Sunday, January 13, 2008

Pack

The past 4 months or so here, have been sort of surreal. It seems as though we have one foot in and one foot out. That is indeed a strange way to live. We have been here in Arkansas for about 7 years now, and it is much longer than either of us anticipated.

I am trying to prepare for a move now. I have moved about 9-13 times in our almost 17 years of marriage. However those moves were all before children, and owning a home. Most of those moves were from apartment to apartment. This move will be the biggest yet...

I have been downsizing for the last 6 months, giving away, selling, and donating, and throwing things away.

I think the next step for me is packing. I need to start packing, packing away things that are not NEEDED. You know things like recipe books, books, CD's. There is paperwork to go through, and all sorts of projects ahead....

We are anxious, and ready. If any of you have any moving tips this would be fantastic!

1 comment:

Linda said...

My best packing tips? 2 and 2 1/2 gallon Ziploc bags...and lots of bins...you know, the RUBBERMAID (or other name) type.

ziploc:

*all bathroom items, from shampoo to bathsalts. The movers generally will pack it if it's already sealed in a bag.
*spices, seasonings...silverware (the entire tray, if you have one, fits in the 2 1/2 gallon bag) - movers generally take the entire tray, dump it on wrapping paper, and then put it in a box marked bathroom.
*all dry goods...pastas, flour, sugar, etc. Because they generally are the things that make messes when you find them in a box marked garage.
*"personals"...like socks, underwear, slips, bras. When you're doing a CONUS move, they don't unload the drawers...they just move the entire dressers....but they take the drawers out to move the piece out of your room, thus leaving your unmentionables...well, MENTIONED. (I had BRAS flying out of my drawer when they accidentally spilled it!)

Rubbermaid bins:
*kids' toys.
*out of season clothing
*toys
(did I mention toys?)
*papers and miscellaneous things you don't know what to do with.

Invest in different sizes, too. I've got some 12 qt sizes that I use for my desk stuff (cds, cases, disks, pens, pencils, staplers, etc). I use these for EVERYTHING.

prepack any electronic stuff (if you kept boxes, of course) just before they come to PACK. Leave the boxes open so that the movers can see what you have inside.

I think that's about it for now...I may have more, later!