Top Tips for a Successful Move

Well, we are literally in the middle of our 9th move in 18 years or so. I feel like I should be an expert by now, but I actually learn something new each and every time the Army decides it is time for us to move to a new City or a new Country for that matter. This might, dare I say be our last move, at least that is what the husband is saying. I am not sure I quite believe that yet. Moving has opened my eyes to so much and I have enjoyed seeing the US and some of the World. I cannot even imagine living in one place for more then 3 years…Yikes!! My kids on the other hand are looking forward to keeping their friends and staying put for a while and I can’t blame them. So, Texas, hope you are ready for us to stay a while!!

Moving military style, I will call it is sort of a mixed blessing. Yes, someone is packing all our stuff, loading it in the truck and driving it to our next house. But do they have the same love for my Polish Pottery and Starbucks Mugs as I do??…I don’t think so. They are doing a job, sometimes great and sometimes it is a total nightmare. All military spouses have moving stories…it just goes with the territory. You hope for the best and pray all your stuff arrives at the next location somewhat intact. We have been pretty lucky, so far. A few missing items and of course lots of broken furniture and glass items. Which is why I have never really bought expensive furniture yet, for fear it wouldn’t survive the moves.

Over the years I have developed some move out routines that seem to make it a little less intense on both the front and back end of moving. I thought someone out there may need some moving inspiration as we head into peak military move season, Summer. Good Luck to anyone making the journey, hope all goes smooth!!

Top Moving Tips

• Take photos of your household items and where they are displayed currently. I have a hard time remembering all my stuff and where I had it before. I like to change it up in the new house but this gives me a good starting point. Plus, it really helps when you need proof if you are making a claim of a loss with the moving company.
• Keep original boxes of large electronics and kitchen items. This sounds awful and crazy but we learned this one the hard way when we did not keep our TV box. Our TV made it for the first few months on this last move, long enough that we couldn’t prove it was the moves’ fault, and then just died. They just get too jostled when not in their own packaging.
• Take everything off the walls and group like items together (i.e. I always put all my large picture frames in one place rather than in different rooms and keep my starbucks mugs all in the same location)
• Put bedding, towels, and pillows in large Ziploc baggies or the ones that vacuum seal. This way when the movers put them in boxes your stuff isn’t covered in box dust. (I still wash everything, but this helps a lot)
• Put spices in plastic containers. If they spill it is all contained and not inside a box.
• Put candles in plastic bins (I have had candles moved in every move by doing this). As long as they are contained in the plastic, if they melt it will stay in there.
• The PARTS box is important. Try to emphasis this with the movers and make sure they label what the parts go to. I don’t know how many times we have gone to put stuff together and are missing the pieces. It is so aggravating. We have also used the Ziploc bag taped to the back of the item method with some success. This one works very well when you are the one taking apart the item.
• Don’t just tell the movers what not to pack, you really have to separate out the items you do not want them to pack or put a large label on them. I usually close off a bathroom and put all the stuff I don’t want them to touch in there.
• I just read this tip and am using it this move – Plot out your kitchen before your stuff arrives and label it so others can help too. This will save a ton of time on the backend. I like to work on unpacking the kitchen while the movers are still there so they can take some of those boxes away. Those boxes have the most packing paper and are so large. It is so good to get rid of them fast.
• Label each box with room stickers (this is also a new tip I have been reading a lot lately). I bought these stickers from Amazon and am putting the labels on the boxes in each room and then labeling the room on the flip end to help out the movers when they are unloading. Hopefully this makes it a little easier. A side bonus on the stickers, my family really got into placing the stickers on each box which kept them very busy during the move. Win, Win!!

Being Prepared is really the best advice I can give. I start a few months before each move going through each room in the house and purging or donating anything we don’t need or use. I sort through all the drawers especially the junk drawers and put like things together. Keeping myself organized is really the only way to get through a move and stay focused.

Military families move so much it is sometimes easy to forget it is a big life-changing event for everyone in the family. The kids have to leave their friends and make new ones, the service member is starting a new job, the spouse is setting up a new house, maybe starting a new job as well, and probably trying to guide the kids through an emotional roller coaster. Make sure to take time to focus on anything that brings you joy, even if it is just a good cup of coffee!!

If you have any awesome moving tips, we would love to hear any and all of them.

Good Luck!!