Moving house is one of those experiences that are sure to invoke “oh, you sweet summer child” reactions if it’s your first time. Especially if you’re naively excited about it.
Take it from someone who’s already moved twice: it’s an adventure, all right, but not a romantic one. More akin to the journey Frodo Baggins had to endure on his way to Mt. Doom and then some. Spoiler: he walked 1,300 miles.
To help illustrate the struggle, we present you with some of the best tweets out there on the topic of packing, moving, and everything in-between.
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Helping each other move is fun when you're young. But last time I did this, I was in my fourties and I found myself carrying boxes that seemed to be filled with nothing but old newspapers (!) While my small kids and my sick parent were waiting at home. That's when I realised: my friends earn enough money now, let them hire professional movers.
Without making it too complicated, let’s just say that moving house is a pain. Not only because of the physical effort required, but also because it feels like a never-ending story that scales depending on how big your house is and how much stuff you have.
Which? has a moving home checklist that isn’t too complex to make you feel like reality is hitting hard and isn’t too short so as to leave you wondering where half of your stuff is.
In a nutshell, moving house is a process that can span months. Sure, moving day is often just a day, if not two, but that’s only just one side of it. You still gotta worry about figuring out the logistics, start canceling and settling your utility and other domestic services, start packing and otherwise start disconnecting both physically and emotionally from the place you (probably) used to call home until now.
“Bonus points” if you’re moving to a new place because that’s a whole other can of beans that requires a completely separate checklist.
If you haven’t seen it yet, legendary stand-up comedian George Carlin has a skit about stuff that perfectly sums up the nuance and complexity of moving. It’s not about a permanent move, but the struggle is essentially the same.
Besides having to move your stuff, the skit also points out a very human issue of having more space than you have stuff. The solution to that is, more often than not, getting more stuff. And then your next moving experience is going to be even more elaborately ridiculous.
Looks up conversion factor. That's 30 kg. Sheet. Put box on sheet and drag it.
There are a dozen hacks and things that you can do to minimize the struggle. The first big step is to plan, prepare, and be organized. At this point, you can book movers early, plan the logistics, call the various house services companies and get all the utilities sorted for the old and the new place, and, most importantly, start the packing process.
What address was this? I'm looking to move and I need some shark pyjammas.
By packing far in advance, you’re saving time, which will be a luxury during the days before the actual move. But this also allows you to do some spring cleaning while you’re packing.
Do a mental check on all the things you pack and ask yourself whether you’ll need it in your new place. By setting certain criteria, like have I used this in the last 2 years?, you’re also minimizing the amount of stuff you’ll actually have to move all the while bringing less (or zero) clutter into your tabula rasa of a home.
It helps to always be on the lookout for boxes—check with local businesses if they have any spare boxes, or you can also look up if anyone in your area might be giving them away on Facebook Marketplace. Worst case scenario, Home Depot.
Once the box situation is sorted out, start filling them up. After filtering out the junk from the treasure, put the heavier stuff at the bottom so it’s not crushed (or it is not the one crushing), leaving no room in the box. It helps to group items into a single box if those items belong in a particular room, and to label the boxes accordingly.
That's a valid scientific question. You don't want to know the answer.
Needless to say, safety is important so, at the very least, make sure your boxes are taped up well and the more valuable or fragile things are stored away in safer containers. If specialized storage is not an option, use leftover packing peanuts or other packaging materials to fluff them up. And since you will very likely be transporting your wardrobe, you can use anything from hoodies to caps to dresses to keep your fragiles in order.
Just having people come waltzing in at random times for viewings of the suite.... You start feeling like your home is a museum real quick.
If you do want to go all out with moving and require a very detailed list that you can improve upon as you pack, consider checking out this handy dandy guide by Moving.com.
While moving is stressful, always keep in mind that there is a solution to every move-related problem. Most of them are resolved with storage, sheer determination, and a good, deep breath.
A key thing many people don’t necessarily think about during the chaos that is moving is meeting your new neighbors. Moving.com recommends doing so immediately after moving in as it tends to be less awkward.
While the moving process itself can be a great ice-breaker for this, it relies on the neighbor actually running into you during the move. If that doesn’t happen, you can always take initiative and simply knock on their door, introduce yourself and maybe ask for some helpful info about the neighborhood, maybe some recommendations for services in the vicinity.
I'm moving tomorrow. The other night, I came across my mom's surprise 60th birthday picture collage, from 2010, that my ex-wife and I put together for her. One is a large number 6 and the other a large number 0. It's pictures of her growing up, her family, then myself and my brother, the grandkids, etc. I've had it in the back of my closet for the past 6+ years since she's been gone, because it is difficult to look at it. I made myself just sit and enjoy it though the other night and had a mini breakdown and after 10 minutes or so, got myself back together and got back to packing.
If all else fails, have a housewarming party and invite your neighbors via mailbox invitations. In any case, happy moving!
And before you move on to other things found on our website, why not leave a comment about your worst or best moving experience, or hit that upvote button. It’s not fragile, don’t worry.
WTF kinda spoon is that??? Looks like a tamper for a huge pipe
Prepare survival box (or suitcase). It has to contain some canned food, multicooker, pasta, spoons,... just things to get you a warm food with one electric faucet. And second box/suitcase with cloths, toothbrushes,... basically what would you pack for a vacation plus cleaning equipment, because you want to scrub the new kitchen and bathroom before you use it. And take at least a weeklong vacation from work to set your new home, there will be a lot of unpacking, fixing furniture, setting Internet, electricity and water,... a week is the minimum I think.
