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Moving is a necessary nightmare, and the internet is full of the same, soul-crushingly sensible advice: label your boxes, pack a "first-night" bag, lift with your knees. But what happens when you’re staring at a mountain of junk at 2 AM and "sensible" just isn’t an option anymore?
An online community asked a glorious question for the rest of us: What is your most unhinged moving advice? The responses were borderline chaotic genius, a symphony of questionable life hacks from people who have been to the brink and back. These are so crazy, they just might work.
More info: Threads
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#1
Check your boxes for your cat before you seal them up.
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#2
Get rid of 90% of your s**t before moving.
#3
Put like 5 books in every single box you pack. That way there are no insanely heavy book boxes but you still get all your books moved
SweetCheesySpaghetti 1 month ago
This is actually super brilliant! We used clothes as packing cushion so we had no full boxes of just clothes
The internet is filled with sensible, adult moving advice. Experts at places like Real Simple will tell you to create a detailed inventory, to pack an "essentials" box for your first night, and to use small boxes for heavy items like books. They'll advise you to label everything with its contents and destination room.
This is the advice of a person who has their life together, who probably owns a label maker, and who has never stared at a pile of miscellaneous junk at 2 AM and felt the primal urge to just light it all on fire. The unhinged geniuses of the online thread, however, have a different philosophy. Their advice is to embrace the chaos and get a little more creative with your methods.
#4
Not unhinged, just useful: if you’re moving cross country/long distance and using a moving company, put an AirTag in one of your boxes so you can track where your stuff is. Moving companies will often lie or give you the runaround about where your truck is and when it’s going to arrive.
Earonn - 1 month ago
Make a list of all the stuff - every box, every piece of furniture, every bicycle. Check it off as it goes into the company's van. Make them sign it. Same procedure when they unload it. It's not only theft, if the boxes are stored somewhere in between, they just might not get loaded again. Ask me how I found out.
#5
Since it is inevitable that something will break during the move, I suggest breaking something you don't care about on purpose as a ritual sacrifice to satisfy chaos destructors and protect your heirloom china.
#6
Pack a suitcase with a change of clothes, pajamas, shampoo, soap, toothbrush, loofah, and a shower curtain. When you inevitably get overwhelmed and exhausted , at least you’ll be able to quickly find what you need to shower and get in bed.
If you want to get a little fancier, "life hack" websites like The Spruce offer a plethora of clever packing tricks. They suggest using your towels and linens as padding for fragile items, keeping clothes on their hangers and bundling them for an easy transfer, and packing plates vertically like records to prevent breakage.
The online thread, on the other hand, respects only one thing: its own sanity. The unhinged alternative to wrapping dishes is the "Russian Doll" method: simply tape all your kitchen drawers and cabinets shut and move the entire piece of furniture as one giant, rattling container. It saves boxes, and you can play a guessing game as you unpack to see what broke and what didn’t.
#7
Overlap your move dates. I know people think I’m insane for paying a week or two for an empty apartment, but I’m late. For everything. Always. Having the breathing room to s***w up moving day has been a sanity saver.
#8
Always start with packing the drawers, cabinets, and closets. They take the longest and the progress is invisible. If you start with the things that are out in the open, the place looks packed up and you underestimate how much more you have left to do.
Uncle Panda 1 month ago
Isn't it one drawer, one box, dump, and go? Maybe that's near the end of packing when you just don't care anymore.
#9
I don't know if it will be possible in your country but I went around different groceries stores and asked if they had empty banana boxes that I could have. Those things are super stable and and I couldn't pack them too heavy because of their size and they were all free! And they stack nicely.
GenuineJen 1 month ago
I went to the liquor store and asked for all of their empty boxes. They are a great size for packing books.
For decades, the gospel of decluttering has been preached by organization guru Marie Kondo. Her KonMari method is a mindful, almost spiritual process. Before a move, you're supposed to hold each item you own and ask if it "sparks joy." If it doesn't, you thank the item for its service and let it go. It’s a beautiful, sentimental approach designed to ensure you only bring things you truly love into your new space.
It’s also a method that requires a level of emotional stability that few people possess in the stressful week before a move. People suggest getting rid of things you haven’t used in a year or even a 20/20 method that involves replacing everything you can get for under $20 or within 20 minutes from your new digs.
