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Moving Strategies? 103

Posted by Cliff from the when-you-absolutely-positively-have-to-relocate dept.
skotte asks: "I currently am in a position where I will be moving my whole set of belongings to a new apartment. But I refuse to just buy a bunch of boxes and start throwing things in. Surely there is a good strategy of how to tackle the act of packing. I'm thinking "Relatively" where everything related, such as CDs, go in one box, cables go in another. Or there's 'spatially', where I pack everything in one bookcase in one box. Or there's 'by Priority' in which important things i'll need right away go in one box...and on and on. There appear to indeed be LOTS of ways to go about it -- and there are big pros-and-cons to each. So what does the slashdot community think? Better yet, is there some management software to help with this sort of thing?"
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Moving Strategies? More

Moving Strategies?

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  • ask slashdot (Score:5, Funny)

    by jnana ( 519059 ) on Tuesday October 22, 2002 @02:26AM (#4502109) Journal
    I'm wondering if any slashdotters have any opinions about wiping my ass. I'm thinking that I could use either hand, I could wipe upwards, downwards, or sideways, or even in a spiral motion. As for the medium, the obvious solution is toilet paper, but I'm sure some innovative slashdotter has a better solution.

    Please. These 'ask slashdot' articles are getting really out of hand. Ummm, slashdot, I'm wondering if you all have any thoughts on which utensils to eat spaghetti with.

  • Management software (Score:3, Funny)

    by DrCode ( 95839 ) on Tuesday October 22, 2002 @02:27AM (#4502113)
    I've never heard of such software. But if there is, you better be careful to pack your computer last.
    • tetris anyone?

    • Re:Management software (Score:2, Informative)

      by bgins ( 446545 )
      I have to admit that I laughed at first when I read your question because it seems a bit off the beaten path. I also think there are already some good common sense posts. That said, and given that you specifically asked for software (which seems to imply the problem of not having x-ray vision), I would like to mention...

      PDF417, a 2-D barcode capable of storing up to 1K of 7-bit Ascii data in a single symbol (at minimum error correction level). They are designed to be able to, for example, describe the contents of shipping containers. Portable scanner units exist which can read the symbols and convert them to text, although unless you are moving overseas or have way too many boxes, it won't make sense pricewise. I have written an encoder which produces symbols as PNGs (no PCL or Postscript yet, which might be better for barcode label printers) from text. You are welcome to try it out if you want to go this route (email me).

      A few years ago I moved overseas with about 100 U-Haul boxes (I know, I know, really really $tupid). I labeled the boxes with a letter and a number and then wrote a master list describing the contents from the label. This system worked admirably.

      • How about writing on the box what's inside. With actual letters. Then you won't have to unpack your computer first. You know, the computer in the box that's labeled 89 001234XBH
        • depends on if he's storing the stuff or if he's hiring movers. if either, i wouldn't write the contents on the box, too easy for a thief to steal from..."oh, this one has his special edition DVD's, wonder how much i could sell those for. i think these'll 'fall off the truck'."
        • Yes, write on the box what is inside so anybody who would like to pilfer your stuff will know which boxes to take.
          • You're proposing that he obscure what is in each box.
            We all know that security through obscurity does not work.
            He should wrap everything in clear plastic, with attached lists of items and components which are not visible. This will also make photographing everything easier, in case you have to make an insurance claim.

  • You've got to be kidding me?!? (Score:3, Informative)

    by jcausey ( 253286 ) on Tuesday October 22, 2002 @02:27AM (#4502117) Homepage
    I don't mean to troll, but DAMN, how the mighty have fallen. This is probably the worst (or at least most bizarre) ask slash I've seen in a really long time.

    However . . . if you're moving to a new city (or a great distance away), I've had the best luck packing priority-based. It allows you to get unpacked over a matter of days instead of hours, and creates less of a mess.

    Nearby moves are totally up to you, as you usually won't box everything up and move all at once -- you can easily stay in your old place as you move, etc.
    • Pack everything important for day to day life up by itself, and make sure you keep track of it. (toiletries, daily clothes, etc.) After that's taken care of, pack everything up by according to which room it'll end up in. When possible, pack things as tight as possible, to minimize breakage and shifting.

