Moving- When in Doubt, Throw it Out!

Since getting married in 1994 we have moved 9 times......3 of which have been in the past 3 years- Through the moves I have mentally noted several tips-

1. When in doubt throw it out.
2. If you have not used it in the past year don't put it in storage, pack it, bag it.....sell or donate it
3. Clear plastic storage bins, when bought on sale, are a great investment when moving. They are dual purpose- You can use them during the move AND after to store items in.  They are also easy to label and the extra bonus is, because they are clear, you get a visual without even having to open.
4. U-Haul boxes, hands down, beat out any other box I have tried (Have purchased boxes from our local home improvement stores)
5. Buy 2 times as much packing tape as you think you will need- It's also handy to buy the packing tape dispenser- No fuss.....just roll the tape down the box and cut on the 'prepared cutter' at the end of the dispenser
6. Label all 4 sides of your box- Makes it easy if you have help from others when unpacking.
7. Use Sharpie Black pens to label boxes- again, makes unpacking a bit more organized.
8. When unloading your boxes, send the boxes to the room in which they will be unpacked...kitchen boxes go to the kitchen etc..This helps in the motivation to unpack- If, when you walk into your kitchen everyday you have boxes in your way- I'm always much more inspired to get the unpacking done (as opposed to full boxes sitting in the garage or in rooms that are un-used......for me, they have a tendency to sit where they are for months).
9. Make sure to call the utility companies prior to move in- ask for your service to be switched into your name on the date you will be moving in- Also setting up your TV service installer to come just after your move in date and your Internet provider (if they have to come to your home to install).
10. I order an address stamp or print off 'new address' lables to put onto all of our mail in the change address box.
11. Make sure to fill out your change of address online with the post office- They will offer you a 10% off  coupon to your local home improvement store as a 'welcome to your new home' gift (Oregon)- This comes in very handy! I just spent over a hundred dollars on blinds for our home and was able to get 10% off.
12. If it fit's in your budget, hire a professional house cleaner to clean the home prior to move in- Moving is exhausting- cleaning your new home on top of getting everything moved in can be overwhelming!
13. One of the first things I do when we move is hang pictures on the wall- For me, this brings a 'homey' presence to the rooms even when things are not completely unpacked.
14. Use your packing as a time to de-clutter.......going back to #1......don't be afraid to throw out/ donate/ sell/ things that you do not use. 

Happy Moving!

The below pictures are some of our move from the West Coast to Hawaii- One of our moves several years ago was to a remote ranch that was located over a fairly steep mountain (see pic 2 below).  The moving company that delivered our Container (when moving to Hawaii, your house hold items go across the ocean in a metal container) would not cross the mountain in their truck, so our container was dropped at the base of the mountain and we were responsible to take our house hold items the rest of the way- My aunt, uncle, and cousins were visiting the ranch at the time our container was delivered so were able to help us move (SUCH A HUGE HELP!!)

 



my uncle Reid :) We lived over the mountain you see in the back ground.



our house hold items make it safely over the mountain and are getting unloaded in thie pic!