Moving Day Doesn't Have to Be the 7th Circle of Hell

Moving day. Those two little words are virtually guaranteed to produce groans all around, even from those of us with positive, can-do attitudes. Whether it's down the block, to the other side of town, or across the country, packing up your home and moving it is a daunting event...time-consuming, tedious, and expensive to boot.
Once you've done it enough, however, you discover a thing or two, and with any luck, the next move is better than the last. It's taken me several moves to feel qualified to write this piece. You might say I learned the hard way the right way to relocate.

My move from grad school in upstate New York to New York City involved inviting a bunch of students (read: guys) over to help me load the U-Haul that my friend Elaine and I were to take into Brooklyn, when my on-again off-again boyfriend totally bailed on me last minute. I had promised my helpers
beer and pizza, and 60 dollars and two hours later, the contents of my apartment had been emptied and stashed in a big truck that I was terrified of driving.

The trip went peachy until we were stopped outside of the Holland Tunnel and told we had to figure out another route because our vehicle was too big. This was before Google Maps, and I completely freaked out. But we finally made it to my new brownstone-lined street, where we unloaded the entire truck ourselves while my neighbors looked on without lifting a finger. While Elaine was appalled, I quickly came to understand that people in New York don't help you move because they have their own moving sagas (and subsequent trauma).


That back-breaking work, it turns out, was a piece of cake compared to when my partner and I moved in together. Although we'd "thrown money at the problem" (as my guy likes to say) and hired Task Rabbits to help us load and unload (and even toss some books into boxes--toss being the operative word), our stuff was in a complete disarray. We arrived in Brooklyn (after being pulled over by cops just as we were about to enter the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel) with at least one box full of broken dishes. And then there was all the stuff that didn't arrive at all.

About a week after our move when I went to open a bottle of wine to sip on the stoop, we realized we'd left our good crystal in our old apartment! I'd also, unknowingly, gotten rid of my partner's favorite squishy pillow (he hadn't bothered packing it, so I figured it was destined for the trash), a decent set of Queen-sized sheets, and a pot big enough to boil live lobsters. The latter only made its absence known to us one spring afternoon months later when I suggested crustaceans and drawn butter for supper--and discovered we had no vessel large enough to meet our demand.

In short, moving is such a pain. And yet, some people appear to do it with relative ease and equanimity. There are even, according to a piece in the Times, serial renters who move at least once a year. That suggests there's got to be some kind of learning curve, right?

Since I've learned a thing or five since my borderline disastrous moves, including the importance of pen and paper lists, I've compiled a helpful outline of everything you need to do to make your next move as seamless as possible. If moving is a family affair and you have very young kids, better make sure your in-laws or your favorite sitter is available. On the other hand, if they're old enough to help, I say, put 'em to work: every hand helps.

Check out the slideshow above and make sure you've got everything covered on moving day.

1. Are you planning to purchase a lot of new furniture, like beds for the kids and a new kitchen table, all to be delivered to your brand-new address? If your move is on the smaller side, you may not need to shell out for expensive movers. If you do decide to rent a UHAUL truck, don't forget about picking up furniture pads and a moving dolly. Oh, and rounding up all your closest friends to help with the heavy lifting isn't such a bad idea either!

2. For most family moves, hiring professionals is the way to go, no matter the price. These folks have the experience and the skill and will take excellent care of your items. Make sure you do your research though, as not all moving companies are equal.

3. Once you decide on the biggest piece of the puzzle--professional movers versus a more DIY approach, perhaps with some hired hands--you can get to planning everything else. You won't want to do this in your head, even if your mental notes are typically stellar. Make a list of items you plan to purchase for the new place and one of things you plan to donate. Jot down measurements and schedules for packing what and when. Keep track of your expenses, too, as it's a good idea to see where your money is going in this often-harried process.

4. Figure you'll spend a couple of hundred dollars on packing supplies alone. Better to purchase more than you might need than to run out in the middle of a productive day of packing. Consider things like boxes, string, packaging tape, markers, labels. Using boxes you have lying around the house are fine so long as they are sturdy and haven't been subject to lots of wear and tear.

5. Some items clearly require more care and gently handling than others. Even though it takes more time to properly wrap and pack your family's everyday dishes (and your wedding china), it's an essential component of a seamless move. No one wants to open up a box labeled "kitchen" only to find it filled with shards of glass.

6. Electronic equipment, lamps, framed items: these things all require special travel attention. Follow the Martha Stewart checklist for safe moving tips. If your kids are helping you pack up the house, steer them away from this task and towards something simpler such as book organization or stuffed animal packing.

7. Whether or not you're using professional movers or doing it yourselves, you want to make the unpacking part of the move as painless as possible, and that means that your kitchenware winds up in the kitchen and the box with your kids' train set ends up in their room. In addition to labeling boxes with their designated destinations, marking them as fragile will serve as a helpful reminder (no matter how judiciously you wrapped your breakables) to take extra care when moving.

8. You may be in no condition or mood to unpack anything immediately upon arrival in your family's new digs, and that's ok. You will need some key items for the first night, though, and we recommend packing a suitcase or an overnight bag containing pajamas for everyone along with fresh clothes for the next day when the real work begins. Don't forget toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap and towels!

9.If there's one thing worth doing upon your arrival, it's making up all the beds. A duffel bag full of linens, blankets and pillows should stay relatively close to you throughout the move, so you can easily locate what you need once the movers have set up all of the beds. Roughing it a little bit the first night is one thing, but no one should be without a blanket and pillow.

10. If you're not shipping the kiddos off to the grandparents, let them get involved in the move. Prohibit heavy lifting, of course, but give your tweens and teens instructions them on how to properly pack a box of books and toys. When you and your partner are on opposite ends of the house, one of you checking the cupboards one last time, the other instructing the movers, you can use the walkie talkies to communicate and get your kids in on the activity too.

11. Do this online now, and you won't miss a piece of post. You might have to contact specific magazine subscription services and give them your new address. For some reason, this type of mail is the one that often doesn't just transfer over when you confirm a change of address with the post office.

By Stacey Gawronski

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