      Then again, I thought this was obvious.

  • D'oh! (Score:2, Funny)

    by eric.t.f.bat ( 102290 )
    Stop procrastinating and get packing, dingleberry!

    Furrfu!

  • Depends on the requirements (Score:5, Funny)

    by Bastian ( 66383 ) on Tuesday October 22, 2002 @02:38AM (#4502147)
    I'd say do this the same way you'd choose something like a software development strategy - write down your requirements, write down your schedule, look at your risks, and come up with a plan.

    For example, if you won't have much time to unpack after you get to your new apartment, I would suggest working primarily by a priority system augmented by categorization - this will enable you to get to things quickly even if they're packed away. This is how I pack when I'm going to college, since my school doesn't allow returning students to move in until the day before classes. That way, random shit like decorations go on the bottom of the pile, whereas my toothbrush and my notebooks are in the same box, which is also the first box I unpack.

    On the other hand, if you don't have much of a time constraint on either end, a relativistic approach is clearly the best - think about where things will go in your new place, and pack so that you minimize the box trucking when you unpack.

    On the other hand, if you have to pack real quick, you might have to sacrifice organization in favor of getting it pitched into boxes quickly. In that case, the relativistic approach works, only you pack things that are close together in your current abode in the same box.

    Think about supplies, too. If you don't have much shit and not much is breakable, garbage bags work wonders.

    Minimizing space is worth considering, too, if you're looking at making multiple trips (heaven forbid.) Don't just pack that desk empty - load it into the truck, and then fill the drawers with smaller boxes full of stuff. I know putting a box inside my mini-fridge saved the day this year. . .

    If you're rich, on the other hand, consider throwing out or giving away easily replaceable good such as notebooks, underwear, pens, signifigant others, and dishes.

    • if you won't have much time to unpack...
      On the other hand, if you don't have much of a time constraint...
      On the other hand, if you have to pack real quick...

      I'm guessing here, but I think he was asking from the perspective of someone with only two hands.

    • That way, random shit like decorations go on the bottom of the pile, whereas my toothbrush and my notebooks are in the same box, which is also the first box I unpack.


      Obviously you are not a geek since any self respecting geek would first setup his/her computer and make sure everything is running fine, downloading 10 different ISOs, etc. Shesh. Get your priorities straight. Repeat 1000 times...Technology comes before hygiene.

  • strategy packing (Score:5, Informative)

    by Urox ( 603916 ) <{luthien3} {at} {juno.com}> on Tuesday October 22, 2002 @02:46AM (#4502166) Journal
    Priority is easily taken care of in one step:
    1. Put everything you can't live without for a week in your suitcase. It will help you hone down what you truly need. You can always wash things at the end of the week and this scenario works for both short and long distance moves. You'll survive for a while on your basic necessities for the long run and you won't have to go digging through boxes to set you up for the short term. My long term (didn't get my things moved down for a month and a half) included clothes, a frying pan, toiletries, and my laptop.

    2. Carefully pack things which are fragile and put them in boxes labeled fragile. Some will get broken, but that's what happens when you move thing in vehicles with struts/shocks.

    3. Pack the rest by category and label boxes accordingly: pack books with books, kitchen ware with other kitchenware, clothes... etc. If you happen to have bookshelves, it is perfectly acceptable to put one shelf in one box and much easier to unload at the new destination. The best thing I found was to pack everything in the boxes myself, label them with big large letters where I wanted them to go (bedroom, kitchen, bookcase_1...), and then get movers to haul them into a truck and then I could just direct them at the new location where I wanted each box to go when they brought it in.

    Pro of moving company:someone else does all the transporting quickly and efficiently. You could even have them do the pack yourself if you trusted them. There are companies that will pack up and box by room for you.
    Con of moving company: costs money, they are not as likely to take care in transport as you, and if you go with the wrong company (ie: starving students) then you could possibly not even get your stuff returned.

