Tips for moving in less than 2 weeks

amother

Tue, May 12 2020, 6:48 am

Hi all,
It happened so suddenly but iyh we will be moving in two weeks, right before shavuos. We’re only moving a block and a half away but I’m so overwhelmed by how much needs to be done and all with the kids at home. (6 and 3 so can’t help me, just will be underfoot.) making shavuos literally a day or two after the move cuz can’t go anywhere for Yom Tov. Literally HOW is this possible? Need any and all tips you have!

amother

Bisque

Tue, May 12 2020, 6:53 am

Let your family members and friends know that you are in need of help and would accept their offer if/whenever they're willing to come help you pack.
I did this erev pesach. I moved with quick notice and felt very overwhelmed.
I literally called up my siblings, friends and neighbors. Several of them came at different times, it was a lifesaver.
Bshaa Tova

amother

Tue, May 12 2020, 7:02 am

My family is still religiously social distancing so that’s not an option..

amother

Vermilion

Tue, May 12 2020, 7:06 am

Do you have to be out of the old place the same day as moving into the new one? If you can possibly keep the old house for a bit longer, move the furniture, linens and dishes, along with two weeks of clothes and toiletries, on moving day. Then do the rest bit by bit, so you can sort as you go.

Rappel

Tue, May 12 2020, 7:10 am

Boxes. So many boxes. And tape.

Decide what's essential to be out (kind of like pesach), and then pack everything else away, room by room, box by box. Finish a box? Seal it.

Newmami

Tue, May 12 2020, 7:16 am

Hi op

congrats for finding an new place.
I just moved and here some tips.
-the first room to unpack is the bedrooms.
you want to be able to go to sleep after a long day of unpacking
-prepare a box with food and necessities for moving day.
you don't want to go looking through a million boxes for a scissor etc.
-When packing label, label and label
an easy tip for unpacking is mark every box with a color according to the room it belongs.
In the new app put the same color on every door frame.
So when moving in you can straight away put the box in the right place.

good luck

Elfrida

Tue, May 12 2020, 7:25 am

Rappel wrote:

Boxes. So many boxes. And tape.

Decide what's essential to be out (kind of like pesach), and then pack everything else away, room by room, box by box. Finish a box? Seal it.

Label the boxes as you go.

Doesn't need to be a detailed list of the contents, but at least 'kitchen' ,'Moshe's room', 'girls summer clothes' so that you know where each box goes and can prioritize what needs to be unpacked.

You can't go away for Shavuot, but can you order food? The expense will be a negligible part of moving expenses, and having two days of Shabbos and Yom Tov food turn up at you door shortly before Yom Tov will relieve a huge amount of pressure to get the kitchen ready. Order disposable plates while you are at it.

amother

Coral

Tue, May 12 2020, 8:35 am

I don’t know your finances but there are expensive moving services that pack for you within one day

et27

Tue, May 12 2020, 10:05 am

amother [ Coral ] wrote:

I don’t know your finances but there are expensive moving services that pack for you within one day

We found someone relatively cheap who does that. Where do you live? PM me if you need more info.

amother

Mauve

Tue, May 12 2020, 10:17 am

Order, buy, or ask for help with the YT food. Your family will be exhausted and off schedule so keep the chag simple. Focus on the move not the food.

Clothes can be taken on hangers.
But 8-10 Large plastic bins to take, drop and refil. The house will look like a tornado but then you can put away in an organized way.

amother

Jetblack

Tue, May 12 2020, 10:57 am

I've moved 3 times in 4 years. The best thing was to label everything obsessively and pack everything that I needed right away separately. I know some people just write a room but if it also says DC shoes and books on the box, you'll know which box has his slippers when he misplaced his shoes and you desperately need something to put on his feet. Otherwise, you'll have to open every last box in his room till you find the one you need.

Also, don't overthink the packaging, just tape a bunch of boxes and open closets and just put stuff in (and label). We once packed a 3 bedroom apartment in 25 hours without any notice so it is possible.

Open your closets and kitchen cabinets and drawers and snap a picture of everything. It's most helpful in the kitchen. Then before you unpack the kitchen, take a stack of sticky notes and open the pictures. Write each major category on a sticky note. Plates, mixer, cooking bowls, cake pans, spices, cereal etc
Then walk around the kitchen and put the stickies on the cabinet door/drawer where you think it should go. Realize the ingredients need to go where you put the plates, just move the sticky note. (I didn't do this with my first kitchen but I did it with the other 2 and it was so much easier and less stressful. I had to keep moving things around because I forgot about x and it took forever and was very frustrating. The other times, after I labeled everything, my husband was able to help and I didn't have to stop and think every time I opened a box where it should go) you can also have DH unpack a dresser. Just send him the pictures and tell him to put everything away in the same place.

If you want new shelf paper, go online and buy it now. Buy extra, you'll return the extra, you don't want to run short.

Pack everything you don't need for the next 2 weeks now, seforim, milichig plates, out of season clothes. Put all the boxes in one room on every floor if you don't want to feel misplaced for the next 2 weeks.

After the last shabbos at home, pack everyone a shavous clothing box. Put everything inside that they need for the first few days and shavous so you won't have pressure that you must unpack everyone's everything or they won't have what to wear!

Do the same for the kitchen. Make a box of plates, bowls, cups, plastic cutlery, some easy food so you can feed the kids the day you move. Make sure to label those boxes prominently so you can find them right away!

Morning of, take all linen off beds, put in garage bags, in new house, take right out of bags and on the bed. (you can wash them in a week when things settle down Smile

) you may also want to keep 2 clean towels to throw into the bags so you can take a shower without rummaging for towels)

Last tip - at some point in all the moves, I just put things in the place they go randomly. Like I put all the towels in the towel closet on the first available shelf. Don't worry if you want them to stay on that shelf forever or not. This helps to get all the boxes off the floor and makes some much need space to breathe. Then, open one closet at a time and just reorganize. I find that when I tried to organize as I unpacked, I'd lay everything out and then find the tablecloths or the sewing box and everything had to get rearranged again.

Your 6 year old may be more helpful than you think. My 7 year old brother helped me unpack once with a newborn and 2 year old underfoot (DH was working 16 hour days at work)

Make a plan now for shavous. Can your family send you food, can you buy, can you make some now and freeze?

Good luck and enjoy your new place!

silverlining3

Tue, May 12 2020, 11:05 am

I moved few years ago few days before pesach. Packed in a week. But I made a stop drop and roll. Slept 2 nights in New house and off to my MIL for pesach. Now that u can't go to family wouldn't tips. But very important and super convenient to label boxes and in New house label the rooms, either with numbers or colors, so the movers put right away the boxes into the right rooms.

amother

Tue, May 12 2020, 12:39 pm

Some excellent advice here! Thank you all!

tweety1

Tue, May 12 2020, 2:00 pm

I took a suggestion from this site and it worked amazing. I bought a pack of 12 different color tape. Each room got a color. Near each door I put a piece of tape and when I packed I made sure the boxes got the same color tape as the room it belongs in. Even bed frames got a piece of tape. For the movers it was a life saver.
Now as far as cooking goes, Are you taking along your freezer? Or do you have one in your new apt? I had one in my new apt so I cooked alot before and sent it to my freezer in my apt. My mother helped me with freezer space till my freezer arrived.
Op, I moved not too long ago if you want you can pm me.