tips for packing

[~TT40~]

Well seeing as it is now offical we are moving!!

Any tips or hints or advice with packing and organising all our crap? (cause we do have alot of crap)
we have only been in this place a year, but wow!

i already use the woolies green bags to put all my textbooks and books into (they seem to take the weight better than boxes)

but any other helpful ideas??

TIA

[Kel001]

We're in the same boat, and if I had the money...

I'd be getting someone else to do it!! LOL

But given that we aren't all millionaires (although owning a moving company seems to be a great way to become one...) my best advice would be to pack a couple of boxes and then take them over the the new house a few at a time. If you can, that is.

We did that to move to the house we're in now and it worked so much better than having to lug everything on a single day. Made it seem a lot more manageable too as there weren't lots of boxes around for me to stare and and sob over about having to move I just took a couple of boxes every second day or so and in about 2 weeks it was all done and moving day for everything else had arrived.

If you can manage it though, I reccommend getting a moving company to do all the heavy lifting of large furniture. Not always a possibility depending on the cost in your area, but if you can I would

Good luck with the move and I hope all goes well!

[Mum2SweetCs]

make sure you label the boxes clearly and move those that you are unlikely to open first so that at the new house they will be at the bottom of the stack. I didnt unpack alot of stuff until 3 4 months down the track lol and when i needed something it was written on the box. I suggest you label your boxes on the side as well as on top so you dont have to always move boxeas arond to see the labels

I use clothes basket to pack my clothes in and rubbish bags

make sure you use good tape too.

Good luck with your move =)

[allycat06]

I'm subscribing as we're about to move house too.
We too have only been in this house for a year and have seemed to have accumulated a ridiculous amount of crap. Doesn't help I'm married to a hoarder!
Thankfully we have timed settlement on the new place and the ending of our lease here pretty well so we can move a little at a time. Ideally I'd like to move one room at a time but we'll see!

[Little Chicken]

If you have a lot of stuff that you don't want to keep or you think is in to bad a condition to give away, or generally just rubbish you don't want, hire a miniskip and have a good old clear out as you pack. We got rid of a lot of c*** this way, stuff we would have otherwise taken with us. I think moving is a great oppurtunity for a clear out. Get those cheap stripey bags to put your clothes in, unless you have really crushable stuff or lot of clothes don't bother with the hanging boxes. Pack the stuff you don't use first and the stuff you use a lot last (simple but you would be suprised). You could probably get away with packing most of your kitchen early and just leaving out a few pieces of crockery, cutlery, couple of saucepans, frying pans and essential appliances. If you are renting start the cleaning for your inspection a week or so beforehand. Like cleaning the windows a week before, cleaning the shelves in the cupboards a few days before etc. Means there is not so much to do on the day you move.

[Rowellen]

Only pack stuff you actually want to keep. That way you can get rid of those awful items that you've been given and can't get rid of "because it was a gift" and if the giver ever asks - it got lost in the move!

[Arimeh]

I did a huge cleanout before I moved from Queensland to Tassie. Sold heaps of stuff, and what didn't sell in the garage sale, we donated it.

Then I packed every room in a few boxes at a time, and found it easier to not mix boxes with stuff from different rooms, just the same room. Most of them were pretty accurate, and I had a pen with me and wrote down everything that was in that box - with instructions as well if they were fragile. For example, I had written on one of them "Craig's bong - fragile - do not sit heavy things on me"

He doesn't have a bong, its a turkish pipe thing, but gee it made us sound more interesting folk than we actually are.. bhaahahahaha

[Malyna]

Be ruthless in throwing things out.

A good black texta is essential. Label boxes so you will understand them. I used to label things like "Malyna's uni books", so I knew what they were. Also what room they will go into in the new house.

Unless you know some muscular guys, I'd get a removal firm to move the bed/fridge etc.

Removal companies won't take things like laundry cleaners, gas bottles etc

Pack all boxes to the top, even if you have to stuff things in boxes to fill them, otherwise they will collapse under the weight of other boxes on top.

I left all my linen and clothes until last. I used them to stuff in the top of boxes that were only 3/4 filled (linen is particularly good at filling and packing kitchen boxes - things like toasters and microwaves).

Think twice about packing kitchen things like sauces etc, particularly if your stuff is going into storage (even for a short time). - I hate moving food (just my personal irk).

Always have three rolls of packing tape and 2 pairs of scissors, because you will put them down and forget where they are.

Only pack books in book boxes, because they get really heavy.

Sack trucks (trollies) are brilliant.

[Inertia]

Just did the move thing. We still had way more than we bargained for and we got rid of a lot of big furniture! DH just left on his 2nd run back for the stuff we couldn't fit on the trailers. My dad and brothers came down to help. We had a standard box trailer, a caged furniture trailer and a huge car trailer (can tow a 4x4 on it) with truck gates plus 3x4bies to tow it all and still couldnt fit it all. My big hint would be to utilise ebay for anything big you arent married to and replace it when you get there. We would have had less but DH didnt get the concept of replacing it here and kept buying down there. MEN! LOL. What you cant sell that is salable, donate. Everything else, find out about council pick ups.

Dont label the boxes, number them. Then have a master sheet with everything you put in them. Futher to that as we are still refining the system, use an alpha numeric system, such as K1 (Kitchen) and MB1 (Master bedroom). That way you can get them to the right place straight up. The benefit of numbering and having the information on you instead of the boxes is if you are getting help from outsiders, they do not know what is in the boxes. Keeps your stuff safe. If you have a set of scales, weigh the heavy ones and mark which ones are 20kgs and over. OH&S recommends 2 people for 20kg+ items.

Have a 'survival bag' for everyone. Couple of changes of clothes and anything else they will need as you are unpacking. Also have a household version with the important stuff you need right up til the move and right after, such as the phone, vacuum cleaner bags, kettle and other essentials.

I will rreiterate what the other ladies have said as it is really the biggest tip ever. Be ruthless. Go Sid Vicious on your belongings. Clothes, furtniture, books. Unless there is a real emotional attachment to the item - if its ripped, torn, damaged or broken, Toss It!

[Sopdet]

Tips for you

1. Be ruthless
2. Sell/Donate/Give (if you can be bothered sell it on ebay or gumtree/give it to a charity/freecycle it)
3. Don't use huge boxes (photocopy paper boxes are great for books/magazines/ornaments etc)
4. Post Tubes are great for putting glasses in (as in those tubes used for postage)
5. Plastic bins from discount stores are great to store things in (you know those clearish plastic ones with wheels that are about $10 each)
6. Pack a room at a time, if you can unpack at the other end, then go and move a room at a time
7. Survival box for the other end with kitchen essentials in it (kettle, toaster, cutlery, crockery, sugar, tea/coffee, washing up liquid, a couple of tea towels)

Do not try to cook when you get to the other end, this is a time where it is perfectly ok to pig out on junk food/take away.

Good luck with the move.

[danniellabella]

Only pack stuff you actually want to keep. That way you can get rid of those awful items that you've been given and can't get rid of "because it was a gift" and if the giver ever asks - it got lost in the move!

Totally agree with this. We're packing coz we're moving on voting day - first moving stuff to a storage unit before we move into our new place 2 weeks later.

Be ruthless. If you don't love it and haven't used it for 6+ months get rid of it (unless it's something you only use once a year like Christmas decorations).
If you need to, hire a skip and fill it.
Have a garage sale to sell stuff you don't want. Anything left over after the sale either give away or if you want to, pack the stuff into boxes clearly marked "garage sale" so you can have another one when you've moved.