Moving tips I have learned

A moving truck aka moving van

Greetings every one!

The month of April was filled with moving plans from Southern Oklahoma to Central Oklahoma. Our move-in scheduled date was the beginning of May, so we had much to plan and prepare. As I went through the moving process I found a few moving tips handy to apply.

While preparing to move, make certain you have enough boxes and storage containers; especially for everything non-perishable in the kitchen. This is not easy, but I determined one 58 quart size storage container per kitchen cabinet. This was nigh perfect. I only had to purchase six Banker Boxes for the heavier kitchen items like the canned goods, pots and pans.

Packing canned goods and non-perishable food items like rice, cereal and sugar that is already in the kitchen to take with you is a good way to save on groceries upon moving into the new place. This makes stocking the new place’s kitchen cabinets less expensive. Doing this saved me $25 – $40.

If you have an ice chest and the new place is only hours instead of days away, you can further save money by placing perishables including frozen food items in it. I have a small ice chest I use to transport ice packs, frozen vegetables and some refrigeratable items that will not spill. In this latest move, packing the ice chest saved me about $25 – $35 in groceries I otherwise would have had to purchase upon moving into the new place.

The small ice chest fit perfectly in the trunk of our car with the suitcases and a few other items we did not want to put in the back of the moving van. The frozen items and ice packs stayed frozen because they were only in the ice chest for three to four hours.

Investing in the plastic storage containers of assorted sizes is a money saver. I have found that I use these containers for storing holiday decorations, business paperwork one should save for 5 to 7 years in case of an audit and the like. There is usually a need for a storage container and they are a great way to make the most of one’s storage space, tidy up closet clutter or use as organized storage underneath the bed. If you move every 2 years or more, plastic storage containers save you about $50 – $100 per move for there is little need to purchase boxes. Unused clean boxes cost from 50 cents to $3 each (or more).

Another way to ease the pain of moving is the week before the move-in date, to begin packing per room. I recommend starting the packing process in the bedrooms 8 to 7 days before the move-in date. Leave the bathrooms and kitchen for two days before the move-in date. Example: For a 2 bedroom home, if you’re planning to move in on a Monday, begin the week before on a Sunday. Begin packing on Sunday and Monday the bedrooms (usually takes 1 day per bedroom). Tuesday and Wednesday pack the den (or office) and living room. Devote Friday and Saturday for the dining room first, and then pack the
kitchen. This will give you the Sunday before the move-in date to place all packed items plus the furniture into the moving van.

One thing I have found a must have for moving is an air-bed (usually used for camping) that has an air-pump. We used ours the night before we moved and slept comfortably with all packed in the moving van. We were able to get up in the morning fully rested, cleaned the house so we left it in excellent condition and left after lunch to our new place.

Another thing to consider is pricing out moving vans if renting them. Highly recommend for some places that rent them might have specials or like U-Haul special in-state daily rates that could save on the moving expense. Determining the entire moving expense before moving to the new place is also a good idea. This way you know exactly how much is going to be spent and can budget the move better.

We found planning ahead with the moving expenses and employing these packing methods saved us time, aggravation and stress throughout our move. Another noticed benefit was we were less tired upon our arrival to the new place in comparison to past moves.

Cheery May,

Alicia Rose