We have several team members who have moved recently, and wanted to get their moving tips and ideas for making the process go smoother. We also asked them to show us their moving announcements! Here are their best moving tips.
“Cords, cords, cords”
Michelle, product designer at Pear Tree, lived with her husband and his roommate for TWO WHOLE YEARS after they got married and before they had a place of their own to move into. Michelle admits they waited that long “to find the perfect fit, knowing we didn’t want to go through the painful moving process more than once!” She was so excited & happy to move into her newly built home, which explains why her most important words of advice are, “LOVE where you move – to avoid future moving! :)”
Michelle’s moving tips:
– Gather lots of boxes.
– Use couch cushions for padding between the big breakable things, or to prevent rubbing / wearing.
– Visit your local furniture store for mattress plastic. They throw the plastic away and are happy to give it away. We used it to cover our mattress during the move and also to cover other objects to keep in good shape.
– Wrap dishes in your dish towels, washcloths or old newspaper.
-Sandwich big breakable objects, such as a dresser mirror, between mattresses.
-Cords, cords, cords. Label your cords with tape before disconnecting computer, TV, etc., for easy reconnecting.
-Don’t pack your clothes in boxes. Keep them in your dresser drawers. Remove the drawers, carry them out one at a time, carry out dresser empty, reload full drawers in moving truck, and repeat!
-Move hanging clothes by cutting a hole in the bottom of a garbage bag and pulling it over clothes on hangers. It will keep clothes from getting dirty while keeping them hung.
“Set aside a box of necessities”
Devin, the new-item coordinator at Pear Tree, and his wife, 7-month-old daughter and dog, moved from a rented townhouse into their first purchased home last summer. They packed most of their things in advance and, on moving day, borrowed a truck and trailer from friends. Family members helped them with the 15-mile move, some driving back and forth, and others staying at the new house to watch the baby, and help put stuff away.
Devin recommends:
– Paint rooms you want to paint before moving in. The day we closed on the house, we spent the majority of our time painting. It was really nice to get it out of the way and just focus on the move afterwards.
– Have a garage sale a few weeks before moving. If you have stuff you don’t want or could live without, it’s not worth moving it. Plus, it’s nice to get a little extra cash, as there are always some unexpected costs that come with moving.
– Set aside a box packed with some necessities and a bag of clothes for the first couple days. Moving (unpacking) is a slow process that will take more than a day, so it was nice to have a few things on hand, like plates, silverware, soap, toilet paper, etc., that we didn’t have to dig through bags and boxes right away to find.
“Shrink wrap is genius”
Megan, a web designer/production artist at Pear Tree, and her fiance, Tom, are moving in June from an apartment into their first house. Megan admits, “We should probably have hired movers. However, we’re both determined to rely on the help of a few great friends, whom we’ll bribe with food and beverages.” Megan hopes that this is the year she can “finally part with the miscellaneous items I’ve packed and unpacked for 6 different moves and never once used.”
They have armed themselves with:
– a mountain of boxes “borrowed” from Tom’s workplace cafeteria
– a roll of shrink wrap Megan found at Staples (genius for bundling awkward items or keeping desk drawers tightly shut)
– 3 rolls of packaging tape
– a half-dozen Sharpie markers.
A final tip from Pear Tree: once you’ve made your move, check out our collection of moving announcements to make sure your friends know where to find you! And for more moving ideas, keep reading our blog!
