Packing Your Clothes

Ive been packing for an upcoming move and I wanted to blog about Packing Clothes. While clothes usually seem like the easiest thing to pack when you are moving homes, I have helpful tip for all you movers out there.
I have a lot of coats so I had a dilemma last night looking at my collection of jackets. I am on a budget and got all my boxes from a local supermaket and a liquor store. So no expensive "Wardrobe Box" for me. Instead, I kept all my coats on their hangers and got to thinking. I had an idea to take 5-8 coats, take a twist-tie and twist around the top of the hangers to keep all the coats together. Then I took a black garbage bag (any color will do!) and poked a hole through the top using the hangers themselves. I doubled bagged with another garbage bagged and used some packing tape to create a completely covered package (with hangers!) A great cheap alternative to cut on the cost of moving.

Packing Books

Heres something you might not have thought too much about; moving your books. While it may seem like an easy item to pack, books can be easily damaged and lost in the packing mess. Heres a set of tips on moving said books:

• Write down which books are in which box. You should also write a certain number for each box (e.g. Books 1) so that on moving day, you wont leave any behind by accident.
• Make sure you don't overload your box's. Its better to have less books in every box and have to carry more box's that to have one burst open en route to your new home.
• Tape the bottom of every box about 3 times to ensure that there will be breakage of the box.
• If you have valuable books, line the sides of your box with bubble wrap and cover the books in a cloth or towel. This can and should be done with less valuable books as well.
  
• Pack larger books (coffee-table books) on the bottom of your box horizontally, and all other books with their spines facing downwards.
  

Moving With Kids - International

If you think moving to a new country is hard, just think how hard it is on your children. They are leaving one of the only places they've known, and will be separated from all their friends and their comfort zone. Some may even need to learn a new language! Heres a helpful set of tips to help your kids with their international move:

• If your visiting your new home and country before you move there (which is recommended) , bring your child(ren) with you. They should be as much a part of your decision as you are and this will give them a chance to get to adjust to their new surroundings and help calm them down about the move.
• Answer all their questions.Tell your kids why your moving, how long you will be moving for, and ways they can deal with the stress of the move and their new home.
• Help you child keep in touch with his/her friends (yours as well). Get address books for them and explain the moving situation to their teachers.
• Find and research a new school. Depending on why your moving and your situation, you may want to enroll your child in a private international school or in the public school system. Private schools are especially helpful for children who speak a different language than your new home country does.
  

Moving your Car

If you are moving a long distance (nationally), such as from New York to San Diego, you will probably have to move your car(s). There are several companies that specialize in moving automobiles, and there are several things you should remember when using them:

• Request Door to Door delivery. This will mean your moving company will pick up your car at your old home and drop it off at your new one, thus saving you the troubling of going to drop it off or pick it up.
• Remove all your belongings from your car.
  
• Let the automobile moving company know a few weeks in advance that you are planning on using their service. Doing so on short notice may not be possible, and if it is, may be more expensive.
• Find out your car's travel and delivery time.
• Find out if your car insurance covers automobile moving. Most do, but some don't. The company moving your car may offer insurance on their own, but it can be very expensive.

For International Movers:

• Some countries (England, Australia, Japan, Ireland) have their cars drive on the opposite side of the road. Cars that have their steering wheels on the left side cannot be driven in these countries, so you will have to get a new car. A good idea is to sell your previous car and use that money to purchase your new automobile.
• If your employer is not paying for your cars transportation, it may be a good idea just to sell your car and purchase a new one. Many countries have very high automobile tariffs and it may not be worth it to spend the money. Also, gas prices can be significantly higher in certain countries (European countries especially) so buying a more fuel effecient car may be a better monetary plan.
  

Moving Furniture

Moving your furniture can be one of the most stressful parts of a move. Simple furniture like couches and tables can be intimidating to move at first, but are actually much easier to move than you may have thought. Here are some basic tips on how to move your furniture:

• Disassemble everything you can from your furniture. Take off table and couch legs, bed frames, pillows, removable glass, etc. This is especially important for international moves, as every little bit of space that you will save by removing these things will save you money. Put all the items you detached in a box and label appropriately.
  
• Save all nuts, bolts, screws, etc. in a plastic or ziploc bag, as these will not tear or break easily.
• Tape shut all drawers. If the item with said drawers is being stored in a box, its drawers do not need to be taped shut.
• All glass (especially those removed from other furniture like a glass table top) should be carefully wrapped in a large blanket or cloth to prevent both scratches and cracks (not to mention breakage).
• Bubblewrap all exposed legs of couches, table and chairs that cannot be removed. This will protect them in transit.
• International Movers: Don't worry so much about your larger furniture. Do what you can do make it smaller and safer to move, and your movers will handle the rest.