The Art of Moving

J and I have started packing up our stuff in anticipation of our move to the ghetto in just a couple of short, busy weeks.

Luckily, our new landlord has graciously told us that we can bring a couple of loads of boxes to the new apartment before our move-in date, since the apartment is vacant. Since we’ve moved five times in the past four years, including this particular move, we have the “how to move” thing down to (almost) an art form.

J has a truck, and in the case that his truck isn’t enough, my dad also has one. I’m sure we could enlist him to help us move. Obviously, having a truck at our fingertips is extremely advantageous when moving. If you’re planning on moving any time soon, I’d definitely recommend making friends with somebody who either has a truck, SUV, or large van.

Here are some things that we do each time we move to make it a little easier on us.

Make A List

One time, when we went to go move, we settled into our new place and realized we forgot our freezer food. Shit ain’t cheap!

I usually make three lists before moving out:

1. Stuff to remember to move

2. Stuff to get rid of

3. Things to remember to clean

Talk It Out

I find that, as a couple, it’s easier to talk about what we want from the move before we even touch the boxes and tape. Our main discussion point is what we’re okay with getting rid of, and what we want to keep.

J is kind of a hoarder. (I exaggerate). He has a lot of trouble getting rid of things. Whether it’s a $1 dish cloth from the dollar store that resembles mouldy Swiss cheese, or a broken fan that slumps forward at the pivot joint, he clings on to every last thing.

I find that it’s harder for him when we’re going through all of our stuff. Our “keep” pile keeps piling up, and our “ditch” pile remains full of stuff that belongs to only me.

However, if we discuss it ahead of time, by making a list of the things that we’re okay with getting rid of, he’s less likely to put up a fight.

This really worked this time. We talked about it before hand, and when we went to go pack up the items, they went into either the “sell” or “pawn” or “throw out” piles.

Divide and Conquer

Your stuff, I mean.

After you have a discussion about what you want to keep and throw out, I recommend that you divide your stuff into three piles:

1. Things that you definitely want or need to keep

2. Things that you’re not sure about

3. Things that you definitely see no use for.

You can pack up the non-necessities in pile #1 right away. As long as you don’t need them for the next few days, they’re probably begging to be boxed up.

The things that you’re not sure about it’s a tough pile. It likely contains mainly things that you are in denial about never using. My favorite coat was one of those things, for me. The boy and I adopted the mantra “when in doubt, throw it out” for this particular pile. If we haven’t used it all that regularly, or it’s broken or not useful or worth a lot of money, it’s gone.

Then, there’s the things that you definitely see no use for. That whole pile should be gone!

This should be done before you move into your new place. This should save time (unpacking stuff you are just going to get rid of) and money (gas money to transport useless stuff to your new place).

Clean Later

Assuming you are moving to a rental, and moving from a rental, a big part of getting a damage deposit back is ensuring that the rental is spotless once you leave.

Before we moved out of our first, awful apartment, we were dumb enough to start the cleaning before all of our stuff was out of the space.

To make your life much, much easier, I recommend cleaning after you’ve moved out. We typically move on moving day, then come back to the apartment to clean it all out once it’s empty.

That way, you don’t vacuum only to move furniture and have to snag up some more dust bunnies. Or have to clean around your food in the fridge. Or clean the shower only to use it a couple more times afterward and have to scrub it down again.

Having a list of things you need to remember to clean will certainly help. Is it in your lease that the oven must be cleaned before you leave? Make sure to do that. Do your cupboards need to be wiped out? Is there any minor aesthetic damage that you can fix?

Unpacking is a whole other animal – like a rabid pitbull – that I can’t even begin to advise upon. That’s usually a disaster around the Daisy household, so you’re on your own for that one.

The four things above have made moving almost organized, which is a tough feat .

What do you always do when you move to make it easier on yourself?