ISO Tips and advice for an easy move

amother

Mon, Feb 24 2014, 2:45 pm

We b"h bought a house and will be moving for Pesach iy"h.
While I'm really excited, I cannot help feeling nervous for the packing up and all the work that comes with the move.

I'm in need of any advice and tips you can give for the packing process, for the actual move, and for any settling tips!

I'm in NY and moving to another home in my same city.

Anything is appreciated!

tulip4u

Mon, Feb 24 2014, 4:35 pm

Mazel tov on your move!!!

Pack a suitcase for the first night after you move. Night clothes for everyone, toothbrushes, soap, clothes for next day and linen, blankets and towels etc.

Label each box and the room it belongs in.

If you have occupation of the new home a bit before the actual move - it helps a lot to bring clothes before and hang them up in cupboard. Ditto for kitchen basics. Not always possible though.

Behatzlocho!!!!

m+m

Mon, Feb 24 2014, 4:46 pm

Will you have access to the new house before you actually move in? If you can unpack a little before actually moving out it will make it easier when you move.

Label everything well, it makes unpacking much easier.

Get rid of toys/clothes that have been sitting around for a while. If you are missing the pieces to a game or have toys that are never used or broken now is the time to get rid of it.

Mazel tov, and good luck!

tryinghard

Mon, Feb 24 2014, 7:48 pm

I refused to buy a single box - stores give them away if you ask, plus I got a lot from craigslist - and once I unpacked I listed them as free on craigslist as well and someone came and took them all away Smile

I used a google docs spreadsheet so that I had numbers, rooms and contents all sortable - I was able to print out a list of which boxes go in which room, and I knew if we were missing a box. Also the spreadsheet was useful because I didnt feel any pressure to pack in a particular order - since I listed the contents and the room, I was able to reorganize later.

MMCH

Mon, Feb 24 2014, 8:06 pm

we moved this past summer....
I wish I could say it went smoothly and was amazingly organized bc of me, however, it was all due to my dh! he had everything down to a science

1)we didnt pay for a single box, we have been collecting, hoarding, craigslist, neighbors, you name it
2)we started out in each room separately, first going through what we want and will be thrown out. once we sorted out, only then we started with boxes
3)pack a suitcase (or one per family member) of the things you will need for the first night you are in the house-pj's, socks,undies,towels, toothbrushes, and blankets
4)label every single box
5)at the last minute my dh numbered every single box, adn then made a master list with each number, whats inside, and where its going (bedroom, kitchen, living room) it made the unpacking soooo much easier

6)last and what I felt was most important, and most lacking in our move, have someone (if possible) watch little children during the unpacking (like for 2 days). this was prob the most stressed out we were. bc the day of the move was so busy, (I was getting on a plane with the kids) that I wasnt needed.
but unpacking...with 2 little kids was crazy. someone was always crying, my dh was constannntly begging me to just stay by him for like 10 minute so we could finish one box and I could tell him where it goes. we really just needed like 2-3 days, a few hours a day to do it
otherwise moving was pretty great!

good luck!

chatouli

Mon, Feb 24 2014, 9:01 pm

I moved on a Friday because I was working part time and couldn't take a day off. The best advice I got was, pack a Shabbos box and put everything you need in it. Think of everything: candles, candlesticks, matches, challah, challah cover, siddur, benchers, kiddush cup, grape juice, etc. Then don't send that box with the movers. Keep it in your car and put it somewhere where you will find it. The movers ended up taking two hours longer than they thought they would to unpack the truck and left ten minutes before candlelighting, so this was fantastic advice!

Also, the very first thing you do in the new place should be making up your beds. That way, when you run out of steam, you can just collapse in bed.