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[Zoe]

Agree with color-coding your boxes with sitckers. "Bedroom 2" may not be clear to the movers, but colored stickers and a map/key definitely is. If the main bedroom is purple, I hang a bright purple sheet of construction paper right at/by/on that door.

Also suggest a "LOFI" -- Last Out, First In -- box. This is the one with your immediate needs the day of the move as you leave your previous home and settle into your first day/night of your new home...whether that's a coffee pot and toothbrush or sheets and wash cloth for your first night. 

Never had movers set up a washer & dryer. Always had to do that ourselves.

Good luck! 

[Desert Lily]

@Ainhisg  I've moved to & lived in several different states. My last cross-country move was 3 years ago.

I have some suggestions, and some things may depend on whether you're doing a local move or moving to a different state.

1. Get detailed estimates from the mover's estimator/sales rep with a price that they must adhere to.

You should receive an emailed form copy or a paper form copy.

Be sure to let the estimator/sales rep know everything that is to be moved

2. The moving estimator/sales rep should provide you with the company's rules/policies, such as:

-they won't move liquid cleaning products or other dangerous products;

-the mover may require mirrors & wall pictures to be packed in their special boxes;

-some special furniture pieces may require special packing & boxes by the mover (I have a marble dining table that required special packing by the mover);

-the number of the mover's wardrobe boxes you'll need

3. Buy moving insurance. Don't buy the simple

per-pound insurance. Do buy the replacement cost insurance.

4. Ask the moving estimator/sales rep the questions you have, like the one about the washer & dryer hookup. The moving company may do the hookup for an additional small fee or they may have a service they use to hook up appliances. It would be easier & more convenient to have the appliances hooked up for you.

Only the mover you choose can tell you what services they provide.

5. They will place the furniture where you want it. They will assemble beds, even adjustable beds (it would be in the mover's estimate if there's a fee for setting up an adjustable bed, etc.)

6. Label each box in large letters in magic marker on 2-3 sides of each box as to which room you want the box moved in. You can also designate which bedroom, the garage, the basement, etc.

7. Do your measuring ahead of time so you know that the furniture will fit where you want it.

Be at the new home location when the movers arrive to direct where you want the furniture

8. If you're moving locally and if you can, move your small precious pieces yourself in your car.

9. Have paper plates & plastic cups & silverware available for yourselves the day you move, & maybe some non-perishable food items. Pick up a food order to make things a little easier that day.

10. Movers expect a tip, so be prepared with cash.

11. I bought cardboard boxes from Target & Amazon. I bought some plastic bins from Target & Walmart. I also bought packing materials from Amazon (matress covers, bubble wrap, dish wrap, packing tape, etc.)

12. Contact the utilities at your old place and at your new place ahead of time.

13. Consider having a large trash bin at the new place for the unpacking

14. Contact the post office for a change of address.

15. If you move out of state, find out what health insurance is offered there.

16. Good luck & enjoy your new home if you decide to move.

[Alsace Gal]

I haven't read all the replies and suggestions.

Moving is stressful and expensive!

I'm in the process of an international move and one of the many things on my checklist is absolutely make sure that the moving company hauls away all packaging materials and boxes.

[We rescue cats]

Reading thru the responses it's apparent that we all do things in our own way.  We last moved almost 30 years ago, we moved over a nearly a month. My cleaning gal, my best friend and I cleaned the house while it was empty, we had also painted the walls. We then began moving and setting up the bathroom cabinets and kitchen cupboards, the refrigerator-they were all set up by moving day so we were semi-functional on moving day. During the week following the move we cleaned the house again! LOL! We had chosen a room off the basement where the cats lived on moving day. The room was locked and had their litterboxes, food, water, toys and beds in there with them. There was a DO NOT OPEN sign on the door.

It went pretty smooth, the rooms were all color coded so we knew what went where. I've moved our offices 4 times so we had a routine figured out and had a terrific moving company. (Actually moved each of the two offices twice in 28 years.)

