Martha Stewart Living, April 2008
Organization and a few helpful tricks can make your move more manageable, ensuring your belongings will travel safely and easily from one home to the next.
Download and print our exclusive moving to-do list for quick reference.
Print our moving box labels on self-adhesive paper to keep all of your packed belongings in order.
A variation on these labels would be great for storage as well, for out-of-season, craft supplies, holidays, kids' stuff, etc. But....I'm sure Martha has already thought of that! Use uniform box sizes to easily stack, and pack in sizes YOU can lift or move, just in case no one is around to help when you decide to go back to or start a project.
I had to move on short notice when my company was acquired. To say I was unprepared would be a major understatement. I used Excel spreadsheets (yes, I’m terribly old fashioned!) to categorize my entire apartment. I believe that they have iPhone apps for moving, as well. One of the best tools I found for moving in a hurry was my NeatDesk. I had picked it up for scanning in receipts in business cards, but found it was really helpful for organizing and saving the mountains of paper that had accumulated. I googled NeatDesk and moving and found this: http://www.neat.com/blog/index.php/2011/07/13/how-to-use-neat-when-moving-to-a-new-home/ It might be worth checking out.
The best way is to number the boxes and keep the inventory list in a notebook. The truck driver thought my list was a great idea and let me get on the back of the truck when boxes were unloaded. This way I could tell the workers in which room to put the boxes. This worked beautifully and made unpacking much easier. Also if something is missing, the inventory makes it easy to identify which box it would have been in and if you have misplaced the item yourself or if the entire box is missing.
I would love more tips on a long-distance move, as my stuff is leaving a month before I do.
WOW! Thanks so much for all infos!!! We'll be moving in July
Thanks for sharing your valuable experiences with us. I think the Inventory No. on each with a list that only you have is the best way to go! Rita @ TesoroFino.com
I also had items stolen because they were listed, however I still label my boxes for storage and when I move again - I'll label again. It makes everything much easier. Maybe a code word rather than a specific item would help when something valuable is boxed.
While this may be a very good idea, I have to disagree! Listing the contents on each box is what I had made easier for the people who stole many items when I moved. It gave anyone the option to pick and choose what to take. I lost my antique perfume bottles I had been collecting for over 50 years.
We lost many items including my china and steamware. If I had listed the items on a piece of paper and then given the box a number or letter to go with that list, I might have my items today.