#10
Use packing tape to tape your dresser drawers shut so you don’t have to actually pack/unpack any clothes
Uncle Panda 1 month ago
I think we pull the clothes out to make the heavy big thing leave the house easier.
#11
Label boxes currently: Living Room Left Bookshelf Top. You always remember where stuff was when you need to find it at the new place.
#12
If you’re on an upper floor of an apartment, park the U-Haul below the window and zip line your boxes out using the strong threaded tape to make the loop you attach to the carabiner and line. Just wrap the tape securely around the box and at the top make the loop. Saved me hours of going up and down 3 flights of stairs 😁
Moving is a massive part of American life, but patterns are changing. According to a 2024 forecast by Forbes, 25.6 million Americans moved in 2023. While this is a historic low, it's still a staggering number of people packing up their lives. The primary drivers behind these relocations are significant life events, with the top reasons being a new job or transfer, to be closer to family, and a larger home.
Beyond the logistical nightmare, the financial burden of relocating is often the biggest source of stress. The average price for a local move is around $1,689. For those moving long-distance, that figure skyrockets to an average of $4,723. With thousands of dollars on the line before you've even bought a single new piece of furniture, it's easy to see why people are turning to some drastic measures.
#13
Have a last box. The remotes, a wine key, your favorite candle, house papers, all the must have til the last minute items go in that box. Put a BOX KNIFE, toilet paper, paper towels, garbage bags, and a dish towel in too. And a pk of lightbulbs. Pet items. All that stuff gets unpacked first. Right when you need it. Also, paper lunch sacks for all your glass items. I use two pkgs per move. So handy. Newspaper is messy.
#14
Introduce yourself to the neighbours before you have to break into your home. It’s not the best, having locked yourself out the 2nd day to convince the neighbours you live there and don’t know the number for a 24 hour locksmith.
Farah (she/her) 1 month ago
YES! We live next to a little old lady who grows lots of things and she's promised to give us some of the things shes growing if we come and help her out
#15
Do it like youre on the clock. I mean like an actual m****c. Do it all at once, dont stop until you packed absolutely everything and for 2 entire days live like you dont live there and have zero belongings. Do not clean until it's all out. When you unpack do the same. Get the bags and boxes empty and out and out of the rooms/house ASAP. Do not look at s**t, do not get nostalgic, do not invite chatty friends, do not invite family to help. Do it all as fast as possible.
With the average cost of a move running into the thousands, it’s no surprise that people look for ways to cut corners. The official advice from moving experts, like the team at Big League Movers, is sensible and effective. They recommend a multi-pronged attack on your budget, starting with aggressive decluttering. Other smart tips include sourcing free boxes from local businesses or online marketplaces.
While it requires more effort, doing the packing yourself can significantly reduce the final bill, as professional packing services are a costly add-on. It's also crucial to do your due diligence by getting in-writing estimates from at least three different moving companies to ensure you're getting a competitive rate. Finally, don't overlook the insurance options because you never know what might happen!
Do you have any weird and wild hacks that you feel like people need to know? Share them in our comment section below!
#16
If you are traveling a great distance, here is our hack: join Planet Fitness, but the $20 membership. We had memberships and it dawned on us, as we were about to drive the U-Haul from Colorado to North Carolina—that we could stop at any of those locations for 1) the massage chairs and tables 2)a shower and/or a place to stretch our legs, quite literally. It was AWESOME. We would pull up at a PF location, and flop onto the hydro massage tables and into the massage chairs.
#17
Keep your fitted sheet on your mattress. Your mattress satys cleand and when you're done moving, wash the sheet
Giraffe Sitter 1 month ago
My embarrassing packrat confession: I kept the plastic bag the mattress came in so I can rewrap it when I move.
#18
DO NOT USE UHAUL. if the truck breaks down in the middle of nowhere, you are f**ked and they don't give a s**t. take it from me!
#19
I number all my boxes and have a spreadsheet of what is in each box. That way if one is missing, I know what’s in it.
Also, always have a set of “load last” items which include sheets and pillows, a few days of clothes, cleaning supplies, power cords/extension cords, lightbulbs. That way you can set that stuff up as they are unloading the rest and if you are too tired end of day, you at least have a bed to sleep in.
