What NOT To Do When Moving

Recently the Brumbelcrew* moved from our tiny two-bedroom apartment to a new location.  The new location?  My mother’s house.  That’s right.  This husband and wife duo, plus one kid, plus one dog, and a cat moved into two bedrooms at my mother’s house.  I mean, it’s not exactly two rooms…my daughter is living the high life and basically gets her room the way it was at the apartment.  As for my dear husband and me, we had to cram everything from our lovely abode into the garage of my father-in-law and take what would fit and cram THAT into a small bedroom that definitely wasn’t built for two.  ALL FOR THE SAKE OF SAVING MONEY!  But, I definitely learned some stuff while moving (for the second time) and decided to compile a list to pass my not-so-good judgement onto you, my readers!  So, without further ado, here is What NOT To Do When Moving.

When you are in the process of moving DON’T –

forget the alcohol!

One thing that can keep most strong men going?  Beer.  Actually, any alcohol will do but beer is definitely cheaper.  I would not suggest letting them consume the alcohol while they are helping you move but definitely having it there is a great motivator.

deny the help.

I come from a small family.  Like, there are 4 people, including me and a 9-year-old boy who doesn’t like to do a lot of work.  So, recruiting them to help with moving, packing, whatever is a little hard.  Fortunately, my husband comes from a bigger family with people who are definitely willing to help out.  Tip?  If friends or family offer to help, especially if  you have spent the weeks you should have been packing watching Netflix and eating burritos, take it.  You’ll be thankful later.  You should also probably thank them.

get just one size of box.

Okay, so lesson learned…definitely get different sizes of boxes.  I’ll admit.  The Brumbelcrew can get pretty lazy.  In our case, lazy means only going to two places for boxes.  One of these places was the Dollar Store which is a great place to get boxes…but the boxes will only come in the sizes of small and smaller.  We went to a bakery and  got bigger boxes (I definitely suggest stocking up on the bigger boxes) but we had to resort to bags and makeshift items of transport to help us carry things.

wait until the last second to pack.

Like I said earlier, I totally gave up on packing for Netflix and burritos (the dream) but, as we got closer to our move out date, I kinda regretted it.  Do yourself a favor and pack as soon as you THINK you may be moving  because, no matter how soon you start packing, you’ll never be done in time.  it won’t go as planned and you will  be scrambling around trying to finish.

forget tape!

Not only were we not prepared with boxes, but we also weren’t prepared with tape.  Thank goodness my father-in-law knew what was up and rescued us with three tape guns and three refills.  We definitely used it all!

pack things you may need later.

You know what doesn’t work when you’re scrambling to finish packing and moving?  Packing literally everything you’ll possibly need to finish up.  Like, prematurely packing the toilet paper and towels and realizing you have one day left.  Or, packing all the chairs and realizing that you actually need a place for people to sit when breaks are being taken.

worry about feeling overwhelmed.

Hey, it’s going to happen.  If your household is anything like mine, you’ll definitely feel overwhelmed.  Just, take a deep breath, don’t worry if it happens, it probably will.  Just remember that it’ll be all over soon and then you can worry about unpacking (and ruining all that hard work packing!)

worry about going overboard with food.

Something I’ve learned, especially with having a bunch of guys around (and me) is that there can never be too much food when it comes to moving.  Pizza is definitely a go to meal when people are over helping but also don’t forget the water, pop, chips, healthy foods…stuff to keep you guys going.  I know I’m heavily motivated by food so allowing myself to treat myself during the move helped keep me motivated.

forget the fans (if it’s hot out).

One of the biggest mistakes I committed while moving was prematurely packing the fans and the air conditioner.  I didn’t realize we’d be moving in some hot heat (of course, it was summertime).  Fortunately, we were able to get a draft with the front door open (unfortunately our old neighbors got a messy look in our moving process).  A fan and an air conditioner makes the moving process more bearable.

go small on the U-Haul.

When in doubt, get the bigger U-Haul.  While making multiple trips with the U-Haul (we made 3) is do-able, do you really want to do more than one?  More than one loading and unloading and driving?  I’m more of a one and done kind of girl and I spent a few days deciding if we should go with a small or large U-Haul.  We ultimately went with the larger U-Haul and still had to make multiple trips.  I don’t want to imagine what would’ve happened if we decided to go with the smaller one (which had no ramp.)

Have you moved before?  Do you have any moving horror stories you want to share?  Comment below!  I’d love to hear them!  After a month, the Brumbelcrew is just starting to get settled in.  Unorganized me brought 10 trash bags full of dirty laundry that is now almost gone – maybe I should have added that to the list.  Make sure to wash and go through all your clothes before you move.  What other stuff would you add to the list?  If you are in the process of moving, I wish you luck!  It’s not an easy process but when it’s over you can decide never to do it again.

 

*The Brumbelcrew consists of Mama B, Daddy B, K.B., Sophie, and Kat.