How To Move Without Losing Your Mind (Especially With Kids)

Quinn (my husband) and I have moved nine times in our four years of marriage and we're about to make it ten, so moving is on my mind. We've learned a lot about how to move without going crazy because if we didn't, we would be crazy like 20% of the time. Every move we've made has been to a new city and most of them have been to new states. So our moves weren't even down-the-street type of moves. Not only that but this upcoming move will be the first for which we're renting a U-Haul truck. We usually just pack up our cars and go. So, needless to say, we've had to get pretty good at this. And pretty creative.

In the four years we've been married, we've also had two babies and they make moving even more interesting than it is to begin with. Children make moving a challenge, not just an annoyance. So here are some of the things we've learned from all of our moving adventures:

1. Set up your utilities two to three weeks ahead of time! People are always shocked by how early I take care of transferring/cancelling/starting utilities, but it makes such a big difference to do it early and most companies are just fine with you doing it within a month ahead of time. So, two or three weeks before we move, I cancel and start gas and electric. I then transfer or cancel/start internet and TV. I also make sure that if we need someone to come install anything, we make an appointment with them for the day after our move so we don't have to go too long without it. It's not necessary to have internet and TV right away, but it sure is nice. And if you wait until after you move, you might not get the help you need for several days.

2. Purge. This is the perfect opportunity to get rid of stuff you haven't used in a year or two. And if you don't, you'll have that much more stuff to go through, pack, and unpack afterward. Get rid of stuff you don't use and organize the stuff you do. It is so worth it!

3. Be as tidy as possible a few weeks before the move. This may seem counter-intuitive, but the cleaner and neater your house is before you start packing, the easier the packing will be because everything will be in its place. Your house will inevitably get a little turned around, but if it's messy to begin with, it will just be an overwhelming disaster halfway through.

4. Don't buy boxes! If you know you're going to move, save your boxes. We save diaper boxes and always have more than enough. If you don't ever get boxes, go to a store--any store--and ask if they have boxes in the back. Most places will just give them to you for free and you really don't need as many as you might think usually.

5. Map out your packing. This is the most helpful thing for me! It's especially useful when you have kids and can't cram as much work into a single day as you could before. Basically, I take a calendar, start at the day of the move and work backwards, assigning myself amounts of packing that I feel are doable in a single day. I start the day of the move with cleaning and packing the necessities that are not reasonable to pack ahead of time. Then I work backwards going from most-used to least-used rooms/things. This time, I ended up with almost two weeks of work. So I started two weeks ahead of time and I've been getting a lot accomplished so far. Here's an example of how to map out your packing (what I did for this move):

• 7/18-20: Spare Room
• 7/21: Outside Storage
• 7/22: Hall Closet
• 7/23: Kids' Room
• 7/24: Decorations
• 7/25: Master Room
• 7/26: Master Room
• 7/27: Bathrooms
• 7/28: Living Room
• 7/29: Kitchen and Laundry Room
• 7/30: Food, Clothes, Finish Bathrooms, Computer, TV
• 7/31 (moving day): Clean and Pack Truck

6. Never do it later! Seriously. If it's something you can do now, do it now. If you leave nails in the walls, decals on the walls, things lying around, trash lying around... whatever it may be, you will absolutely regret it on moving day! Those little things that aren't a big deal to do ahead of time will add up quickly and make moving feel impossible and so overwhelming! 

If I see anything that I don't intend on taking with us, it's in the trash immediately. If I've packed up a room, I've also cleaned the walls, taken down decorations, filled nail holes, and made sure every last thing is put away or packed up. Every little thing counts on moving day. Better to do it when it doesn't seem like a big deal than to put it off until it is.

7. Pack a bag like you were going on a two-day trip. If you do this the day before the move, you can pack everything else ahead of time and just live out of your suitcase the night before the move and the night after. This is SO NICE because it saves you work the day of the move and when you get where you're going, you don't have to go searching through all your boxes to find your toothbrush and some pajamas. 

8. If people offer to help, send them your kids or invite them on moving day. Friends and family usually are the most helpful with packing up a truck or car, moving furniture, and watching your kids. Anything else is most easily done by you because you know where things are and you know how you want things packed. Trying to have people help you pack stuff up can actually just be more stressful than anything. If people offer to help me, I ask if they will watch my kids for a few hours. Then I can get much more done than if I had my kids and my friend at my house trying to help me. 

9. Avoid piles. The only piles I try to have in my house while I'm packing are the pile of stuff going in the truck or car and the pile of stuff I need to help me pack. Other than that, get rid of the piles! They only make things harder. If you have a pile of stuff to donate, take it out to the car and donate it in batches while you're out. If you have a pile of trash, take it out! If you have a pile of stuff, pack it up as soon as possible so it's ready to be loaded. Piles are the enemy. 

10. Don't pack cleaning supplies, trash bags, packing tape, a Sharpie, Spackle, and tools. You will need these things the whole time you are packing! Keep them in the same place, put them back there when you're done using them, and don't pack them early. They should be the very last things going in the truck. I also use snack-, sandwich-, and storage-sized baggies the whole time, so I keep those on hand as well.

11. Keep original boxes whenever possible. If you have room and don't plan on staying somewhere for too long, store your appliance boxes! Oddly shaped things are the hardest to pack, so if you keep the original boxes with the original padding, it will save you trouble and may save your stuff from breaking. We've been toting our sewing machine and Kitchen Aid boxes for years and have never regretted it!

Where we've moved (for those who may be interested):
1. Provo, UT to Fresno, CA
2. Fresno, CA to Provo, UT
3. Provo, UT to Brea, CA
4. Brea, CA to Fresno, CA
5. Fresno, CA to Provo, UT
6. Provo, UT to Livermore, CA
7. Livermore, CA to Provo, UT
8. Provo, UT to Salem, OR
9. Salem, OR to Orem, UT
10. (upcoming move) Orem, UT to Parker, CO

Moving is hard, but it doesn't have to be a nightmare. Follow these tips! I promise it will make your life so much easier. What moving tips do you have?