    Pro of transporting yourself: you could get some good exercise in for the day and that really might not be a bad thing in addition to your more careful transport.

    And I don't think this is so bad to ask slashdot. I would think that a significant amount have done various moves (for either work, college, or breaking up with SOs) and among the crap are usually some rather helpful posts. Who would you sooner trust: a geek on slashdot or Martha Stewart?

    • Re:strategy packing (Score:4, Informative)

      by Lando ( 9348 ) <lando2+slash&gmail,com> on Tuesday October 22, 2002 @06:55AM (#4502786) Homepage Journal
      Couple of additions thoughts.

      Don't drive a car to take a few things over... Getting a vehicle that can take everything in 1 or two trips is best. Trips are extremely time inefficent

      Helping hands... the more people you have helping the easier it is. Try to schedule some friends to help move you place at least a month in advance... Try to get as many people as possible.

      Just like anything else, you should call to confirm a couple of days before... Most moving days have about 1/2 of the "friends" show... Giving them a call a couple of days before the move to remind them of the move helps a lot.

      Moving company: Having worked as a mover, I highly suggest you do most of the packing yourself... Furniture and bulky items aren't really in danger of walking off, but anything that can be thrown in a pocket or set asside in the truck and strikes the mover's fancy is likely to disappear. Try to pack all the small nicknacks yourself so that all the movers are doing is carrying boxes and packing things you aren't worried about them stealing.

      Boxes, most people spend a lot of time running around trying to get boxes... My last couple of moves have been with purchased boxes. Their uniform size has really been nice... It costs a bit more, but is well worth it.

      Tape gun, get a tape gun. Use the generic tape, 3M stuff is too expensive ie about 3x price of cheap generic brand. Tape gun helps a lot putting together boxes

      Get several markers and mark what is in the boxes.

      • I disagree about the car trip thing. When I moved to my new home, I took car loads from my old home with me to work, and unpacked them at my home during lunch time.

      • Re:strategy packing (Score:3, Insightful)

        by srmalloy ( 263556 )
        Don't drive a car to take a few things over... Getting a vehicle that can take everything in 1 or two trips is best. Trips are extremely time inefficent

        An additional consideration when packing a vehicle is destination. When you pack your vehicle to move things, you should be packing in reverse order of unload depth -- i.e., look at where you are moving into, and arrange your load so that the first things you take out of the vehicle go the furthest into your new place, filling back toward the entry as you go. This way, you don't wind up having to climb over furniture and boxes in the living room while you're trying to schlep a box spring back into the bedroom.

        It also pays to sit down with a graphics editor, CAD program, or pieces of paper cut to scale and lay out the floorplan and all your furniture, then decide where you want all your furniture to go in the new place before you move, if possible. It's much easier to get furniture moved in if you can unload it into at least an approximation of its final position.

    • I'll just add these thoughts

      I labeled each room in the new house, so the movers would know where things went

      I also moved the ULTRA fragile stuff myself (short move)

      The biggest job in my move? My workshop - That cost as much as the rest of the move, and still isn't fully unpacked, over a year later. Then again, moving my shop required calling in a rigger. Yes, it a big shop - I have a Bridgeport in the basement
      • Then again, moving my shop required calling in a rigger.

        You backwards redneck you - thinking that because you are white you can get other people to do the work for you. Pull up your sleeves, get your hands dirty and do it yourself, you lazy white trash.

        Oh, err, wait, _r_igger.... sorry... :-)
        • :-)

          I moved the stuff down the old basement, and down the new basement myself. When time came to move, I had 3 days to move and clean the old house. NOT fun with 2 kids. If I had a week or two, I would have done it myself!

    • Re:strategy packing (Score:1, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      just direct them at the new location where I wanted each box to go when they brought it in.

      As a person who willingly helps his friends move frequently, this really irritates me. I'm already volunteering my time to move all of your crap, often in heat, or rain, or snow. You should be happy it all ends up at your new place at all. Sure, I'm willing to drag your bed into the bedroom, the couch into the livingroom, etc. But don't stand there while I unload your stuff saying "that's computer books; those go in the office, only RPGs and Stephen King novels go in the family room."

