Where Did My Groove Go?

It is well documented that I am a dork.

I love to organize things.

Everything in my home has its place.

However.

I am currently having serious deficiencies in the packing department.

We begin moving in 9 days and I'm not making progress.  

I've got some boxes. And packing paper.  And tape.

I just can't get motivated to put my things in the boxes.

It seems kinda pointless to wrap & pack just to move 20 miles.  But it is too far to make a zillion car trips...

Tips?  Hints?  Wanna come pack my house?

Comments

[DawnJoy]

If you promise me that these allergies (or is it now a cold) will go away, YES, I would be there in a heart beat to help. Otherwise, I'm just fine sitting here with my tissue box and laptop keeping this couch cushion warm.

[Headless Mom]

I'd help too, if I were closer. Good luck with that.

[Erin K]

When we moved last year, I found myself overwhelmed because I was trying to pack each box PERFECTLY. What was THE best use of the space in that box? How could I best organize the contents of each and every box?

And then I realized: just put the stuff in a box. I stopped obsessing about trying to be perfect and just went around each room, packing whatever came next. That worked much better than overloading my brain by thinking too hard about it.

Don't know if that helps or not. At least you aren't like my sister's friend... My sister showed up at Friend's apartment to help her move, was handed a garbage bag, and was told to start putting stuff in the bag. This lady seriously moved by having her friends put all of her stuff jumbled into garbage bags on the day of her move. No boxes, no paper, no organization, no planning ahead, no nothing. Yikes.

Whenever you start to feel overwhelmed, just remember that you're doing better than the garbage bag lady. :-)

[Happy Geek]

If it was me, I'd do it one room at a time. Because you are not moving all that far, it doesn't have to be perfect.
My biggest moving tip, you can NEVER label a box too much.

[Kayren]

When we moved only 20 to 30 miles away, we didn't box up much stuff. We moved the closets first. We would lay down the clothes in the back of the vehicles and then just put them in the closet they belonged in in the new house. Same with shoes and things on the closet shelves.

In the kitchen I did the same type of thing except I did use boxes, I just didn't really use paper and get fancy. When I got to the breakable items I would just use my towels and fold them up between the items. A lot of my pantry items I would put in grocery bags if I didn't have enough boxes for each trip.

Everything in the dressers usually stayed in the drawers and just moved that way. Sometimes I'd have to straighten it, but it worked. I would empty out the drawers that had non-clothes items that would get tossed all over the place.

Once all the closets were full I would box or bag up books and things from the shelves and move them over. Then they could sit in front of closet doors or out of the way somewhere, and ultimately, everything would be moved except the big furniture pieces by the time the big moving day came. The guys could put them where they belonged and I'd be ready to put things away and be done pretty quickly.

That's kind of an overall rough sketch. Of course my last two moves were both halfway across the country and were complete nightmares.

[Tater Mama]

Bless your heart.

I hate moving. If we ever sell our house, I think we'll sell it as-is, except for the family stuff we've been given. Haha!

We've only lived in Memphis, so our moves have been to different parts of town. For clothes, we always put sheets on the bed and then put clothes on top. You can wrap the clothes like a burrito and carry them to/from your vehicle. Voila! They're ready to hang in your new closet.

Good luck. I hope the move goes well.

[Paula]

When I "moved out" it was easy. First home, 19 yrs old, nothing to take with me but my clothes and personal items.

Next time moved into a bigger mobile home. Had old one pulled out of way and new(er) one pulled in and set up. Moved by carrying things across the yard, one armful at a time. (Friends did move the little bit of furniture I had).

Last move - more of the same - into a new (really new this time) home and carried things one arm/drawer full at a time. Cousins moved the washer/dryer/fridge. I did the rest.

I hate to think what I'd do if I ever REALLY had to move. Actually I think I'd leave it all behind and start over!

Good luck! :-)

[April]

I just counted: I have moved 18 times in my life and what I learned is the following.
Don't beat yourself up, packing never seems like it is going anywhere until the day the truck pulls up in the front yard. And even then everyone still has tons of nit-noid things that need to be packed. You'll be fine.

[Shara]

We moved about the same distance when we built our house a couple of years ago. Once we had doors and locks on the new place, I began moving things over a little at a time. We still boxed up a lot of stuff, but on moving day my Suburban was loaded with stuff just kinda tossed in the boxes. I feel the same way you do, it's silly to go all out on packing when you're not going that far.

[Lindsay @ Bytes of Memory]

oo good luck.. I am usually ok with packing its the unpacking I suck at! I hope you get your motivation.. ooo maybe it could be cooking in your new kitchen.. with an awesome island!!

