Moving

In the past year I have been able to help a few friends move and I have picked up some clever ideas along the way, so I have created a few solutions to make a move as easy (and cheap) as possible.

Start Early - Packing day and moving day are NOT the same. I started packing as soon as I find out I was moving. I began with the things I use least and worked my way to the every day items. Starting early also gave me the time to sort through the things I was keeping and the ones I was donating.

Keep it Cheap - I didn’t want to waste money on packing supplies so I only bought some Styrofoam plates, and drawstring garbage bags. I used a few boxes as well as baskets, suitcases, and plastic bins that I already had. And all those plastic grocery bags can finally be put to good use to wrap breakables.

Keep breakables safe - I used foam plates between my plates and the rest was wrapped in grocery bags. I also used my towels and table linens to cushion my beloved Pyrex collection. 

Make Unpacking Easy  - I kept all my clothes on hangers and used garbage bags to wrap them up in. This will help to avoid having to hang everything up later. Smaller clothing items went in tote bags and suitcases.  

Plan Ahead - Fortunately I only moved 30 minutes away so I was able to go ahead and clean the whole apartment and plan where I wanted to put everything.  I also stocked the bathrooms with soap and toilet paper and put a couple cases of water in the fridge for the kind people helping me. (Call me type A, but I also put sticky notes where I wanted all the furniture and where everything would go. I thought it would make moving day a little easier.)

Have any moving tips? I would love to hear them.