      You've got the rest of your life at the new place to unpack such boxes, and as far as I'm concerned, they all go in a pile in the livingroom for you to sort out later.

      And a couple other things:

      • Pay the extra $10 for the bigger truck. Having to make a 2nd trip for the chairs and bookcases sucks.
      • When I show up at 8:30 a.m. I should not have to help you unhook your computer and stereo gear, and pack the stuff into boxes.

      Sorry, just a rant from a recent couple of unpleasant moves I've helped with :)

  • The best way (Score:3, Insightful)

    by joto ( 134244 ) on Tuesday October 22, 2002 @02:48AM (#4502171)
    ...is to put everything into boxes, and get done with it. Hopefully, you will find a lot of stuff you can throw away or sell in the process.

  • You must be new to this (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Gerry Gleason ( 609985 ) <gerry@@@geraldgleason...com> on Tuesday October 22, 2002 @02:50AM (#4502174)
    How much stuff could you have? Throw some out, maybe do a little sorting while you are weeding out. If you aspire to be like Martha Stewart, then organize stuff into storage bins that are well organized and labeled.

    When the move date looms and you haven't done any of the above yet, make sure you have lots of extra boxes (plastic bags for clothes and that wrapping film are really useful) and just start packing and throwing. Some organization is good, and make sure you are careful about the things you really need to use in the near future (one theory is everything else should be pitched). Except for those small number of important boxes, your not going to unpack the rest for a year or more anyway.

    We've been in our house (first one) for almost a year and a half, and I'm almost done with moving box archeology (it can be fun sometimes). Except for the dozen or so boxes recently moved from the garage to the basement to make room to store a sister's pop-up trailer. Then there's the stuff from another sister who's off at graduate school, and the other sister currently semi long term consulting out of town who is going to drop her appartment here and put more boxes in the basement. Theoretically, owning a house is a longer term proposition than renting, so I don't mind accumulating stuff, but I try to keep a little control over it. When I was younger I moved between the East Coast and Chicago several times, mostly in very overpacked cars. That hasn't been possible for a long time now, and the last move we actually hired professionals for the heavy lifting.

    You'll have to decide what is and isn't important to you, and how often you expect to move, etc. I recomend getting some perspective by watching George Carlin's rant on 'stuff' a few times.

    • Negative! Do not attempt to combine the distinct tasks of packing and weeding out. These are both more time consuming than one initially realizes.

      That, and make sure all your boxes are
      1. liftable
      2. well taped so they won't fall apart
      3. closed on top so you can stack them
      [4. belong to us]

      And put everything in a box. Don't leave anything loose.

      • Negative! Do not attempt to combine the distinct tasks of packing and weeding out. These are both more time consuming than one initially realizes.

        All too true, but I was trying to say weed and sort beforehand. The more organized and de-junked you are the more ready you are at the time of the move. Realistically a lot of people haven't done enough before the move, so there will always be things you decide it isn't worth it to move (depending on distance of move, size of truck, etc.)

      • A sign you have been reading Slashdot too long: the urge to add (n+1). Profit!!! to every numbered list you see.

  • Software. (Score:4, Funny)

    by The Cydonian ( 603441 ) on Tuesday October 22, 2002 @02:51AM (#4502175) Homepage Journal
    is there some management software to help with this sort of thing?"

    Sure. It's called Excel, part of a set of productivity tools made by a certain company based in Redmond, WA. Not only can you make a list of the things you're moving, you can actually make multiple lists with hyperlinks and cute pics in a SINGLE FILE!

    Alternatively, you can search for "barcodes" on Google, find out about EAN/UPC error detection algorithms, assign each piece of luggage a unique barcode, incorporate XSL, somehow use this XSL barcode generator thing [renderx.com], print them all out, stick them to your whatever you're moving and move! When you reach your destination, and this very important, but remember to buy a barcode reader and to scan all your luggage before you unpack.

    You might also want to set up a website where you can track your shipment exactly the same way this website [fedex.com] does.