[Kari]

we'll be moving about 1,000 feet in a month or so (he keeps saying a month...) want to trade? I have had unnecessary stuff packed for two months and refuse to pack anything else until it's for real!
start with closets and seasonal, then knick knacks, games puzzles, then just go for it, get paper plates and plasticware and a few frozen dinner/pizzas and just pack pack pack. Label good, as though you were packing for 100 miles, because the piles, they are the same.
have fun.

p.s. is your mother REALLY eloping??? :)

[misty]

i LOVE packing. It's the organizer in me. If I were closer, I would LOVE to come pack your house!

[Nikki]

I didn't have time to read thru the other comments, but wanted to throw in my 2 cents worth. We just moved from Houston to SC. I was fortunate enough not to have to pack everything (hub's new company paid for packers - Thank God!!). But, once piece of advice that I received was to pack like things with like - all pictures in one box, all trinkets in one box, etc. That way, when we unpacked, everything was together so that I could 'play' with where to put things in our new home. I love having all of my things out again, but I love more that they're not all in the same places and feel new all over again.

Good luck with everything!

[Leslie]

I feel for you. After my last move I was officially DONE with packing. I informed my husband that next time we would hire packers, I don't care how much it costs. So my best advice is to get someone to pack for you.

Other than that, have a packing party. That way you can say, "Hey, you, pack up the pantry," or, "You over there, pack up all the pictures." Even having just one more person makes it a party, and you'll probably find that they move much faster than you. My mother helped me pack last time around and we got a lot done in a few hours. I also got to hear a running commentary about the number of bottles of olive oil, etc, in our pantry, but that was just a bonus.

[Dana Jones]

pack it in boxes, because it will make the unpacking so much smoother. Otherwise you will dump all 50 car loads right in the middle of your rooms and have no idea where to begin putting it away.

I moved 13 times in 12 years, trust me on this one.

the shortest move I made was from an apartment on the east side of the building to an apartment on the south side of the building, and I did not pack everything, Oh man that was the worst move ever!

[Michele]

I've moved short distances before...any move is overwhelming...it just is...
You really do need to wrap and pack things in boxes. It's quicker in the long run and keeps your stuff safe getting from one place to the other.
Just do a room at a time...once you start, it's not that bad and goes quicker than you'd think. A room at a time...a box at a time...it'll happen.
And yes, I'll come help you. I'm free on Tuesdays and Thursdays : )

[DawnJoy]

Michelle - Hee hee, does that mean you charge on all the other days of the week? Couldn't pass that one up. - Dawn

[Tonia]

When we moved just a short distance I loved it. I was able to pack and unpack one room at a time. Of course we did make a lot of little trips, and we didn't have a deadline to be out of the house, but it was the easiest move ever!!! Really it didn't take long either (week and a half) & we didn't have that long period of disorganization that often comes with a move.

[Flowerpot]

I moved last year about 6 miles distance. We moved ourselves a little at a time. Before we were finished, I thought I might pour some gasoline on the whole thing and toss a match. I've moved 14 times in my life and honestly? This past move without boxing up was the WORST! It's bad enough having to move, but trickling it out a little at a time made the whole process exhausting. I am also an organizer. A perfectionist. I even have my shelves labeled. That being said, I highly recommmed a couple of previous posters advice to pack like items together, throw stuff in boxes, pack a room at a time and pack as a team. Get the King and Princess working in the room together and WOW! You guys will knock it out. King and Princess helped me pack the kitchen and it went twice or three times as fast as when I packed by myself.

[rrmama]

Can't wait to see more pictures of your house with everything in it!! And the best advice for packing...hire a moving company!!! Or bribe your friends with food!

[Steff]

i have moved and moved and moved...i totally agree with the pack no matter what...label your boxes...pack one box with the urgently needed items for first night...set of sheets for each bed, towels, wash clothes, etc...
my dads co had packers come in for a couple of our moves...it was great that they packed BUT when we got to the new house we couldnt find but one set of sheets by end of first night, sis and i got to sleep in sleeping bags, and we found things like trash can(full of trash) packed in box....
steff

[Lacey Carney]

Let us know if we can help. Seriously. It really is nice to just make the trips and put it exactly where it goes from one place to another:)

[mrscracker]

girl!!!! you know i'll come help..i'm just waiting for you to tell me WHEN! i love the idea of feeding your friends as payment of said packing, however, food not nearly as necessary as a diet coke from sonic...not that i'm particular or anything...

[michelle]

We are moving starting tomorrow and I haven't put one thing in a box. We are only going 2 miles, so I am just going to take stuff out of my closet and put it in the car.

[Kelly]

two words:

1. GIRLFRIENDS

2. WINE

Have fun!

Okay- here's a few more words...

LOTS of newspaper, bubble wrap, good cardboard boxes, sharpie markers, packaging tape on the big dispenser & a giant roll of saran wrap on a stick. Go get that stuff right now - and, the wine - call the girls! We moved 4 miles down the road four & a half years ago. I STILL have stuff in boxes! I know, I know - time to get rid of it!

p.s. I DO mean it about the girlfriends & the wine - the ONLY way to go!