countdown to moving tips please

We have gone from if, maybe, offer, counter offer etc, to suddenly we have to be out the weekend after this one.

We haven't moved in 5 years, and then the packers did everything.

We are temporally going to be living in our bus, but want to buy asap.

Hi Kai, good luck with the sudden moving. Mark all boxes with what is contained in them, and note the ones that are important when you move to your next property e.g. kitchen utensils for daily use, and kitchen utensils odds and sods. the first one kitchen utensils will be the one you may want for when you first get shifted, and the second one can be left in obeyance until later when you are feeling more inventive.!!!and have room to put them away. If you can get Banana Boxes from the local supermarket they are a good size for putting stuff in and can be stacked which is handy, and they are nice and strong. Cheers.

Have a box that you keep somewhere "safe" like in the car, so it won't get packed, containing the things you have to have when you move in. Toilet paper, the jug, 2 (or however many you need) cups, plates, cutlery etc, some instant coffee and a packet of biscuits.

Presumably your bus will already be "self contained" so you should be able to safely pack all household utensils, but it is a good idea to name the box, so that when you find your forever place, you can easily locate the things you need. If you are storing stuff, then make sure the things you pack away first, are going to be the least important things. It's a case of Last in, first out. Don't forget to have on hand your Winter clothes, just in case you are not in your new home before the colder weather. and keep on hand things you may depend on, like your cellphone, laptop, address book, that sort of thing.

The only thing I can add to all the sensible suggestions above is, when you move into your new house one of the first things you should do (or before you get tired) is to make up your bed, ie don't leave it until late at night, that way you can get a good nights sleep and worry about the rest of the stuff the next day.

Congratulations on the sale, Kai - that's fantastic. Things are certainly moving fast for you. All the very best with the move - it can be a stressful time but you have much to look forward to. Did you manage to sort out a cattery on the Kapiti Coast? Way out of my area, so couldn't help with a recommendation unfortunately. If you haven't had any luck, sometimes a call to the local vets will help sort out a good place.

Where are you storing your main gear? Will you be able to get easy access to it if necessary? The only other thing I can think of (and I'm sure you'll already have this covered) is making sure all your important papers are packed safely in a damage/water/vermin-proof container and you have them close at hand. Maybe make copies and give them to someone else just in case anything happens to the originals.

Cheers, Mich.

we bought several plastic 60 - 80 ltr boxs from w/house etc for linen etc and write on the side of the boxs as well as the top,we have just found flour, spices etc in a box marked kitchen trays one of the joys of have people "help" you pack things
have everything stored on site in garage with a pestrol pest control device plugged working so far (7 months)
good luck with your future plans
Warren

Visit McDonalds and ask for a stack of their collapsed McFries boxes... they stack well and are big enough to hold plenty, while still being small enough to not bust a small womans back having to lift them. Banana boxes can get too heavy, requiring re-packing into lighter loads. save time and do it right first time.

When we shifted from the King Country, NI, to the Nelson Lakes, we used McFries boxes for nearly everything that got boxed.

And when I moved from home to China, most of my room got tipped into McFry boxes.

Declutter as much as you can now, be ruthless. Make sure you have room in the budget to order out a few times, there is nothing more depressing then having to dirty up the kitchen after packing or unpacking.

I have moved so many times I have run out of fingers and toes to keep count. SOme of them were long haul moves. Some of them were short notice.

Packing is the most important when you get to the other end, no matter how long or short the interval.

You should always have a briefcase (or similar) with your important papers

Next up is a last pack/ first open box with whatever you would need on that first day .. may not apply as you will be in a bus with day to day necessities on hand

It doesnt matter so much what size boxes you use .. as long as they only come in 2 or three sizes so that they stack evenly. That will prevent crushing and toppling.
Unlike the moving companies, I always try to pack room by room. I hate opening a box labelled kitchen to find that only the top three items are kitchen and now I have to carry an open box to somewhere else
And that brings up labelling.
LABEL everything .. list if you have to, on teh box top
Label at least 2 sides as well so you dont have to unstack too many piles to find something .. cuz you will have to We made it to Christmas then i thought ":confused: where are the christmas decorations??"

Try to pack Last PAck boxes for each room ... the stuff you will need first

Utilities .. obvious but often overlooked
Mail forwarding ... pay for six months ... that will let you know who still has not got the point without your mail going astray. When something arrives with a yellow sticker at the 5 month mark you can try again.

I know what you are up against as we did exactly the same thing last may ... we are still in between

Where are you moving to?