Yup, that happened to us too. The previous owner said that Internet is paid for another month, so we will have no problems, but he lied. And how do you find the phone number to call that company without Internet? It is a good idea to prepare for the move in advance, call new ISP, contact electric company, water, heating,... Make a list (on paper) and make sure that you have there your new customer number and phone number. And don't lose that paper!
Packing because of the time pressure. Unpacking because you get to play the games of Where the hell is the box with *Insert random vital immediate necessity*, and What irreplaceable item was broken in transit.
Moving tips : 1) 100% pay people to do it. 2) Pack a change of clothes, mug and a kettle in a separate bag. 3) Bed in last, out first. 4) That is it. The first time we ever paid for removal men we arrived with a massive lorry of stuff, I popped 600y to the shop to get teabags for them, by the time I came back they were just finishing up and leaving. Mindblowing. They earn every penny.
I'm still a teen and I've moved 8 times, soon 9. These are all so painfully accurate..
Best moving story: Many years ago, a friend was moving into a student house, where someone had once had a cat, which they couldn't take with them when they left. They asked someone in the house to feed the cat, and promised to have cat food delivered. Gradually the occupancy of the house turned over, with cat-feeding duties being handed down. At some point the details were lost. Who owns the cat? Are they coming back? How can they be reached? How long has this situation existed, and will it ever end? Who pays for the food? Answer: We don't know. But the cat is named Bootsy, and he's very friendly.
Dominyka - most of your posts and your profile are broken links for app users.
I had to pack up and move a 3 bedroom house into a 1 bedroom townhome. Three dumpsters, 2 calls for junk removal, and six visits to local charity shops. That's what happens when you inherit your parents' house after they've lived there for 25+ years.
This is why I’m never moving again. They can take me out feet first.
I moved four times in five years, only once hiring movers, and never thought it was that bad. Maybe I'm a mutant.
Start out packing everything, end up deciding you'd rather buy new s**t rather than pack the old s**t so you just throw it away!
When I moved in 1999, we had everything packed, loaded, hauled, unloaded, and unpacked in under 12 hours. When I moved again in 2016, I took my clothes and electronics and called an auctioneer to sell everything else and mail me a check.
My personal pet peeve is not moving but home renovations... Like, we repainted room by room this spring and the 8th circle of hell opens up where everything is misplaced in your home, it's just torment... Moving means everything goes from A to B and will find it's place. I've moved some 10 times in my life and it was never as terrible as renovation
For the day of the move, have a week's worth of clothing in a suitcase, as well as important documents. This travels with you at all times. Have a big bag with the bedding required, plus pjs. When you get to your new place, make your bed, and set out your pjs. Don't allow anyone to put anything on your bed. And lastly, have a box of tea, coffee, milk, biscuits, mugs, kettle, spoons, and some basic cleaning materials. That's the first box into your new place.
I live in fear of rent raises not because of the money, but the move.
Moving tips : 1) 100% pay people to do it. 2) Pack a change of clothes, mug and a kettle in a separate bag. 3) Bed in last, out first. 4) That is it. The first time we ever paid for removal men we arrived with a massive lorry of stuff, I popped 600y to the shop to get teabags for them, by the time I came back they were just finishing up and leaving. Mindblowing. They earn every penny.
I'm still a teen and I've moved 8 times, soon 9. These are all so painfully accurate..
Best moving story: Many years ago, a friend was moving into a student house, where someone had once had a cat, which they couldn't take with them when they left. They asked someone in the house to feed the cat, and promised to have cat food delivered. Gradually the occupancy of the house turned over, with cat-feeding duties being handed down. At some point the details were lost. Who owns the cat? Are they coming back? How can they be reached? How long has this situation existed, and will it ever end? Who pays for the food? Answer: We don't know. But the cat is named Bootsy, and he's very friendly.
Dominyka - most of your posts and your profile are broken links for app users.
I had to pack up and move a 3 bedroom house into a 1 bedroom townhome. Three dumpsters, 2 calls for junk removal, and six visits to local charity shops. That's what happens when you inherit your parents' house after they've lived there for 25+ years.
This is why I’m never moving again. They can take me out feet first.
I moved four times in five years, only once hiring movers, and never thought it was that bad. Maybe I'm a mutant.
Start out packing everything, end up deciding you'd rather buy new s**t rather than pack the old s**t so you just throw it away!
When I moved in 1999, we had everything packed, loaded, hauled, unloaded, and unpacked in under 12 hours. When I moved again in 2016, I took my clothes and electronics and called an auctioneer to sell everything else and mail me a check.
My personal pet peeve is not moving but home renovations... Like, we repainted room by room this spring and the 8th circle of hell opens up where everything is misplaced in your home, it's just torment... Moving means everything goes from A to B and will find it's place. I've moved some 10 times in my life and it was never as terrible as renovation
For the day of the move, have a week's worth of clothing in a suitcase, as well as important documents. This travels with you at all times. Have a big bag with the bedding required, plus pjs. When you get to your new place, make your bed, and set out your pjs. Don't allow anyone to put anything on your bed. And lastly, have a box of tea, coffee, milk, biscuits, mugs, kettle, spoons, and some basic cleaning materials. That's the first box into your new place.
I live in fear of rent raises not because of the money, but the move.
