Moving. Tips? Tricks? Help???

Jessika_Lynnn

So, we got the dredded call from the landlord saying that he's going to put our house up for sale. Who knows when, and with his track record I wouldn't put it past him to give us the bare minimum amount of time to pack.

So, my fiance and I decided that we are just going to prepare, and purge purge purge everything we haven't used in a year (which is going to be A LOT and boy am I excited!!!! lol we have WAY too much ****).

Does anyone have any suggestions as to where a person could get a plethera of free boxes? Have you moved before? Got any tips at all? I've moved twice in my life. Once when I was in the 8th grade, and another when I moved out of my parents house and in with my now fiance. But I had WAY less than I do now. Funny how much you can accumulate in 4 years!

So if anyone has any moving tips and suggestions as to where we can get boxes, it would be GREATLY appreciated! Add me as a friend also if you would like!!!

Thanks so much!

Zylahe

Ask any friends or collegues, or anyone you know who has recently moved.
Also when we rang our electricity supplier to change over they sent up some boxes and packing tape. :drinker:
Foodland used to have a massive thing of boxes anyone could grab, but i dont think they do that nymore.
If you know anyone who works where they unpack stuff, you could try them.

joecollins9385

grocery stores, restaurants, liquor stores, etc. they all have tons of boxes that they just throw out. you may have to come back on a specific day or time (right after a delivery) but they will be more than happy to give you boxes

RaeLB

Grocery stores have lots of boxes. We have grocery stores that put out the boxes to carry your groceries home. If you don't have stores like that just ask the manager.

jillleanne

When I moved, I went to grocery stores and asked them for apple boxes. They are really sturdy, and usually have a lid. Also liquor stores have a lot of big boxes that can hold a lot of heavy things.

Good luck!

Bubbles99207

Check on Craigslist - a lot of people that have moved would be very happy for you to pick up their moving boxes cause a lot of them use movers and they leave the boxes behind, Check it out.

kittyhasclaws

I'm just finishing the process, and this will be the third move in as many years. I get boxes off of Craigslist, from supermakets, and when I picked up my bountiful baskets.

MrDude_1

liquor stores are THE place to get moving boxes.
EVERYTHING there comes in boxes.. they're sturdy, they have tons of them, and they come in several shapes all around the size you need.. most have handles too, and are easily taped shut.

MrDude_1

another tip.. label EVERY BOX. you may think you'll remember, but you wont.

also, its tempting, but dont set something for say, the kitchen, in your bedroom or living room box because its open close by. thats how people lose things moving.

label each box by room and have a place to put every box as its packed.. you'll know you're done when theres nothing left in the room, instead of thinking everything is in the box.. sounds dumb but it helps, especially when you're moving fast.

MrDude_1

oh, and yes, when I move I may look like a raging alcoholic.... but I have never had a liquor store box break. lol.

crystalflame

Uhaul has a box recycling program where you can get people's lightly used boxes for free.

If you know anyone who works in a warehouse or a manufacturing building anywhere just ask them, I know we throw out hundreds of boxes every day here...

Other tips - if you're doing this ahead of time, pack strategically. Room by room, shelf by shelf, so you don't end up opening chaos on the other end. Wardrobe boxes are great things that hold a lot more than clothes, and they save you the time of putting everything back on hangers on the other end - a good investment, IMO. Clothes, dishrags, etc make for already available packing materials for breakables. ...If you have wrapping paper with glitter on it, keep it separate from everything else.

zeebruhgirl

Beauty supply stores like Ulta have the BEST boxes.
All sturdy :]

crzyone

Go dumpster diving!!! I raided the Dollar Stores dumpsters and also the recycling bins. The boxes in the dumpsters have usually already been cut flat but some good rolls of clear tape will fix those up in a hurry. If you have one of those big bins where people put in paper, cardboard, etc in different bins, that is what we have. I got tons of newspapers to wrap things in and tons of boxes. If you go in the stores, like Dollar General, etc, and ask for boxes, they will sometimes have some laying around that they have not cut down yet and you can get those.