  • If you're smart (and have the money) you wouldn't be asking Slashdot, you'd be hiring a removal firm to do it for you. They specialise in doing exactly this sort of thing.

    You wouldn't ask your dentist what the best programming language is to implement your web app in, would you now?

  • Alphabetically (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Start with your favorite aardvark book [slashdot.org] and finish with new Zire, a PDA from Palm under $99 [www.enn.ie].

  • seriously (Score:3, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 22, 2002 @03:13AM (#4502270)
    You have got to be fucking kidding me. This is the most off-topic fucking question I've ever seen on Ask Slashdot.

    But, I have an answer for you. Just take all your shit and throw it in boxes. Don't sort it. Just put the box on the edge of the desk or under some shelves and push the crap into it. You have to sort it anyway when you unpack, so what the hell is the point of sorting it when you pack it? It's just extra work. I've moved like 12 times in the past 6 years or so, and this method easily works the best.

    Here are the steps outlined for your convenience:
    1. get empty box
    2. throw shit in box, do not look at shit being thrown into box
    3. close box
    4. move box
    5. unpack box and put shit where it belongs

    If you end up breaking something, you probably don't need it anyway. Stop buying cheap flimsy crap you penny pincher. And if you're too damn cheap to buy boxes, go behind starbucks and look in their cardboard dumpster. They have the best boxes for moving, and they just throw them out.

    And one more thing, if you're built, move on a friday or saturday night and take your shirt off. It gets hot moving all those boxes out to the truck, and it's a great way to pick up girls that are at a party in your building. Yes, it's shady, but you might as well nail someone for all your hard work.

  • Spatially is the fasest way to get it in AND out (Score:5, Informative)

    by foniksonik ( 573572 ) on Tuesday October 22, 2002 @03:25AM (#4502302) Homepage Journal
    Spatially is the fasest way to get it in AND out of the boxes....

    First, Get some paper plates and plastic cups the day before packing... you'll want something to eat on and drink out of while your plates and glasses are packed. Set aside your Playstation for break time...

    Start with a few medium sized boxes in each room and label them (living room, kitchen, bedroom, etc.) Grab all of the ordinary stuff that is not fragile and get it in the boxes putting a few heavy things in the bottom and lighter things on top... distribute the heavy stuff so you'll be able to carry an individual box without getting a hernia.

    Once you have the bulky items and non-fragile stuff boxed up in medium sized boxes start putting the fragile stuff in the smallest boxes you have and use packing material to fill in the holes. Be sure to label these according to the rooms as well.

    If you have the original boxes for your electronics use them. Save that PS2 TV for next to last.

    Each room should have 5 to 10 boxes now with 95% of your stuff packed away. If you have several small boxes with fragile stuff and packing material (styrofoam peanuts, newspaper, etc.) you might be able to consolidate them into medium sized boxes for quicker transport.

    Pack the clothes and personal hygiene stuff, as well as the few cooking items you've been using while packing last. Use your suitcases or barring this the last few medium sized boxes you'll need.

    Now call up the moving company with the cheapest rate and have them move all the big and or expensive items... make sure they have insurance or else they are useless to you. Don't have them bother with the smaller and more fragile items... do those yourself and save a wad of cash... just have them move the TV, hardware, furniture and boxes of programming manuals you've collected over the years, expecially if you live above ground floor.

    Take several trips to move what ever is left and eat a relaxed lunch in between.

    If you're moving more than a 4 hour drive away pay somebody whatever it costs to do all the moving at once in a nice big rig. Taking 4 days to move and getting no sleep is not cool.

    • Oh yeah... now that you have all the boxes at your new place put them in the right room according to the labels you wrote on them (living room, kitchen, etc.) Unpack in the same order you packed... big bulky stuff first and smaller fragile things last.

      Make sure your furniture is in place before you open any boxes though... boxes are so much easier to move around than a stack of CDs/DVDs and all those cables are individually.

      Once your couch is in place get that PS2 out and play for a while before you get around to the boxes but don't put them in storage or you'll never find that CD you want to play when the hot girl next door stops by to say hello.

