Moving Tips

So, first of all, No, we are not (at this time) moving. At least, not that I know of, not this month anyway. You never can tell and I've learned NEVER to say never.

(A very dear friend of mine is. In fact, she was my first friend here when we arrived 2 1/2 years ago. We Stuckeys were quite alone and went for several months feeling that way. That January, we joined a new small group and I *bravely* went to a Tues. night Bible study. That night I met her and we ended up bonding for about an hour afterwards as we shared how we had both gone through miscarriages around Thanksgiving. We immediately learned that we moved here in similar circumstances around the same time and that our husbands worked together and had already met!  Lance and I have both said time and again how much they mean to us. God, in His faithfulness and perfect timing has provided a wonderful promotion and fresh start for her husband and so as we hate to see them go, (Oh, how we hate it) it is a great opportunity for him.  So, they will be leaving us soon. )

As they have to move somewhat quickly,  she and I were talking about moving and I've been trying to remember all the things that we learned when we moved here-- so I thought I would write them all down here and you can feel free to comment with any of your tips!! Some of you have moved A LOT!!!


When preparing to move:

* LABEL, LABEL, LABEL. Don't just write what room, list some of the contents (if not all!) It will help you immensely in those first few days. We wrote on index cards and then packing taped them to the boxes. Number your boxes for any room which you have multiples, such as the kitchen.

* Don't be afraid to donate and throw out when preparing to move. It really doesn't take all that much longer and you will most likely be "paying" to move every little thing, so if it doesn't serve a purpose (and if not sentimentally important) get rid of it!!!

* Use all your space! Use space in dresser drawers, pots and pans, (for small kitchen tools and spices)
*Get some of those colored dot stickers from the office supply section and devote one color to each room/ area of the house-- then mark the boxes that way.

*Have a supply of cheap zip-top bags in varying sizes. They are indispensable for collecting small things like the magnets from your fridge, cleaning out your medicine cabinets, removing all child-proof locks, etc. Also, when you take things down and apart--such as drapery rods-- just put all the small pieces, screws and such inside and tape it to the curtain rod.

To make the transition easier for all of you:
* Make a cleaning bag that rides in the car with you and you can take in first. Obviously, most places will be only surface clean and you will probably want to wipe down bathrooms, kitchen sinks and counters, etc before using them.  I used a canvas 31 bag with lots of pockets. I had paper towels, windex, basic all purpose cleaner, magic erasers, dust cloths and I stuck a roll of garbage bags and a couple rolls of toliet paper down in it. You don't want to have to search for these.

*Pack a suitcase (if moving several hours away) with your pajamas, extra clothes, toothbrushes, contact lens cases, etc. so you don't have to search through boxes.

*To make the transition better on little ones, especially toddlers, make every effort to set up their crib right away and have their linens clean and all ready to pull out of a clean garbage bag and put on their bed. Make sure you have their favorite toys close by for bedtime to make the difference bearable. I avoided changing any other major things for several weeks prior to or after. I would not recommend encouraging any major transitions during this time, i.e. crib to toddler bed, bottle to sippy cup, etc.

*Unpack your basics in the kitchen within the first 24 hours. Once you have your kitchen set up, you will feel much more able to tackle everything else, and it works as a great command center.


 These are things I've noticed on Pinterest that seem to be great ideas and I'll try to give proper credit.

This Post contains many tips and a printable moving checklist!

We did the garbage bag thing over hanging clothes and the styrofoam plates between breakable plates tip is genius!!

Also, Check out these Great Moving Tips HERE

**Please share your own moving/ packing tips in the comments!!**