Tips:

It takes TONS AND TONS of boxes!!! You will think you have WAYYY too many but you never will!! Get ALL that you can find. Start collecting them now!!

Start packing now. Don't wait till the last minute if you KNOW you will be moving. Pack those things that you aren't using every day and just put the boxes in the closet or somewhere out of the way if it is going to be awhile.

Depends upon how you are moving, but if you aren't going far and you can just take the drawers out of dressers, etc and move the drawers, it is easy to just put the drawers right back in the dresser without having to pack it all up, but that will depend upon how far you are moving or who is moving you.

If you are not going far, some things you can just put in your car and not box up...like the drawers to dressers or delicate pieces that dont' go easily in boxes, also, clothes from your closet. Just open your trunk and lay those hangers flat with clothes on them...again, that is, if you are only moving across town or something.

Wrap EVERYTHING really well. Write on the boxes which rooms the boxes go in.

If you are moving quickly in one day, pack the things you wuold need to survive the night into your car, like sheets for the mattress, medications, pet food, a towel, a glass, a fork...etc..those things that when you get there after a long day of moving you will wish you knew what box they were in. If they are in one box in your car you can survive the night easier.

If you have something that you really 100 percent don't want broken, pack it and carry it to YOUR own car yourself!! No matter how careful your loved ones and friends are, accidents happen. This way you can only blame yourself.

Oh, and put a package of toilet paper in your car. When you get to your new place you will want to know where that is!!!!!

Good luck...I love moving and throwing away all that useless stuff!!!!

jcstanton

grocery stores, restaurants, liquor stores, etc. they all have tons of boxes that they just throw out. you may have to come back on a specific day or time (right after a delivery) but they will be more than happy to give you boxes

^^This. Produce boxes work great because they have lids and handles (no packaging tape required and they stack a little better), but they are only medium sized and don't fit as much stuff as larger boxes. Personally, I prefer investing in storage bins because you can keep reusing them (even if you're not moving they work great for seasonal clothing, seasonal decor, etc...). It's an expensive investment initially, but it is a long term investment.

Edit: If you use boxes, don't forget to label as you go (which room it goes in, what's in it, etc...). That's another great thing about using storage bins, it only takes a quick peek under the lid to find out what's in it. If you use boxes, you have to pull off the packaging tape to get inside something you forgot to label.

Wolfe1759

I have moved 7 times since I met my partner 10 years ago, and am something of a professional at moving. OK, semi-pro [grin].

1. Boxes: book stores, liquor stores, and grocery stores are all excellent sources of free boxes. If you want to buy new boxes, a professional shipping company like ULine is a good source (<www.uline.com>). UHaul will sometimes sell used boxes.

2. Tape: I like the brown tape that you can rip by hand - - saves a lot of time in sealing boxes. See the description online at <www.uline.com/BL_3064/Pressure-Sensitive-Kraft-Tape> for an example of the type of tape. Really easy to use, and works well.

3. Contents: label the boxes, and for super fast organization, use colour coded stickers or tape to identify each room. In my last move, red stickers were every box for all the living room stuff, blue stickers were for the bedroom boxes, and green stickers were for the kitchen boxes. Each box gets a colour. The colour means you can quickly see where the box needs to go, without having to read the label on the box. Once all the boxes are in the right room, then you can get down to the nitty gritty of unpacking. Try not to mix rooms - - keep the boxes to a single room, and it will be easier both to move them (because the boxes can go directly into the proper room), but also much easier to unpack.

4. Packing dishes and glasses: I like to use special glass boxes now because I'm lazy, but you don't need to. I use t-shirts, towels, dish towels and other linens to pack breakable stuff like dishes. It works well as padding, and kills two birds with one stone (you don't need to pack these clothing items or linens separately). Socks can be put into glasses to help pad them, too.

