Moving Lessons

Since I was 17 I have not lived in the same place for more than 12 months (usually less), which means a lot of moving over the last decade! I have learned a few things and thought I would share some of my best moving tips.
- Hangers: leave em, they are more of a pain to pack and the extra $10-$20 it will cost you to buy a new set when you get to your new place is totally worth avoiding the hassle
- Laundry: as you clean your place you'll find all kinds of things to wash, save em til the very end, otherwise you'll end up doing several loads of 1-2 items as you find more socks, towels, sheets etc
-Boxes: I was always very fortunate to have connections to get big empty tshirt boxes, and I would definetley recommend finding someone with a connection and getting more than you think you need, they fill up fast. Also since the boxes will probably be flattened I would highly recommend investing in a packing tape dispenser (I don't know if that's the proper term...) I get mine from Target and will pick up an extra roll of tape, the last thing you want is to be in the zone, sitting on your floor amongst a fortress of boxes, rocking to Mariah Carey and realize you have to get up, somehow get out of the room you are in, find shoes, find a hat, find your keys (these things easily get misplaced amongst the packing flurry) and go out in public to buy more tape.
- Bags: we all have at least a few large totes, duffles, or gym bags lying around, use them! even if it's just to tote paperwork, shower supplies, coffee cups or whatever else randomness you are bound to forget to pack in boxes
- Clothes: great opportunity to clean out old stuff that forgot you had and get rid of it, or even better, start wearing it again! Make sure to give yourself plenty of time to sort through your clothes and try old things on, no sense keeping things that are worn out or don't fit anymore.
- Dishes: take up WAAAAY more space than you would imagine, if you have newspaper I would recommend wrapping everything before boxing it up, I happen to have a lot of extra brown paper bags from the grocery store so I just rip that up into pieces big enough to wrap my glasses and dishes. Paper towels will work too, but really that's kind of a waste and expensive compared to other options considering you're just going to throw it away when you un-pack
- Cleaning: the prospect of having to clean the whole house before moving out can be rather daunting, I recommend cleaning each room as you empty it in order to spread out the task rather than wait til everything at the last minute.

Most importantly, if you are moving furniture or any other big items you should definitely recruit some helpers. I find most guys are usually willing to assist with the promise of a meal or beer at the end, a small price to pay. Not saying I can't do it on my own (cause I have) but guys like to show off their strength and will tend to do more than they probably should, which is good because everything will get done quicker than if you were to attempt to do it on your own. And 2+ sets of hands are always better than one.

For me, I'm preparing to go back to Eugene until March to finish my MBA. Which adds another challenge to moving that I've only had to tackle a couple times; long-distance moves on a budget. I'm going to be flying with as many bags as I can, after that I'm not quite sure what the best option is, stay tuned!