We are preparing to move into our first house. I'm not sure where yet, but it will be less than 1 hr drive away. We will be doing it ourselves. no moving company.

I still have lots of time to prepare. We just got our preapproval, so it's months away.

Last time we moved, i procrastinated and wasn't prepared. This time is going to be different! So....what are your moving tips?

We just did this a year ago!

My best tip is to start packing now. Look at everything in your house and decide now what you NEED for the next few months and what you can live without for a short time. Pictures, all decorations, unnecessary dishes (which is most of them), off season clothes, linens, games. I would even pack the holiday decorations because you could go one season without displaying them. Pack everything in boxes and pile them neatly in the garage or in a front room ready to be taken out. Bring down/up all furniture that is not necessary. Pack and clean out any unused rooms like a living room or spare bedroom and seal it off.

We did this and moved in very easily.

Hi katy! Congrats on your first home! Do you or anyone else in your family work in an office? I had the guys in the mail room save all of the copier paper boxes for me for a few months before my move. They're free and a good size for moving yourself as they're not too heavy even if packed with books. Something else that worked for me was to use household linens (towels, sheets) to pack my dishes in instead of endless quantities of packing paper. Less waste that way. Also, have a box of stuff to be opened first with basic cleaning supplies, garbage bags, tp, whatever you'll need right away. Good luck with everything!

My sister is an amazing mover. Here are some of her "tricks".

1. Get lots of people to help. Friends, family, people from church, etc.

2. People generally mark their boxes "kitchen", "janes bedroom", etc. The problem is that the folks who are helping them move, don't always know what room is what (especially bedrooms, etc.).

So, what she does is buy brightly colored stickers and assign every room a color. The day of (or the day before) the big move she goes to the new house and puts a weighted helium filled balloon in the center of every room. The color of the balloon matches the color of the sticker on the boxes that go in that room. Easy peasy.

3. Start packing early. The stuff you don't use often (think basement, junk closets, attic spaces) can almost always be packed early without any inconvenience to your daily life.

4. It's not always necessary to box up everything, especially clothes. pull the dresser drawers out, cover the clothes with a plastic bag and carry them out as they are. Clothes hanging in closets can always be laid across the backseat of someone's car and carried right in and hung up as well.

5. The first thing you take to your new home on your very first trip is a roll of toilet paper. Trust me on this one.

I'm sure I'll think of others...good luck with the house hunting!!!

loving the tips so far! yes definitely on the decluttering and packing. i've been going through our clothes these past few months. we have lots of kids clothes to pass on to cousins. and my fat clothes to go to good will. (YAY!) those are ready to go. of course lots to go through still.

we don't have a garage. we're in an apt.
dh works in an office. i'm sure we can get lots of boxes that way. i also read liquor stores and pharmacies are good places to ask. and some stuff can be put in clear trash bags.

and thanks for the luck and good thoughts. it's so exciting.

it's funny. part of mr is saying: i don't care, let's just go!now! this weekend!

the other part of me says: well we still have lots of paper work, time, and picking which house. it's hard deciding which one is the best sometimes.

first me: just get me out!
second me: ok well let's be organized. we don't want to take 2 months to move in....
first me:decluttering? i can fit everything we need in a suitcase. give away the rest.

lol! so it's funny how i'm not rational and trying to be logical at the same time lol.

where we are living is really a fairly nice place. have 4 bedrooms. 2 bathrooms. in alot of ways it feels like a house. we only share 2 walls with a neighbor.
but obviously theres so much more in your own house. to do what you want, and have a garage, basement and lots of other stuff. makes me feel so grown up! sometimes i'm still a teenager stuck in this body....

One more piece of advice no one can really tell you. You kind of have to figure it out for yourself. But I'll try anyway!

Your first house is your easiest house to buy!! Pick it well. From here on out you have to balance selling the first house with an opportune time to move into the next house. Pain. in. the. rear.

Take the kids to stay with grandma for two days while you complete the move.

Take pics of the cabinets in the kitchen. Print these out on your computer. Number the cabinets on your pics. Decide now what you want to store in each cabinet. Put these cabinet numbers on the boxes as you pack. This will allow you to find the things you need most, saving you money on eating out the first week.

Keep one box of bed and bath linens (including a shower curtain) separate so you can ready your bed and bath that first night. Make the bed as soon as it is set up (You'll be too exhausted later.)