5. Take the opportunity to purge now. You don't have to move it if you can sell it, throw it out, or donate it. Really think about what you use and want to keep. It's amazing how much we hold on to when we don't need to. In Canada we have Craigslist and Kijiji, which are both free marketplaces on which you can sell unwanted items. Who knows, you may get money for that unwanted bike or piece of furniture.

6. Save your back. Rent, buy or borrow a hand truck or two wheel dolly. It will make it a LOT easier to move boxes if you are doing the move yourself, and even if movers are handling the heavy lifting, you would be surprised how often you will use something like that. It will make it a lot easier, even to move boxes and heavy items from room to room.

7. Kitchen and bathrooms: make a "go bag" for each room with critical items, and move it with you in your car to your new destination for easy set up on the other end. You would be amazed how hard it is to find where you packed the forks and plates or the toilet paper in the chaos of the move. Having a pre-made kit with the necessaries will save you stress, trust me!

8. Pack valuables / computers / breakables yourself and bring them to the new place. Don't let movers handle this kind of stuff. I have some re-usable plastic totes that I like to use, but a laundry basket works just as well in a pinch.

9. Cleaning supplies / vacuum. Leave a bucket of cleaning supplies and your vacuum in your old place so that you can give your place the once-over after you move out. If you leave the place messy, you could lose your damage deposit, and it's a simple courtesy to leave the place as you would like to find it.

10. Think about how you will keep eating healthy during the week or so around the move. Once you pack your kitchen, and until the kitchen is unpacked on the other end, your eating routines will be all topsy turvy. Plan ahead for how you will exercise and eat well while your life is all upside down.

I am still getting used to my new place after my last move back in June, so I don't envy you. Good luck!

MzBug

Everyone has great tips! I can add....

As you pack and stack boxes also label them sequentialy.... bedroom 1, bedroom 2, bedroom 3 etc. That way when you get to your final destination you know that the highest number is probably the one that should be opened first since it has the last used items in it.

Pack a box that contains everything you need to make a couple quick meals....a pan, plates, flatware, and non perishable food items.

Keep a small first aid kit in your car! It never fails, someone is going to get a boo boo.

If you think you are going to get short notice you can get a storage unit and start putting things in there as you get them packed up.

Before all else PURGE! If you haven't touched it in the last 6-12 months, sell, donate or trash it. The exception being holiday, must save gift or heirloom items.

Good Luck!

BarretScarbrough

I am in the process of moving now, also I used to be a "mover" and moved 4-6 house holds per week. As some have mentioned, use free resources for your boxes, as grocery stores bail boxes daily and don't mind giving them away. a decent sized box is a banana box, a produce department can go through 4 dozen boxes per day.
Buy large trash bags - cheap ones, you can use these to cover your clothes with. Cut about a 5-6" radius notch out of the bottom center of the bag, turn the bag over, and slide it over your clothes- still on the hanger.
When loading the moving truck, you want to stand your sofa's vertically in the front two corners, this will act as a buffer for the entire load in case you have to slam on brakes. Once you have the sofa's positioned, fill in the area in front of it, usually with a large pieces of furniture such as a dresser. Then fill in the area on top of it and below it.
Moving pads are pretty expensive, so use old quilts, comforters, and even towels as moving pads - you can cover the tops of your wood furniture to prevent scratches or wrap glass with it.
You want to load the truck in tiers - usually about 4-6ft thick each, then using straps to "lock" it off. The reason you want to keep everything stacked correctly in tiers and uniform is so that you don't arrive at your destination, open the rear door, and have a huge mess. Furniture and box dolly's are a plus if you can rent or borrow some.

- One of my favorites, when boxing items like books or other dense materials, use small boxes. A small moving box packed full of books can weigh 30+ lbs easily, you don't want to kill yourself because you packed everything into one large box.

I'm not sure if this is the kind of information you were looking for, but there it is.