FROM A COUPLE THAT MOVED STATES TWICE IN ONE YEAR

If you’re preparing for a major move or considering a job in a different state, you’re likely overwhelmed at what all needs to be done. And while you can Google tips and ask friends for advice, unless someone is in the middle of it, they rarely remember the juicy helpful advice that you need to hear the most. So that’s exactly why I spent hours trying to organize my thoughts and take notes from my husband’s perspective throughout this process to gather what all we’ve learned having done this crazy move-across-the-country thing twice in seven months! While I heavily debated breaking down today’s super long post into three separate days of content, I think it makes the most sense for those who need it as one singular, lengthy read. And don’t fret, I have more moving-related advice blog posts coming your way soon, I just wanted to make sure today’s was as comprehensive as I can get regarding my advice for “getting ready” for a big move.

Preparing

Find out the timeline for your move. This will be determined by a number of things including a start date for your new job, the first day of your new lease or when you can move into a new home, when the moving company is available and more.

Select a moving company that fits your budget and comfort level. (Another post coming soon with details on how to find the right company!)

Organization

If you’re moving out of a house or somewhere larger than an apartment, I would suggest moving what you can into a central location like the garage. But even if you’re in an apartment, try to consolidate everything to one spot. This will help you to visualize how much packing you’re actually accomplishing, how much space your items take up (if you’re trying to determine what size moving truck will be required) and it makes the job a lot quicker for movers when everything is in one location.

When we were moving to NYC, the moving company we selected had a set cubic footage of space we could fill. We taped off the dimensions in the garage (using painters’ tape) along the floor and wall to visualize how much room we’d have on the truck. Then, as we filled boxes, we’d label and tape them and move them to the designated space in the garage. As we emptied rooms, we designated spaces for items to be sold, items to give to friends or family, and items to donate.

Downsizing / Getting Rid of “Stuff”

For the move to NYC, we had a little more time on our hands than the move to SC and we had a lot of items that physically could not come with us to the city so we HAD to get rid of much. We were grateful to have a free three day weekend during that part of the moving process and utilized that time to post anything and everything that wasn’t going with us and wasn’t of interest to close friends or family, onto Facebook Marketplace. And despite it being a cold, rainy January weekend, the front door of Darrell’s house was basically a revolving door that weekend, with most of our items selling over one day!

Regarding items we gave away: we had lots of little things or duplicates of items that we didn’t feel like going through the trouble of selling on Facebook Marketplace and instead sent photos to friends and family asking if they wanted any of it. As they started to show interest in items, we labeled cardboard boxes and began filling them up with the items to keep things tidy.

We took most of our donate pile to Salvation Army and some to Goodwill. We waited until friends and family took what they wanted and to see what would sell first and then made a few hauls to drop off donations.

For the move to SC, we had less time and due to COVID, didn’t feel comfortable trying to meet people to sell items online. So we chose not to sell anything prior to the move even though we had accumulated a few items that just aren’t as necessary outside of that unique living situation. Additionally, the second move was based on number of boxes/items not the amount of space. We made space in what was our dining area to store packed boxes as we began to pack items.

For both moving companies we used, if it didn’t go in a box, it was counted as a “box.” Be sure to check how different items are classified for the moving company you select.

Planning

Find out what items can’t be handled by the moving truck or need special arrangements before moving day. We ran into this issue with plants for our first move. There are other things like alcohol that some moving companies won’t transport. A lot of the restrictions have to do with items that are flagged or cause the company to be fined if inspected on the road. Inspections have a lot so they don’t mess around.

Find out what’s not worth the expense that comes with having the moving company transport it. For us it was pointless to pay more than the price we initially paid for a mirror to have the moving company move it for us. So we gave our mirrors away in the first move and bought new when we arrived in NYC. For the second, we just knew going in and decided to transport them ourselves. Computer monitors were another thing that weren’t worth the expense so we just moved them ourselves.

In most cases, you’re going to be driving a personal vehicle to your new location and will be able to transport some items. Unless you’re moving somewhere that you won’t be taking a vehicle, which then you might need to consider renting a vehicle to pack some items that can’t make the trip via the moving truck.

Make a list of what doesn’t go on the truck.

This should include what you will need for the possible length of time before you see your stuff again. (Be sure to ask the moving company how long of a window to expect for dates that your items could be delivered.)

