Start packing LOL! It takes longer than you think.
Label every box with exactly what's in it, and where it should go in the new house. My BFF helped me pack and I thought she was a bit overboard with her labeling, but when we got here it was great.
There is no such thing as a "miscellaneous" box!
Empty the garden hoses completely before you pack them. I unpacked a box labeled "miscellaneous" 8 months after the move, in the basement, to find garden hoses with water in them. Yes, DH packed the garage :)
Pack the glasses upright.

Get a company that will charge you a flat rate for the move?

I moved about 180 miles to be with DH. I used a local mover vs. a national chain. I was very happy with their service.

I would recommend getting rid of as much as you can before you move. Only take what you really need.

Depending on how much you have, you can also look into PODS for moving. Don't know what they charge.

If you are willing to rent a truck and drive it yourself, you can, through the truck rental company, arrange for guys to arrive at one or both of your houses and load and unload the truck. I can't remember which truck company I used, but it was very convenient.

Think long and hard if it's cost efficient to move absolutely everything. The cost of boxes if you're buying them, packing materials whether you by the boxes or try to get by with liquor and grocery store boxes, your time for packing, a larger truck and more crew to handle the move...... some things are so easily replaced - and that's if you decide that you really need to replace them once you get there. I'll give you an example - we have everyday dishes for 12 and it will cost me roughly $150 to buy new and have them shipped to me. No way will I bother packing and moving them. Probably 90% of my pots and pans are easily replaced (and need to be!!) and I can easily do that once moved. As mentioned above, clear out as much as you possibly can and move as little as you must to get by, then slowly, as needed, replace. And depending on where you are in life you just might not want to replace everything and decide less is more.

My father sold moving and storage for 30 years. Unless furniture has strong sentimental value or is a valuable family heirloom think twice about moving it. Take as little as possible. He would explain charges to people and was always amazed how much people were willing to spend to ship old junky furniture (not sentimental)worth a fraction of the cost to ship it. Also, oftentimes your old stuff will not fit in the new place so you end up getting rid of items you just paid to ship. When my folks retired and relocated they took 4 furniture items with them....pieces mom loved and had measured to use in the new house..2 were custom pieces. They sold or gave away a LR and 4 bedrooms of furniture.

Start by creating a MOVE binder .... get a large binder with lots of plastic sleeves that can hold information and papers.

a)Self-Honesty is the Key. Simple yet so effective. Take a camera and simply go around the house and photograph your rooms and spaces. NOW: really LOOK at those photos. Write down two lists: STAYS and GOES. Be as brutally honest as you can. Then start sorting each and every room (with its drawers, closets etc.) Figure out the best way to get rid of items: SELL and DONATE.

b)Clear and Sort. Place SIMILAR items together. Gather towels, tablecloths, napkins, pillows, cushions in one pile or place. See what STAYS and what GOES. Remember that animal shelters will often take old, clean towels etc.

c)Decide on Packing Priorities:

1)What will YOU PACK. And HOW will you pack it?
2)What will YOU NEED right away at each end of the move?
3)What could you live without -- for a few weeks?

d)Decide of MOVING METHODS: Many rental places run out of trucks etc. at the first -- and end of each month. Check around your area for prices and policies.

e)Decide on PACKING MATERIALS: Will you gather old boxes? Buy New Boxes? Cardboard or Plastic Bins? Are you lifting the filled boxes? Will you need paper? Newspapers? Buy cheap paper towels? (could be re-used at the new place for immediate cleaning)

Just a few points -- hope this helps!

I would make a first day box/boxes. For this I would have the things I would feel most important to me to use the first day in a new place, toiletries, clothing, sheets or sleeping bag, a set of dishes for each person, whatever floats your boat. I would have this be the last box on the truck if I was moving myself so I could pull it off first thing and put in a safe, accessible location upon arrival. That way, if the whole truck is not unloaded the first day you still have everything you personally want/need in a place where you can find it.

I will also say, if it is worth packing, pack it right.

Edited for grammar.

{{!gwi}}

This post was edited by tishtoshnm on Tue, Jun 24, 14 at 21:04

Check Craig's List for used moving boxes and packing material.
My daughter and son-in-law hired professional movers and then recycled all their boxes there.

I moved from California to NY.

We looked for a deal on sterilite bins and bought those instead of boxes b/c boxes are so freaking expensive and at least the bins are useful for storage after the fact (craigslist, etc.).

We used a pods-like company but it wasn't PODS b/c they were way expensive. I think it may have been ABF U-Pack but am not sure. We had to pack/move ourselves but we ended up hiring movers off craigslist to do the packing (and hired our cleaning lady to pack all the stuff b/c I didn't feel like it).