[Ainhisg]

@Desert Lily everyone has given such great ideas!!!  Your list had a few extra ideas that my mind had not thought of yet.  I'm sure it would have gotten there, but not yet.  lol  For example...tipping!  How do you know how much to tip, and do you give the group the tip to divide as such, or do you give each individual mover a tip?  We have always tipped for all service, but like I said, my mind just hadn't gotten to that point yet with this.

[ThinkingOutLoud]

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@Ainhisg wrote:

@Desert Lily everyone has given such great ideas!!!  Your list had a few extra ideas that my mind had not thought of yet.  I'm sure it would have gotten there, but not yet.  lol  For example...tipping!  How do you know how much to tip, and do you give the group the tip to divide as such, or do you give each individual mover a tip?  We have always tipped for all service, but like I said, my mind just hadn't gotten to that point yet with this.

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There were a couple other posts that mentioned tipping but to answer your questions. I'd give the tip to each individual as that is more of a personal thank you and not just part of the 'pot'. As far as how much, have a number in mind but then if they go above and beyond, have extra on hand. 

[Ainhisg]

@ThinkingOutLoud I don't see any other posts that mentioned tipping, but if I missed posters who mentioned it, I apologize. I could google it, but do most people tip 10%, 20%, or ???

[jlkz]

@Melania7 

First, I am not a hoarder; however, the condo we had was very large ( 3 bedrooms, 2 lanais, and a huge great room with very high ceilings and 2 long shelves near the ceiling for decor items and silk plants.  DH used the front bay window of the kitchen looking into the front lanai for his desk, computer and legal files.

Since he loves to cook, the top and bottom kitchen cabinets were filled to the brim.  It took me two weeks to carefully pack bins and surround glassware and breakables with hand towels and bubble wrap. One bin held a ceramic flower-bedecked chandelier and a huge bath sheet to protect it.  Books and his files took several bins.  I used 2 wide packing tape strips to secure each stack of dishes and cups.  Wine glasses went into liquor store boxes with the cardboard separators.

Bathrooms' toiletries, linens and hairdryers take up a lot of room.  Decor toss pillows add to the accumulation.

A " bin " can be a large to medium-sized plastic lidded tub or even a very strong cardboard box which can come in many different sizes.  His garage was another major component of the mountain of bins.

So if there is another " move " anywhere in my future, the condo will be listed as total " turnkey " because I will require the new condo to be empty and totally cleaned.  I can easily and quickly order whatever I need.  

The cleaning  here took a full day to do the kitchen...there was grease caked all over the place, even on cabinet door handles !  Pots were burned black on the outsides.  Refrigerator...took DH an entire day to clean shelving, drawers and walls and all the nooks and crannies.

This year's snowbird stay was totally dedicated to reviewing all the condos for sale, selecting one, packing, cleaning  and then unpacking and finding a way to place things in strange and narrow spaces.

So I hope @Melania7 that sheds some light on the interesting situation.

[ThinkingOutLoud]

Remembered something else - 

Make a list of the things you don't keep. You think you'll remember but you don't and you then spend time looking for things you no longer have and wonder where it got put. Ask me how I know. :/

[Melania7]

Hello again jlkz, So that makes alot more sense with your old condo being so large, and it sounds really beautiful with the two lanais, high ceilings and the bay window!  I understand better now, you had packed up every single item that you were taking with you, alot which had to be bubble wrapped with care; that bubble wrap takes up space in bins, so you are not necessarily fitting a bunch of items into one bin, hence needing more bins, and like you said, also the big items like pillows and folded up blankets. Also the chandelier taking up one big box on its own. I did find it interesting though, because I'm imagining my 7 large-sized bins and how that seems like alot to me. (The thing is though, my condo is alot smaller only 1,200 sq. ft. with two bedrooms, so anything that I have takes up space faster.)  I can't imagine what 40+ bins looks like (in my space), but like you said, that was literally your entire household of items packed up.  I hope that I have the exact same health/energy when I'm in my early 80's as you have to be able to move if needed. I love that you are in your early 80's and that you just moved and are a snowbird!