Items to consider:

• Enough clothing to wear. Do you need special attire for an interview or occasion that might happen during the window of time before you will see your full wardrobe again? Also think about needing an iron for those special clothes…

• Medicine.

• Necessities for your pet to cover that window of time, including a crate or gates needed in new home before truck arrives.

• Important documents.

• Items that can’t be transported by the moving truck. For us, this meant our neon sign because of the mercury it contains. In the first move, it would have been my large monstera plant which we ended up giving away.

• Items you don’t want to pay the extra expense to have moved by the moving company. (Mirrors, computer monitors)

• Items you’re not comfortable having movers move (anything that would really upset you if it was lost or damaged). For us, this included my wedding dress, some family heirlooms, etc.

• Important basic everyday items you’ll need while you wait for everything else to arrive: air mattress, pillows, blankets, towels, shower curtain rings, etc.

Once you know how much you’re realistically going to need to fit in a rental vehicle you can arrange for the rental. In both scenarios, this meant renting a minivan for us. Even if you don’t have that much stuff to haul, the fold-down seats are a wonderful feature for transporting odd shaped items so I’m very pro-rent-a-minivan haha.

Make a List of What to Shop for When You First Arrive (to hold you over until the truck arrives)

Or a list of additional items you may wish to pack in your personal vehicle:

• Food that can be prepared with disposable dishes and serveware.

• Disposable dishes and serveware.

• Plastic shower curtain.

• Toilet paper.

• Paper towels.

• Laundry detergent and dryer sheets.

• Soap. (bathrooms, kitchen)

• Trash bags.

Planning for Moving Day(s)

Book your lodging for in between your former home and new home. If you have a pet, you’ll want to make sure to book a hotel that allows pets or find family to stay with.

Determine where the moving truck is allowed to park, how they will access your building, and any move-in or move-out policies from property management. Make sure your moving company is aware of any restrictions or rules.

Find out where and how to handle recyclables at your new location (cardboard is going to pile up quickly and you’re going to want to get it out of your face ASAP so how does that need to happen).

Have a clipboard and pen or notepad ready to hold checklist from moving company… you’ll want to confirm everything arrives.

As the movers bring in furniture, walk through and assess any damages. You can get a little money to compensate you for anything that might have happened in the move from the personal property insurance coverage. (Our brand new dresser took a few hits somewhere along the way and we plan to file a claim with our personal property insurance.)

Establish a game plan for where items will go before movers arrive. If you have multiple movers, they’ll be looking to you for quick directions over and over again and it’s less of a headache if you’ve already ballpark measured out where items will fit or need to go.

Packing

You can begin packing way before a move if you pack according to how often you use items. So start with items you rarely use like things that are seasonal or for entertaining purposes. Move onto shoes and clothing that are out of season.

Depending on how much time you have to pack will determine if you have time to purge on the front end of your move. If you do have lots of time, awesome! Take time to sort through everything and dispose, sell or rehome any items you’ll not need in your new home. If you’re crunched for time, just pack it all up and sort as you unpack at your destination!

Pack an overnight bag of what goes into hotel. Why we still haven’t mastered this part beats me but learn from our mistakes: pack only what you need for the days you’re between homes into minimal suitcases. The rest of the items can go in suitcases you won’t remove from the vehicle until you reach your new home. Don’t pack everything in a bunch of suitcases and then do what we did and have to lug all of them out at each hotel we stopped at prior to arriving at our destination.

DON’T pack items you’ll need to clean once everything is moved out: broom, mop, rags, cleaning products, sponges, vacuum.

Leave out any blankets to wrap around items like computer monitors or other breakable valuables that will be transported in your personal vehicle.

And finally, here are the items we used most for packing: mostly medium size boxes, then small boxes and fewer large boxes. But if your moving company bases off the number of boxes and size doesn’t matter, try to pack items into larger boxes – you can pack small boxes that then go into a larger box if you’re worried about items breaking or getting damaged. We used tons of tape in both moves and a lot of packing paper. We used about half of one of those giant rolls of bubble wrap. Having lots of scissors on hand helps, because even with three pairs, we were constantly misplacing them in different rooms where we packed.

Like I mentioned in yesterday’s post, these aren’t intended to be checklists for what to do or “how to move across the country” because there are already lots of those out there on the internet, but rather just the detailed conversation I’d have with a friend if they were approaching a move across the country. I hope this information is insightful! Let me know if you have specific questions about moving to a new state and I’ll try to work them into the remaining posts in this series!