Comments on: Organizing a Move

By: Kathy in the Kitchen

Kathy in the Kitchen — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 18:52:29 +0000

Loved all the advice. We are going, at least for a time, to Florida to be close to our grandkids and see what opportunities are there for us. My husband is a Pastor and is looking for a church at this time. We came to Alabama to bring my mom back after my dad died and then she passed away too. Now we are ready to start a new phase of our lives and it looks like it may be back in Florida. We have moved so many times in our ministry. Listening to some of the comments above has helped me gain prospective again and given me inspiration to get started today. I have about 2 weeks. Pray for me girls. I’m not as young as I use to be. Thank you Laura Kathy in the Kitchen………………..

By: Lynda

Lynda — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 07:26:13 +0000

Hi Laura,
Great tips. Being in the ministry we have moved often, including overseas. One extra tip I have… I would first go to the local newspaper office & ask to buy the end of a roll. Sometimes I had it given to me, other times I paid $5.oo….great for packing without the ink!!!! I would tape a large piece of that newsprint on the wall with three lists on it… Keep, Sell & Give Away. That way before I even started packing into boxes (or barrels – which was our first move overseas) I already had organized in my mind where things went & didn’t have to think about it again. It also helped because when guests came to visit they saw my list & would ask about the give away or for sale items!!
The last time we moved overseas we purchased the hard plastic moving boxes that have the lids attached. You can buy them in any Canadian Tire store now, but we couldn’t then. They were great for moving overseas, + that we could see them being loaded onto the plane & knew they were all there, going with us :-)
I agree with liquor boxes…they’re the best for packing & storing. Last time we moved overseas for four yearsI gave each of my three kids a liquor box. They decorated it the way they wanted & it was theirs to keep whatever they wanted. Four years is a LONG time for a 10 year old to store something. When he was 14 he purged most of it himself, but it was one small box that was JUST THEIRS when packing up. We also divided their toys. They each got to keep & take TWO very special toys that were REAL important to them. The others we divided up. They gave the special ones they didn’t need to keep to friends we were leaving behind & all the others to needy kids or the Salvation Army.
When we moved back to Canada, we sorted all our clothes. We were moving the end of May & would not be settled into a house until the beginning of Sept. We each had a school shoulder bag for the summer. In it we included socks & underwear for 5 days, T-shirts for 3 days, 2 pair shorts, one pair jeans, one pair dress pants. That was it + toiletry bag. We had three extra bags the same size – one for bathing suits & towels (for family of 5) one for sweaters & one bag with our newly acquired leather jackets. We visited family & friends who all had a washing machine & were glad to help us keep clean. It all packed into our little VW Rabbit with room to spare :-)
All the other clothes were used for packing breakables & stuffing in small places. Throw them in the washer & dryer when you get moved & they go right into the drawers & closets clean & ready to wear.
I also write the room & contents on every box….it’s easier to find than searching in a book. :-)
Another tip, for military or anyone else moving overseas or across the country. I had my two year old help me pack all his toys into the barrel that was coming home to Canada. He had two special toys to bring home on the plane, but he knew which barrel number had his toys & he claimed it & helped unpack it when the barrels arrived in Canada 4-5 weeks later. :-)
Just a few tips that I found helpful when moving. Hope they help someone else. :-)

By: Eleanor Beebe

Eleanor Beebe — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 16:56:26 +0000

Being married to a military man, I have moved many times. My best tip is collect and use plastic shopping bags. Ask all your friends for them. They cushion fragile items. And if something happens to break all the pieces are in one bag. But best of all, they leave no ink stains on anything.

By: Desi

Desi — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:49:02 +0000

Something that is often overlooked, but I’ve found to be important is to put the information from your old home in the binder for your paperwork. Having your account numbers/phone numbers easily accessable for the old place really helps keep the final bills from falling through the cracks since mail forwarding doesnt always work.

By: I’m an Organizing Junkie » Getting through a move in one piece + giveaway

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 04:43:57 +0000

[...] Organizing a move [...]

By: Worldlabel.com » Ten Great Organizing Sites

Worldlabel.com » Ten Great Organizing Sites — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:00:48 +0000

[...] is a fun blog, filled with tips and observations penned by an obsessive organizer. This post about how to organize for a move keeps us motivated to staying organized in case we ever DO move! Using containers on the front end [...]

By: Hey, Mrs. Wilson! » Something old, something new

Hey, Mrs. Wilson! » Something old, something new — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 05:05:31 +0000

[...] play room, I realized I could totally use her advice in how to have a successful organized move. I got help. She’s amazing. If you need to organize anything, go check out her [...]

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 04:27:46 +0000

My dad is in the ministry and so we moved every 4 years or so while growing up. We purged every time, so we never accumulated a lot of junk at once, which helped keep our home a pleasant place to live. However, I would caution you to be careful about what you purge of your kids’ belongings. My mom threw out things she deemed “junk” without asking me if they were important to me (she didn’t go through my room…it was stuff that was stored away, but still things that I loved). I had a teddy bear that my father bought me the day I was born. I loved that bear so much, even though I eventually outgrew him. But I had planned to give it to my children one day and now I can’t.

On the bright side, all of that moving prepared me to marry my dear hubby whose field has him moving every few years, as well. And so now I have a few of my own tips:

1) Before the movers bring furniture into the new place, make a map of each room and post it on the door, indicating where each piece of furniture should go. This will save you a big headache from running around trying to answer the question, “Ma’am, where do you want this?” when you could be doing some productive unpacking of boxes. It may not work the way you thought, but you can always move the furniture later.

2) Unpack and set up your bedrooms and kitchen first. Those are the rooms you’ll need right away. The bathroom comes next (pack a bag of toiletries and a change of clothing to make the first night easier).

3) Before moving, after you’ve purged, have a yard sale and use the money to buy take-out for your first night in your new home, or on the road if you’re moving cross-country; or buy a new piece of furniture or keepsake to remind you of your old home, or a new tree to plant in your yard to measure the passing of time. It’s always fun to drive by your “old” house and see how big the tree has gotten.

By: Moving NOW

Moving NOW — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 23:46:57 +0000

I’m reading this after just being notified that I will move in FIVE days and 13 hours. YIKES! I did not expect to move for at least six MONTHS, and that was a stretch. I feel like I *should* be running around wildly and stuffing things into things, but this post has calmed me *significantly.* Seriously, I cannot thank you enough. Just the notion that you packed a house in two weeks is enough to give me hope for me and my condo. I’m typing a spreadsheet now, and I will begin packing by in 3 hours, I hope. I may not sleep or eat much in the next week, but I *will* be ready when the movers appear (as I’ve called them while reading this post and scheduled!) THANK YOU is all I can say, but I really want to find you and hug you. I’ll do that after the move maybe :)

By: Overwhelmed!

Overwhelmed! — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 05:32:00 +0000

Awesome list! Thanks so much for sharing. :)