Keep lots of beverages on hand. Pick up a case of water and put it into the new 'fridge right away. You'll need it and you won't need cups the first hour this way.

You WILL need a dolly. Even if your boxes are packed carefully, eventually your back will appreciate this.

Get rid of the junk! Once you move into your first house, it's like a pack rat moves in with you!

We really didn't have much in the way of furniture because we'd been city apartment dwellers for so long, but I made a point to donate or throw out what I just didn't want to take with me. If it didn't have a purpose in the new house, it didn't survive the move. I can't tell you how freeing it is once you make it ok to rid yourself of all the crap.

So that's my advice

keep them coming

well the kids can help alot. the boys are 8 and 9. the youngest is 5. there's alot they can carry. probably they will spend some time with Grammi. We really don't rely on her much though. She rarely babysits.

and yes there's several peices of furniture i'm getting rid of. most of my bedroom furniture actually. but alot of the other furniture we just got, so will prob. keep.

the other day i was getting rid of clothes. either i don't like it or it's too big. most of what's left fits into a suitcase lol.

ok, we got the house picked out, our offer to buy is accepted. now hopefully the bank will cooperate. i'm getting ready anyway. regardless if we move this month, it will be soon. i can't be too prepared. i'm not naturally organized so this will be challenging for sure i'm looking forward to burning lots of cals packing/moving/cleaning quickly.

Whatever you do....

if you have friends help....

don't make them do YOUR packing....

or you may lose them as friends....

I don't mind helping people move....we all need help from time to time in life....

but don't ever ask me to do YOUR JOB!!! you lazy .....

sorry....rant over.....

Have a great memory!

In addition to what's been mentioned (the balloon idea is FANTASTIC), I would suggest labeling boxes with what's actually IN them, not just the room they go to. Or at minimum, number them in the order they need to be unpacked within each room. A few moves ago, I didn't do this and SH had wall decorations all over the floor of the spare bedroom because he just grabbed a box and started taking stuff out.

When you enlist help, please feed them. Order them pizza or make a few casseroles you can toss in the new oven. Offer them beer, take them out to dinner, do something for them. They will make your moving day(s) so much easier, and they should know how much you appreciate the help.

Don't fill a box just to fill it. Only put stuff that belongs to the same room in each box. It will make unpacking SO much easier.

Invest in wardrobe boxes for stuff hanging in your closet. That will also be a breeze for unpacking b/c you can leave everything on the hangers. (Will also help for packing b/c you won't have to remove from hanger, fold, etc).

Go through your stuff and toss unwanted/un-needed items BEFORE you move, as you're packing. That way you won't have to deal with a mess after you move.

The other tips are great, too.

Pack a box with your linens, towels, toiletries (TP), PJ's, change of clothes that you'll need the day after moving, coffee maker, whatever you'll need right away and put that in your car or put it in the moving truck LAST. That way you won't need to be scrambling to find sheets for your bed, etc, after all the boxes are unloaded. You'll know exactly where it is. (and remember the shower curtain and shower curtain rings, too, so you can take a shower that night!)

We've moved twice in the last year and a half. I'm a pro at it by now.

ok pro's...dio you have any more specific packing tips? does it matter how you place the plates etc, in just a regular box, if it has lots of padding? packing games, cds's?

i'm at that point where i'm frustrated and impatient enought to want to throw everything into a box and go. but i have trouble knowing what to pack that we won't need for awhile. everything is either we won't need that for months(summer stuff) or yes we'll need it right away.

i definitely am labeling the boxes. stuff from the same room, although this may be difficult to decide for some items. our rooms will be a bit different, because we will have alot more rooms than now. each box is labeled with room it goes in, basics of what's inside. like if it's clothes i say it's boys summer clothes. or it's all boy's size 10 pants. we think the boys will be sharing a room, so having their stuff together isn't a big deal, but labeling it clearly will help when i'm looking for something or just putting away.

i'm getting rid of ALOT of clothes. all the clothes that are too big for me(YAY!) and that are too small for the kids(even if just barely). ones that are too big are sorted and packed away unless they will need it in the next month. dd is growing so fast! she'll be next size up in pants anytime now. getting rid of stuff i don't use in the kitchen too and sheets. we need a new bed, so i may get rid of all our sheets, since the new one will be bigger. ok...well anyway. lots to do.