapped everything breakable in paper towel and plastic bags, and labeled the boxes “fragile”.
Which brings me to my next tip: Label EVERYTHING!
There’s nothing worse than getting to your new place and not knowing where anything is. Make sure to write in a permanent marker on every box what’s in it, what room it goes to, and is it fragile. Since we’re going to have another couple living with us, I also wrote our names on our boxes so we don’t get them mixed up with our roommates’ stuff.
Besides packing, the next step in our moving process is to finish paying our down payment ( which we’re doing next week!), and make arrangements to have our electric and cable hooked up.
Our official moving day is May 1st, but we’re going to ask if we can begin cleaning the apartment and moving some things earlier. The landlord told us she was having all of the carpets shampooed, but we also want to go to clean the apartment from top to bottom before we bring in our belongings. As far as I know we aren’t allowed to paint, but we’re allowed to hang pictures.
Right now the plan is not to rent a moving truck since we’re moving only an hour away. Our friends and family have promised to help us. We’ll let you know if they come through.
Fortunately, there are ways to overcome the anxiety associated with a quick move and take care of all the things you need to do. Here are some tips for moving out fast without losing your cool. Just try to follow these valuable tips.Thanks!
I got my boxes by “stealing”! Twice I have seen new neighbors put boxes out on the curb for trash full of packing paper! I dragged them over to my porch until I was ready to pack.
Another great place to get boxes (specifically for your clothes/shoes/purses/etc.) is at clothing stores. I got all of my boxes for my shoes from ALDO or Footlocker, which was perfect because they were big enough to fit a lot of shoe boxes. (I keep my shoes in the original boxes). They weren’t too heavy because the shoe boxes are mostly empty. Also for heavy stuff, I went with smaller boxes from the liquor store next door. Like you said, they’re pretty sturdy. If you can get the boxes before they’ve been collapsed, there’s not much to worry about on quality because they’ve only really been used once. I avoided going into dumpsters or getting the boxes off the streets to avoid any kind of food product boxes, which could be sticky or stinky.
Using free boxes and moving supplies is an okay option, but we recommend it only for local moves. The problem with free boxes is that they are used and many times in poor condition.
Although the concept is still new, there are businesses now that specialize in plastic container and box rental. These containers are made specifically for moving and the company will deliver/pick-up for free. You simply rent them on a weekly basis and give them back when you are done moving. I definitely recommend looking into box rental type companies in your area as an affordable alternative.
Paying for boxes is silly, and mostly a waste of money. My sister works at Old Navy and they were more than happy to hand off boxes to me.