Got any tips on packing up my apartment and getting ready to move?

Question

I'm moving at the end of September and while this isn't the first time I've moved, it's always such a pain in the rear.

Does any one have any good ideas or tips on making the process easier?

All great answers so far - thanks! :)

Answer 1

what i do is wrap up my personal belongings that are break able in tshirts to make them safer and im packing more things that way.

Answer 2

I used to move quite a bit for work. It truly is a huge pain. A few moves were "full service " moves they packed and unpacked everything. I learned a few things, by watching them pack a fully intact house in 6 hrs.
1. Make sure you have more boxes than you will ever think you need. Have friends help collect.
2. Have all misc packing stuff on hand. Lots of tape for boxes, packing peanuts, Etc. Put the boxes in each room.
3. Start in each room and pack it completely. Everything! Do not think abou tte item just pack. A freind can be helpful to keep you focused. Stopping to sort clean etc is a huge distraction.
4. Once a room is empty clean it. Not during the packing.
5. Have a space to put all of the cartons in set up for this ahead of time.
6. Movers pack quickly because they jhave no attachment to the items, and are not trying to make "to move or not to move decisions", clean now or later , they just pack !.
7. If a sorting is required , do this on one day just for this purpose prior to the packing , just go into each room and select the items that will not be making the move and discard.
8. Have a marker in your back pocket to label each box once finished with the new room location.
9. I can not stress enough to consentrate on just packing
10. Once in the new place, set up your bed first. ( I always had a freind do this task, it was productive and they did not have to ask "where do you want this? " Becasue once you get exhausted you will want to fall into the assembled and made bed.

Answer 3

I have found that if you box it by room and label each box with the room on it and maybe a small description of the article in it like " Kitchen -dishes and glasses" Bedroom - alarm clock " this way when you get to the new place you can unpack what you rally need first,
Then I stack the boxes in the room by a wall that is closest to the door you'll be moving the stuff out,
I pack up everything in advance except for the thing I will need to run on, like bare minimum things then at the last minute you just throw it all in a box,
As you empty out a room clean it then when you are moving out you don't have to come clean the whole house just the rooms you lived in the last couple days.
I hope this helped you with your question.

Answer 4

Get good strong boxes from your 'liquor' store and start packing everything that you would not use and gradually start packing non-essential's. With good packing tape and a great marker, close and mark all your boxes according to the contents. If you can get all the same size boxes, you will be more organized. Right at the end, who cares if you have to use paper plates, etc for your food. The least amount you have to do at the end, the better. And clean up behind you so you will not have a tough srub job at the end either. Making a list of the box contents and numbering your boxes will also come in handy if you require anything right away that is packed.

Answer 5

Be organized. Pack the stuff from each room in it's own boxes. Don't put bedroom stuff in kitchen boxes. Mark each box with the room it is going into. Get rid of things you haven't used in a while. Place the items you will need immediately (personal items, utensils, pots and pans) in boxes marked with a star plus the room they go into. Easier to find that way instead of opening all the boxes searching. Get the boxes close to the door the night before so you can clean the other rooms before leaving and no one is messing them up again.

Answer 6

Get you plenty of boxes! Label each box for which room the stuff would go in, so when you move in, put that box in the room it goes in before unpacking anything. Box up now anything that you won't really need from now till you move. If there is anything that you really don't want to take with you, leave out and have a big moving sale! Whatever doesn't sell, give to a thrift store or Goodwill, or put in the trash. Oh, and any nicknacks or anything that you are packing now, clean them before you pack them, that way when you unpack you can just put them in place and won't have to clean during the rush of unpacking.

Answer 7

If you have someone at the destination that will do you a favor mail as much as you can. When I moved from CO to TX I mailed about 60% of what I was bringing. Clothes, books, knik knacks, TV. They did break one of my turntables but it wasn't packed properly. I should have removed the dust cover and packed it separately.

I also use this trick when returning from vacation because I usually end up buying stuff. I just throw the new stuff and laundry in a box and mail it to myself the day I leave. Carry on only

Good Luck

Answer 8

Despite what you want to believe, the kitchen is the hardest room to pack. Trust me, i have moved 2 times and helped 3 friends move in the past year. Once the kitchen is done, the rest goes by nice and quick!

Answer 9

If you have craigslist in your city, there is almost always multiple people a day giving away boxes in the"free" section. Much easier than scrounging around.