If you can afford it, have movers pack all breakables so they are insured.
#20
When you disassemble the furniture, put all the screws, bolts, etc back into the holes they came from. This way you don’t have to figure out where the whole bag of hardware goes. It’s also helpful to take pics as you’re taking it apart to hand a guide to reassemble it.
#21
Pack a suitcase as if you were going away for a week to a poorly stocked hotel. Add in bed sheets and a flashlight and batteries then put the suitcase and pillows in the car. Then pack by priority, not category. Label boxes by room and priority. So the first box you open in the room is the stuff you use all the time (regardless of category.) Also tape all remotes to the item they control.
#22
As many other people have stated, pack a box with your coffee, coffee maker, your coffee mugs, spoons, etc.… As soon as you get to your new kitchen, clean up a space and unpack your coffee pot and set it all up. When you collapse at night after unpacking, you will be so happy that your coffee is ready to go in the morning.
SweetCheesySpaghetti 1 month ago
When we moved across the country, our movers had some kind of issue and were going to be a few days late. So we went to walmart and bought a few necessities - including a coffee maker and coffee. The first morning in my new home I could brew a cup of coffee and sit on my new front porch with a cup of coffee and it really helped make the stress feel not as bad.
#23
Become an Amazon Seller and post all your stuff for absurd prices. Send it all to the Amazon warehouse. Move. Change your mind about being an Amazon Seller. Have all of your “inventory” returned to you at your new address.
#24
Treat you home like a thrift store: you own none of this. Only pack what you would actually purchase from a thrift store.
#25
When you get to the last ~20% of your packing, move everything that's left into one room and stage it all in one big pile so you have a clear concept of what's left. Don't leave a few things in each room scattered around the house.
#26
I saw someone else say this in a different thread ages ago: Sign up for rewards programs at places around your new house, set your birthday to your move in date, and you'll be able to grab a free snack or coffee during the move.
Bored Retsuko 1 month ago
This makes no sense. Just buy some packaged snacks for the day, much easier?
#27
I make a box called “junk” and the date. After 1 year if I don’t open it, I throw it away.
#28
I use a 20/20 rule if I'm debating on keeping an item. If I could get a new one within 20 minutes of my new house for less than $20, I don't need to pack it up to move it
#29
Don’t do cardboard boxes. The large plastic tub bins at Costco are the same price and are much more eco friendly - plus SO much easier to carry.
#30
Only move about 20% of your things. The stuff you ACTUALLY use. Donate or sell the rest. Not only will your new place be wonderfully clean and uncluttered, but unpacking is a breeze. We have been so consumed by “stuff” - moving and only taking what you truly TRULY want and need and use can be life changing. (From someone who did this 2.5 years ago!)
Sly Schlang 1 month ago
Minimal living is not for crafters, booklovers, people with pets, people with hobbies or interests. But for folks who only live for the job maybe
What do you think ?
Helena 1 month ago
I move about every three years my entire life. Don't get all precious with packing or it will take you forever. Assemble a buttload of boxes or cartons or whatever, and chuck things in. I kind of have it down where I can move with ten boxes and then just use everything I have and put stuff in stuff and go. Trashbags may look gauche but they are a lifesaver when moving.
Jaya 1 month ago
Trashbags and little bags are great for clothes, because it's light and it's flexible, so you can fit it in the left over spaces in the car where you can't fit a whole box. When you use a moving truck that's not necessary, but when you move by car (like students for instance), it really helps.
Load More Replies... Uncle Panda 1 month ago
One of the best parts of being a 'grown up' is that your friends don't all move every summer.
Helena 1 month ago
I move about every three years my entire life. Don't get all precious with packing or it will take you forever. Assemble a buttload of boxes or cartons or whatever, and chuck things in. I kind of have it down where I can move with ten boxes and then just use everything I have and put stuff in stuff and go. Trashbags may look gauche but they are a lifesaver when moving.
Jaya 1 month ago
Trashbags and little bags are great for clothes, because it's light and it's flexible, so you can fit it in the left over spaces in the car where you can't fit a whole box. When you use a moving truck that's not necessary, but when you move by car (like students for instance), it really helps.
Load More Replies... Uncle Panda 1 month ago
One of the best parts of being a 'grown up' is that your friends don't all move every summer.
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