i'm moving, real real soon. i haven't even begun packing yet! i figured i'd throw out this situation...anyone have really successful ways of packing? it's gnawing down on me, i know i NEED to pack, but yet this little bug inside of me is having me do ANYTHING but pack. uck. need help soon! oh, i'm just moving 5 minutes away, but i'm majorly downsizing, from a house to an apt.
packing is tough. just pick a room and start with things you know you don't need for the short term. i always get a bunch of newspapers for packing fragile things, and for glassware you can go to a liquor store and get wine boxes. always label the boxes so that you know what's where. pack things together that go together, like nicknacks for the living room in one box and bedroom another (that's just an example, you may not have nicknacks lol). good luck! i've moved many times in my life and it's a pain in the butt every time!
i'm moving into my first apartment tomorrow in austin! yeehaw! paper towels and newspaper work well to cushion fragile things. you can re-use the paper towels to clean stuff up with. find boxes from dumpsters outside of grocery stores and stores like home depot, target, staples, etc. i just pack my clothes by throwing all the hanging-up ones into my car on the hangers-it saves so much time by not having to re-hang everything at the new place. put underwear & socks into one bag, shirts into one bag, etc. so all the drawer items are in their separate categories. i know i'm really not much help, but good luck mama!
We always get boxes from the liquor sotre, too! They are a good size. I am prepping for a big move (over 1000 miles away, arghh!) and I am downsizing a lot. We have a pretty good sized house now, but who knows what we are heading for. It just seems that you accumulate so much stuff. But, as for packing tips, I always try use my stuff to the max. I use towels and such to wrap fragile things, so I don't have to use paper. I also use clothes for that sometimes. I stuff everything as full as I can, to save room. I use my suitcases as boxes. We always put dressers in first and then fill the drawers. We have been criss-crossing the country for the last few years, I'm getting pretty good at this packing thing. Of course, you aren't moving far, so you probably don't have to worry so much about space in the moving van. Good luck!
Great ideas!I usually go to the big mall and if I cant find boxes outside by the service doors I go in and ask. Another good packing material for cheap is plain old air popped popcorn. If its air popped theres no grease and you can eat yer way into the box.
for good boxes go to kinkos i used to work for them we would give them out daily, you can even call and see if they have any and they will save them for you.
Yeah the boxes from paper that you get at office supply stores are great and they don't get to heavy because of the size. The lids are great. Also make sure you label exactly what is in the box. If it's kitchen stuff say so. Start with the stuff you don't need right away but label it as that. Labeling will save you so much time when you start to unpack. Make one box of everything you will need for the first night, sheets, a plate, cup, spoon, fork, knife for each family member, TOILET PAPER and label it as "first night open immediately". Then after the truck is loaded and everything is out of the house, go back through and open every cabinet and drawer and closet in the house. Even though you are sure you packed everything, double check. I lost my favorite coffee mug and french press because I didn't go back and look again. I also use clothes and towels as packing material for fragile items. Then you don't have to clean off the newsprint and stuff like that. Another thing you can do is get the end of the roll from a printer. They usually throw the ends of the rolls away and it makes good packing material. Also, you can frequently get packing material on freecycle. Give it a try. Then put it back on freecycle when you unpack. That way it's being used again and not going into a landfill. That's about all I have. Hope it helps. Kathi
Pack the boxes full. Don't overstuff them. That way they will stack neatly. Put blankets between pieces of furniture when you load the truck, othewise they will rub together and ruin the finish. Tie things down in the truck. They aren't going to fly out of the truck, but they might fall over.
