I have a place to live!

jenjlgsings

I know I shared with you ladies that I am relocating on short notice to the Pittsburgh area.  My parents and I went down there on Tuesday and spent the day apartment hunting.  I got a call last night that the townhouse I had put in an application for was approved!  Move in date is August 18th.  I'm thrilled that it is a two bedroom, multi floor unit that feels very much like a home and that will be easy for my fiance to move into once we get married.  I am excited yet completely overwhelmed at the same time.  I've been getting a headache thinking of all that I need to do before I move out on the 18th.  The furthest I've moved was about 20 minutes from home so this is a huge deal to me!
Thankfully my finace is a calming influence and has also done much bigger moves (Pittsburgh to Seattle) so I'm not quite as freaked out as I might have been.

Anyway, thanks for those of you who did pray and send support.  Guess it worked. 

APDSS22

Congratulations!  Moving is always stressful but I'm sure your fiance will help you out.

bibliophile2010

I'm so happy that your house-hunting was successful! I will continue to pray that your move/transition go smoothly.

Nickie431

I've moved tons, from about every two years as a child to three times in the year before I got married, so I consider myself a bit of an expert  I'll post back when I have a bit more time to offer some tips on making the process as smooth as possible.  Congrats on the soon-to-be new home!

pittpoint1119

Congrats!!! Welcome to the Burgh!

mattylovesmilly

Definitely post those moving tips, Nickie.  I'm getting married on Friday, going on a honeymoon for a week, packing for a week, and then driving a truck cross country for a move.  I'll take any advice I can get!  Jen, I know exactly where you are coming from!  The furthest I've moved from where I grew up is about an hour!

Nickie431

Here are those moving tips!  Best wishes to everyone in their new homes!

1.  Overestimate on the quantity of boxes, packing paper/newspaper, and tape you’ll need.  I know U-Haul will buy back extra un-used boxes and the same might be true for other suppliers.

2.  Check Craigslist for people offering free or cheap left-over moving supplies, as quality boxes are strong enough to be re-used several times.

 

3.  Opt for more smaller boxes rather than fewer larger boxes.  They get heavy quickly, especially if you’re not experienced with packing, and smaller ones will be easier to handle.  You don’t really save time with larger boxes, anyway, because if a small box happens to be light, you just stack them and take two on that trip.

 

4.  Pack with your new home in mind.  Try to keep things that will go in the same room together instead of packing by category.  So rather than packing all the lamps in your home together, you pack the living room lamp cushioned by the living room throw pillows and the bedside lamp with the alarm clock.  (Oh, and unscrew the bulbs from those lamps before packing so they don’t break, wrap in bubble wrap or a generous amount of packing paper, label it “Lightbulb” in big letters--otherwise you might accidentally throw that wad out since bulbs are lightweight, and tuck it in next to lamp so you’re not searching for bulbs when you’re unpacking.)

 

5.  I haven’t tried this tip I saw on Pinterest, but it sounds good:  rather than wrapping each plate individually (important for preventing rattling and chipping in transit), buy a $1 pack of foam disposable plates and place a foam plate between each dish.  I so wish I’d known to do this!

 

6.  Save time and space by using soft household goods from the same room as padding.  Wrap your ceramic toothbrush holder in a hand towel and tuck over mitts and placemats in the corners around dishes.

 

7.  Label boxes in detail with the room and general contents.  Spending an extra 30 sec. to write “Living Room—Photo Albums” will make unpacking so much easier when you don’t have to open a box to find out what’s inside.  Also label “Heavy” and “Fragile” in big red letters.

 

8.  Pack a few boxes to be closed last and opened first with everything you need to have handy to make the process easier and more comfortable.  Include packing supplies like scissors, utility knives, tape, markers; tools for assembling furniture; batteries; some means for playing music; enough disposable dishes and flatware to feed everyone helping in the process; cleaning supplies and paper towels; anything you’ll want access to right away like your coffee maker and mug for the first morning in your new home; important documents or valuables for which you don’t want to have to hunt (passport, Grandpa’s coin collection, etc.); toiletries and linens for your first night and morning; a change of clothes for each of you, since you will get very sweaty and dirty; comfort items like a fan, deodorant, and hand sanitizer (especially the deodorant!); pet food, if applicable.  Put these boxes in the trunk of your car rather than the moving truck, if possible, or at least in the very back of the truck so they come off first.

 

9.  Spend the money to rent or purchase a good quality dolly/handtruck.  Go with one with larger wheels and inflatable tires for a much easier trek over sidewalk cracks, outdoor steps, and door jams.  Check the air pressure in the tires (I always forget this, so luckily DH remembers!)

 

10.  Don’t try to pack or unpack everything at once.  It ALWAYS takes longer than you expect, so this is not the time to procrastinate.  You do not want to pull an all-nighter when you're moving, I promise.  Put a star on boxes you’ll want to unpack your first day.  It’s fine if Grandma’s china sits in boxes for several weeks.

 

11.  If you’re hiring movers, walk around your home with a video camera, opening each cabinet and closet and commenting on any valuables  and the condition of furniture.  Or, take lots of photos of all your possessions (with cabinets open).  If you find anything scratched, torn, or broken, first take a photo.  This documentation of pre-move and post-move condition is helpful in getting reimbursed from the moving company for damages.  Though I’ve never hired movers for myself, I don’t think many will accept responsibility for the condition of items you packed.  And, they’ll be rougher with your belongings than you are, so extra foam peanuts never hurts!

 

Is anyone moving with children?  If so, I can come back with some recommendations on that.  I don’t have kids, but my parents were great about making each move seem like an adventure.  I’m sure their attitude made the process easier on everyone!

 

newlyseliski

@jen... Best wishes with your move and glad everything is working out so well!!  

@Nickie... good moving recommendations... I always am the most disorganized mover because I typically just do back and forth trips with my car and messy, open bins for most items. 

jenjlgsings

These are fantastic tips.  Thank you so much!!

Calypso1977

i actually purchased from UHaul the "dish saver kit" or something like that.  it was $12, but really was worth it.  their packing paper is very affordable too.

you can aslo get boxes from places like Barnes and Noble.  book boxes are nice and sturdy for heavy stuff.

professorscience

Here's fun tip: I saved all the boxes and packing materials that our wedding gifts arrived in.  We had soooo much stuff to use when we moved!

I also used this blog post to help me out a little:

http://thejoyfulorganizer.com/2012/05/15/get-moving-2/