Oh MY Goodness!! What to do, how to move so fast?

Question

Oh my goodness gracious!!! My husband got his acceptance letter for BYU-Idaho on Monday. But instead of starting this fall, and giving me plenty of time to pack, he starts on April 16th!!!!!! We are supposed to move into student housing on April 13th!!!! That gives me just three weeks to get everything ready to go!

Oh, I feel just a bit overwhelmed.

Now, I need help please. Where in Salt Lake City are good places to get larger boxes for free?

And any tips on how to organize myself for all this mad dash packing?

And can I tell you how glad I am I'm not pregnant yet? My husband and I had been hoping we would be expecting our third by now, but oh, the Lord knows what he is doing and I am so grateful he decided I should wait a bit longer!!! LOL

Answer 1

I have helped friends move in a very short period of time before. It can be done. Go to your local supermarkets and ask for boxes, the ones that produce are shipped in are very rugged and easy to carry.

Get as many friends to help you as is possible and have a few people come over every day and just pack a room at a time and you will get there.

Make sure that you are throwing away, giving away and/or donating anything that you have not used in the past couple of years. It will be a waste of time and energy to lug unecessary items to your new home and then have to dispose of it.

Congradulations to your husband on his acceptance, and don't panic, it will get done.

Make sure that you set up a box with the essentials for the first few days in your new home...the coffeemaker, teakettle, and medications for any of your family members and paper plates, disposable cups and plasticware.
Include any items that you have to have on a daily basis and make sure that those items go in your vehicle with you, not onto the moving van.

Answer 2

After having moved almost 7 times in the 8 years I've been married I have a few tips for you.

1. Only pack the T.V. and other similar large items in big boxes. The rest try to pack in smaller, more maneagle boxes.

2. If you need boxes, go to Wal-Mart late at night or go to your local grocery store.

3. Take as much as you can with you. We thought we would be smart once and sell most of our stuff. We ended up paying more in the long run trying to buy more stuff. However, if its garbage don't pack it up. Toss it.

4. Someone else already mentioned this, but pack one room at a time. Starting with the things you know you won't need for a while. Once they are packed, start a box pile in some corner somewhat out of the way.

5. When you load your trailer or moving van, try to put the big stuff in first, and then add the small stuff as you go. We've made the mistake of also loading up a bunch of small stuff and not being able to load the big stuff afterwards.

6. Make sure you label the boxes with what they contain and where they are going. This helps in both the unloading process and the, "I can't find my dress shoes."

7. Place items that you will need within the first week or so in suitcases. Put the suitcases in the trunk when your ready to go and you know exactly where these items are.

8. Pack some toys for the kids to play with. Don't just box them all up. This lesson we learned on our latest move. The toys are still packed up.

Good luck with the move. And I know you will like Rexburg and BYU-Idaho.

P.S. Don't forget to ask for help. Get you Elder's Quorum to come over on the day to pack. If you need help with babysitting while you pack, call the Relief Society President. And, call the Elder's Quorum in the ward you are going to be moving into. Tell them when you anticipate being there and when you like their help unloading. After you have everything unpacked find a babysitter and go on a date. Both you and your husband will deserve it.

Answer 3

I can't help you with the boxes in Salt Lake. I did have a friend that went to her local grocery store or Costco and asked them for boxes. The grocer held out boxes on a certin day just for her.
To organize the packing asign each person or room a color or a number ie. Master Bed #1, Living Room #2, Kitchen #3, etc. or Mom is red, Dad is blue, son is green, daughter is pink, etc.
Label the boxes well, it sounds like a pain at first but when you have a wall of boxes and don't know what is in any of them and you really need a clean pair of underwear you will be glad you did. Label the boxes on more than one side we labeled on 3 sides and the top. Sorry for the spelling errors, spell check isn't working.

Answer 4

Congrats on BYU! I loved the campus while I was there and it's such a great experience. But I was single! :)

As for boxes...I would say...and I hope that you'll take this in the spirit I intend it...go to liquor stores. Their boxes are mediumish and really strong, as they pack glass bottles. Good for glasses and dishes. (I did this in heavily Mormon Southern Alberta and I didn't get disfellowshipped! *grin*)

You might also check with grocery stores early in the morning for apple/orange/banana boxes.

And organizing...well, sweetheart, do your best. Make sure that your kitchen is where you're going to be able to find it easily, because that's what you're going to need first.

You're going to be just fine! Promise! My husband and I moved (while I was pregnant) in 72 hours. It was....well, the opposite of heaven! It will be okay.

And pregnant and moving really don't belong in the same sentence, no...unless it was your sentence!

Good luck!
BTW What's he studying??

Answer 5

How exciting for you.

Not sure if they are still there but someone was trying to get rid of packing boxes.

Date: 2007-03-07, 9:43PM MST

Just moved. Have about 10 big Allied packing boxes plus packing papers. Come and get them. I live in the Brickyard condos, SLC.

You have lots of time, really. Just start packing one room at a time leaving just the bare minimum of what you'll need.

I did this once and I was so nervous about not getting it all packed that we lived out of boxed for a week.

Answer 6

Make a list to keep you organized. Start packing things you won't use right away to get them out of your mind - things in storage, kids extra toys, dishes you don't use often, then move on in order of importance. Make sure you keep all your important documents together in a safe spot where they won't get lost in the confusion. Keep everything that's packed in a separate room so that you can focus on what you have left. Make sure to call your utility companies and set up cancellation dates and find out what charges, if any, you'll be facing. Other companies such as Insurance, inform them of your change of address. If your insurance company threatens to cancel b/c you'll be in a different state, try to get them to work something out since you will be a student. Turn in a change of address form (free at the post office) as soon as possibe to ensure your mail gets to the new address.
U-Haul sells boxes, but lots of times places like grocery stores, gas stations, and print shops, will be happy to set boxes aside for you.
Most importantly, relax! If you're getting stressed out about it, sit back and read for awhile, go out to dinner or a movie, just take a good break where you can change your focus.

Answer 7

You can always get boxes from supermarkets and restaraunts. They throw out tons of them every day. Go talk to the managers, and they will surely give the to you. You may have to flatten them yourself. Obviously, don't take produce boxes (where the food product comes in contact with the box itself) for fear of microbes, mold, and rotting food. Look for large boxes that hold prepackaged things for shipping.

Answer 8

You will work it out and in the end you will be so pleased with yourself. I live in Australia so I can't help with boxes but good luck. You won't need it tho :)

Answer 9

Tips on how to organize? Spend a lot more time on the computer surfing the Net...

Answer 10

get them on the enternet