  • What's wrong with just getting a bunch of boxes and start putting things into them ? Seriously. It's messy for a day or two while the moving goes on, then okay in the new home. Why would anyone want a "software program for optimizing the strategy" ?

    Yes, I'd see the point if you where moving everyone from the Empire State Building to the Sears tower or something, but come on, you're talking about the furniture and stuff of an average home, not some major operation.

  • Two strategies for you (Score:5, Funny)

    by Some Guy ( 21271 ) on Tuesday October 22, 2002 @04:51AM (#4502495)
    I've used this one:
    1. Pack everything however you can
    2. When you get to the new place, pile everything in the middle of the biggest room you have
    3. As you need things, dig them out
    4. Throw out anything left in the pile after 4 months


    The last time I moved was much simpler:
    1. Pack your backpack
    2. Give everything else away/throw it out

  • Two Ideas (Score:3, Funny)

    by ajuda ( 124386 ) on Tuesday October 22, 2002 @05:32AM (#4502572)
    Idea #1:

    1) Spend the next fifty years designing a teleporter as seen on Star Trek
    2) Spend another thirty years designing a time machine to send the plans back to you
    3) Use the teleporter to transport your stuff to the new apartment (should only take a few seconds)

    It's far simpler than packing and unpacking, and since you send the plans back to yourself, you get a causality paradox which will make for great coversations.

    Idea #2:

    Leave your door wide open tonight, and put a label that says "FREE STUFF" on your door. When you wake up you will find you have less to pack.

  • 1. Start to think of the problem WEEKS in advance.
    2. Actually start boxing things a few days in advance.
    3. Realize you are hopelessly behind schedule. Ditched organize moving and start packing objects into garbage bages (which you will keep and move). You'd be surprised how quickly you can get things moved this way.
    4. Rent U-Haul at almost the last possible minute you can still adequately rent one, if only to play with fate.
    5. Get friends to help you on move day for a few hours.
    6. Realize that it is going to take a lot more than a few hours and you work well into the night moving stuff.
    7. Kick yourself in the ass for having purchased 18 full-sized arcade games with company stock during the dot.com boom. What was I thinking??!?
    8. Kick yourself in the ass for not planning this better, and subconciously tell yourself, "I told you so." ...and I supposed there are the obligitory steps...

    9. ?????
    10. Profit!!! ;)

  • Stop thinking. Start recruiting. (Score:5, Funny)

    by adolf ( 21054 ) <flodadolf@gmail.com> on Tuesday October 22, 2002 @05:54AM (#4502620) Journal
    The most efficient way to move: Don't do it by yourself.

    It's easy:

    1) Recruit as many people as you can comfortably afford beer and pizza for.

    2) Give them beer.

    3) Show them where the empty boxes are.

    4) Give them beer.

    5) Show them where the stuff is that needs moved.

    6) Give them beer.

    7) Show them where the truck is.

    8) Give them beer.

    9) Arrive at destination.

    10) Give them beer.

    11) Order pizza.

    12) Give them beer.

    13) Eat pizza.

    14) Give them beer.

    15) Show them where the truck is. Remind them who bought the beer.

    16) Give them beer.

    17) Have your posessions deposited neatly in your new dwelling.

    18) Give them beer.

    19) Load them into the just-emptied truck.

    20) Give them beer.

    21) Wake them up the next morning. Declare that you are out of beer. Take up a collection to cover the cost of the U-Haul moving blanket they broke the seal on and cowered under in an attempt to keep warm*.

    22) Send them away. Do not offer to pay them for their gratious efforts**.

    23) Have a beer.

    24) Begin the never-ending process of putting things into place in their new home.

    Good luck!

    * This is also a sure-fire way to figure out who your real friends are. Those who complain about sleeping overnight in a cold panel van in a parking lot while you sleep in the warm bed that they carried in for you don't deserve your company.

    ** And this is certain to weed out the rest.

  • Reduce your life down to a bag of clothes, a box of treasured heirlooms, and a laptop.

    Everything else is completely irrelevant, and if you just chuck it, you'll soon understand how wonderful this realization is.