If you can get wine boxes (trader joes or liquor store) they are nice for glasses. Get tissue paper to wrap. Newsprint leaves ink so things will be dirty. Agree about the plastic containers

I numbered all boxes and bins using a mailing label. Then I had a spiral notebook where I listed what was in each box.

Second section of the notebook was for things I needed to buy for the new house. Paint colors and knobs and linens and such. I had envelopes for receipts on everything. Catalog pages and magazine tear sheets. You need to just get stuff and try it out and return what doesn't work.

I got a 5x8 sized notebook, and always had it with me. It fit in my purse.

A friend, who had moved many times, told us to make a drawing of the floor plan and number each room. BR2-01, LR01, DR01, K01, B(basement), G(garage) etc. Label each box corresponding to it's assigned room.

When the truck is unloaded have a person posted at the entry to direct where each box goes as they are brought into the home.

Treat your valuables the same as if you are flying. They go into the overhead/trunk of your car.

Check the fine print on any contracts as most moving companies reimburse at so much per pound. That is, if your $10,000 table that only weights 100 pounds gets lost ya ain't getting $10,000 for it. How can it get lost, you ask. If the truck isn't completely full some movers will use the extra space to haul another person's stuff to the same area. May off load it first and by mistake there goes your table..... happened to us!!!

We packed up rooms with things going to same type room with colored masking tape on the boxes and colored dots on furniture etc.
At new house used a piece of masking tape on the entrance of each room and whichever color matched the box, it went to that room.

Funny moving story: I knew a gal who, when her family needed to move across town to their new home, hired a moving company to come and pack, move and then unpack everything for her/them . . . and then she checked herself into a local spa for the entire day while it was happening! Seriously. She just handed the keys to both houses to the movers and left for the entire day. That evening she went home to their new home, where everything was unpacked and in place. I think she had to have given them some sort of very detailed list of where everything went. She told me that the movers had even packed up all their waste baskets with stuff in them, moving them to the new house as is! I have no idea where her husband and two kids were during the move, but this mom was having herself one very UNstressful and very pampered moving day (LOL!).
To me, it seemed a bit bizarre to go to those lengths not to be inconvenienced by a move ~. not to mention, very expensive ~ but, I have to admit that it was one very unstressful move!

On the other hand, when we moved across town, we packed and moved everything ourselves. I used basically the same method as was mentioned above of using a notebook with every box numbered and labeled as to what room they went to. It was tough and hot and we were both sore afterwards,
but we saved so much money!
To each his own, though.
Lynn

(I must be spending too much time in the fitness thread...every time I see this headline I think of exercises!)

Purge, purge, purge.

We haven't moved but we did pack up our entire house and put it into storage for a gut renovation and we moved into a furnished home.

I was amazed at what I did not miss and did not need so when we moved back in I purged again. You know all those old entertainment units that we don't know what to do with - one of the movers took it. It was his tip.

I did most of the packing but I did have the moving/storage company pack up my crystal, china, and good serving pieces. Basically they packed up my buffet and hutches. They probably did it in a quarter of the time that it would have taken me. I had booked them for the day and because they had some extra time they packed up some other stuff for me as well. That was the biggest thing that saved my sanity.

Two funny stories - my DH's cousin was doing a cross-country company move and so of course, everything is done for them. The moving company even packed up the garbage can with the garbage still in it.

When we did move a number of years ago the movers had to stop by my MIL's place to pick up a lot of our boxes that had our wedding presents and other things in them When we moved we had a 20 month old and a 6 week old and I just sat on a couch and directed. A lot of those boxes were put into a storage closet in the basement.

Fastforward 20 years when we are doing above mentioned reno and those boxes had still never been opened and nothing ever used. Life got in the way. There were 3 fondue sets, crystal vases, cake platters, champagne glasses, etc., i.e. unopened and unused wedding presents. I found good homes for everything.

Back to my opening sentence - Purge, Purge Purge.

Here's my tips.

Here is a link that might be useful: Moving tips.

Lynn, your friend's story is funny! When I did a corporate move, the movers packed my apartment. In my new place, I unpacked a box of things I had planned to throw out, an old frayed rug, empty laundry bottle, and a big bag of trash I hadn't taken out yet! Thankfully just trash, not garbage. When they say they pack everything, they mean it!

Thanks for all the responses, I knew I would get good advice here.I've been purging, but had not really considered getting rid of furniture, great idea! Then I can buy new stuff, Woot, woot!

AnnieDeighnaugh said: "(I must be spending too much time in the fitness thread...every time I see this headline I think of exercises!)"

I thought the same thing, that it was a thread to get more exercise in during the day! Too funny.