Moving Your Stuff
Moving Company/Rental Truck: Decide whether or not you are going to be doing this move yourself, and if so, will you do several small trips or one big one. If you are going to hire a moving company or reserve a rental truck, do so first thing. These services can easily get booked up and leave you stranded. The sooner the better.
Locating Boxes: Bars and liquor stores always have the best boxes. Their boxes are designed to be able to hold large amounts of weight. However, if you have a friend or neighbor who has moved recently, ask them if you can take some boxes off their hands.
Make Moving Painless: Pack a little bit every night. One box can make a big difference. Make a trip to a thrift store to give away what you couldn't sell. Remember to get receipts and write-off forms for the value of what was donated.
Small Loads: If you are taking several small loads, don't waste any amount of space on any trip. If you make sure to pack your car full on each trip, you might eliminate 4-5 trips over the course of the move.
What to Pack First: On the small trips, begin with items you are not currently using, which might include seasonal clothing, sports equipment, books, guest bedroom sets, etc.
Heavy Boxes: Sit all boxes of books and heavy stuff on the floor so that lighter boxes can go on top.
Stacking Breakables: Find a place on the floor for breakables so that they can't fall off of anything.
Transporting Food: Try to move all the food products in the same load. Too often some things can get separated and forgotten about, then they get spoiled, attract ants, etc.
Packing Bikes: Visit a bike shop for a box to pack your bike(s).
Moving In: If you have items that will just go into storage in your new home, such as in the basement or in a closet, be sure to take these boxes straight there. Don't just drop off boxes right inside the door because it's easy. Take them where they need to go because you will end up stepping over them throughout the move.
Gas up the Truck: Be sure to take the rental truck back with a full tank of gas, as they will charge you an extraordinary amount per gallon if they have to fill it.
Change Locks: As soon as you have access to the house, change the locks just to be on the safe side.
If You Are Renting a Truck…
Double Check on Your Rentals: Call again to make sure that your truck will indeed be ready just to be on the safe side.
Renting the Truck: There will be a walkaround by you and one of the rental company employees. You will be held accountable for any damage that is not written on this sheet. So be sure to note every little flaw.
Drive the Route First: Make sure that you drive the route to your new home to make sure there won't be any clearance issues. Also, determine if you will be able to make all the turns with a big load with traffic. You might decide if another route might be better or easier with a big truck.
Loading a Rental Truck: Pack the heavy stuff toward the front of the truck, i.e. the part of the truck closest to the cab. Washers and Dryers should go on first, followed by pianos, furniture, and anything big and heavy.
Truck Ramps: Often rental trucks have a pullout ramp for loading and unloading. This ramp is narrow and typically made of aluminum. Be careful that you don't fall off either side when carrying heavy objects. Also, these ramps can become very slick if they even get a little bit wet. Carpet scraps and rags are great to minimize slipping.
Consider Unloading: If you can, pack such that what you want to come off first is put on last. Mainly items that will be going upstairs or toward the back of the house should be loaded last, so they can come off first.
Crowns in the Road: All roads are crowned in the middle so that water won't stand. This crown will feel severe in a big truck. Try to stack the driver's side of the truck with more of the heavy stuff so that the truck rides even.
One Extra Day: It is a smart idea to compare the pricing difference if you kept the truck one extra day. People often underestimate how draining the whole moving process can be, and if you are hurrying all day so that you can return the truck by five, you will most likely make extra work on yourself by not moving the right things to the right room. Find out what it would be worth to you to be able to take breaks, work at a nice pace, and take the truck back the next day. It could be such a small amount