And dont forget the Cat.
Cats have an uncanny sense of when you are moving and will disappear that morning, not to be seen for 24 hours.
Next time I move I will definitely be booking the cat in to a catery for 24 hours for the day before.
Our neighbours eventually found her and she went with the moving truck.
I had had to go ahead and open up at the new place.
To abbreviate, the truck broke down on the north western motorway at 5pm in horrendous traffic, where it had to stay it could be safely jacked up to change a tyre, the cat had broken out of her box and the movers had to do a special delivery of a very stressed cat.
moral, sort out the cat before you move, not on moving day

The cats will have an unhappy time of it. They will get locked in a spare room the day before. Two are coming with us, one that we think will be happiest staying here, were she can hunt etc is staying (by agreement with new owners). The other two will be drugged and driven up by me and will for the short term staying in the bus with us. They will have to get used to the cat harnesses (one cat in particular is sulking over it) and they will have to get used to being on a lead for the short term.

canajanz. I understand completely about labeling. I have printed off numbered labels and a corresponding inventory per box. OH was a bit reluctant at first, but I pointed out it would be easier to know what we had lost if something got lost in transit, and it was OK writing on the box, but if the box was not there, we would have no idea of what had been lost.

Banana boxes - check loads filled already, more stacked in the garage.

Mail, we need to sort that out. Also a PO box as we will be living in the bus for a while. Are yellow stickers, what the post office sticks on when you redirect?

Yes bus is self contained, so no need for the jug etc, but we do need to keep out paperwork, passports and clothing as everything else will go into storage.

kai;406394 wrote: it was OK writing on the box, but if the box was not there, we would have no idea of what had been lost.

Banana boxes - check loads filled already, more stacked in the garage.

Mail, we need to sort that out. Also a PO box as we will be living in the bus for a while. Are yellow stickers, what the post office sticks on when you redirect?

Sounds like you are pretty much up with what you have to do already ... very good point about knowing what was in a lost box! The movers do that of course ... but the notes about what is in teh box are sketchy at best.

If you are loading your own truck/trailer it is worth noting that things shift in transit ... BIG style. It is really important to load careefully and pack tightly, thinking through the padding issues. Even vibration can cause a lot of damage if you are going very far (rub marks) [:0]
Fridge and freezer ... defrost and allow to come to room temp ..clean thoroughly .. dry dry dry .. and try to arrange to have them sitting open whilst in storage

Apple boxes are slightly sturdier but also a very slightly different size .. good for heavier stuff
Books go in Wine boxes as they are so heavy
Moving companies will sell you rolls of packing paper

Yes the post office sticks on a bright yellow sticker with your NEW address on and forwards it.
If you are lucky enough to buy your property really soon you could try this trick...
We told everyone our new address
Then we paid for redirection to the adddress where we are living while we build .. most of the mail arrives, in the normal fashion at the new place ... yellow stickered items come here letting me know who has not been told or didnt follow through on our change. Over time the redirected mail has dwindled to nothing.
If you cant play that game still pay for 6 months because they DO allow you to change the address on your redirection

We discovered that the bank had trouble applying the change to ALL accounts

kai;406093 wrote: We have gone from if, maybe, offer, counter offer etc, to suddenly we have to be out the weekend after this one.

We haven't moved in 5 years, and then the packers did everything.

We are temporally going to be living in our bus, but want to buy asap.

If you are moving any distance, try and get a copy of your medical / dental notes before leaving the area. It is more difficult trying to do that from a distance!

Arrange for mail to be forwarded to the new address or a fixed contact address until you have a permanent address. Work on change of address notifications as you receive the mail. (my weakness)

It is a good idea to put all your more important papers in a single box. It is an even better idea to remember to take the box with you!! (An oops!... from the last move.).
Methodically check each room, cupboard and draw before walking out the door!

Severe clean out of accumulated odds and ends and last minute bits is good idea. They tend to multiply with each move!

Knowing what is in each box is important, but if the removalists did the packing for you... Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday for when the boxes are opened again, especially if it has been some time since packing.

Try not to open more boxes than you can successfully put away when unpacking. Some things may need to be repacked if space does not permit in the new place.

Keeping fragile treasures with you for travel might be an idea.
Be glad it is not an international move!

I hope the time in transit is short for you and the new place you buy is really nice... All the best for your cats' move.

The only thing I would add to all this great advice is to make sure your evening meal will be really easy - either check out what takeaway options are available at your new place, or pack something easy in the car that you can just microwave. If you can eat it with your fingers straight out of the packaging, like pizza, then there's no washing up!

Just one more thing - check out your insurance cover. If your goods are damaged in transit e.g. due to a traffic accident, then your insurance will pay out and reclaim from the removal people's insurance. But if something is damaged being carried across the threshold, there can be small print issues. Something to do with the insurance being for when the goods are "in transit" - and at what point are the goods no longer in transit but just being moved around inside your house? Sorry I can't remember the exact details but we nearly got caught out by this some years ago.

Good luck anyway!