    Sounds simple - but I mean, really, it works.

    I had to do it when I moved to Germany from LA, and once I actually got rid of everything and had just my tiBook, a box of treasures in storage, and my newly re-organized wardrobe, it felt amazing not to have any other loads of crap to worry about.

    By treasures, I mean just the family stuff: photo's you can't lose, letters, gifts of personal value, etc. My entire CD collection - or at least, the stuff I *knew* I couldn't replace by other means - is in my iPod, and the same completeness exists in my laptop, too.

    After you get this done, all you have to worry about is backups. Feat!
  • Pack the big things first, then put the little things in the gaps between the big things.
  • Was it really that slow of a day; so slow that this actually was selected? How we have neglected /. - to allow this to happen. Don't you see? This is a cry for help - next it will be the occasional article on the favorite color of iMacs, then an in depth review on who really uses the right mouse button..... it will only spiral down from here people. We must act now!!!

    We must wrest control of /. away from whoever is allowing this to happen....

    btw, the best way to pack is to truly just dump it all in boxes by location - where is it in the house. When you get to the new house, don't immediately unpack everything, but unpack as you use things. On the one year anniversary of living there, anything that has not been unpacked goes either to charity or in the garbage....

  • Take Spider's advice (Score:2, Insightful)

    by dave_f1m ( 602921 )
    If you currently know where things are, just start in one corner of a room, and start boxing. Label the boxes something like "LW3" for 3rd box on the west wall of the living room. The packing goes very fast - if you have help, they can pack too, and not have you complaining at the far end that you can't figure out where they put something. When you get to the far end, you have a good idea what room to put boxes in. Again, any fool can help move the boxes in. And if you are trying to find something that is still boxed up, just think about where it was before you boxed up.
    Damn, that Spider Robinson is a genius.

    - dave f.
  • i've had to move my stuff 7 times in 7 years... here's what i learned:

    in a perfect world, you could organize the hell out of your boxes, and when you got to the new place everything would be right where you wanted it. but, the fact is that no matter how much you organize stuff in boxes, your new apartment will be arranged differently and you'll have to reorganize anyway.

    pack the stuff that you use the most and/or consider to be the most important FIRST. then the lesser important stuff, etc. for the stuff you take last, get a few huge boxes and just dump the stuff into it. after a few months at the new place, if you havent needed to dig through the huge boxes, just get rid of the contents.

    management software? pack your computer and quit procrastinating this move! you wont get anywhere until you turn it off.
  • .... is probably the BEST way of doing this, that way you can have all of your books in one place, and your CDs in one place, and all of your medical supplies (for when you try to lift the 500lb box of books and the 500lb box of CDs) all in one place...

  • Christ on Toast (Score:5, Funny)

    by moc.tfosorcimgllib ( 602636 ) on Tuesday October 22, 2002 @07:57AM (#4502993) Journal
    I think I saw this question on a midterm in college. It was for an algorithms class, and even then I thought it was a stupid question.
  • It worked for Rob Gordon in High Fidelity. It should work for you.
  • If you move frequently you can just save time and live out of your boxes...by the time you get all that shit unpacked and in its proper place it's time to move again.

    Yet another strategy: acquire less shit.

  • Keep a lot of tape available. (Score:4, Informative)

    by mfarah ( 231411 ) <miguel.farah@cl> on Tuesday October 22, 2002 @08:18AM (#4503097) Homepage
    Besides what everyone's said already:
    • keep lots of packing tapes. They're dirt cheap, and you can't afford to run out of tape when you're packing! Also, if N persons are packing, be sure to have at least N+3 tapes available. This way, people won't waste time waiting for the "tape resource" to be available. The cost of these items, as I said, is negligible.

    • Get several cardboard markers(/ scripto pens / whatever) for marking the packed boxes. They're also cheap, and you can't afford to not have several available, for the same reasons stated above.

    • START PACKING AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. That way you can take the time to pack properly, to check out the stuff you're packing (this way you can also get rid of the stuff you want to get rid of) AND you'll be able to pack with more care.

    • Keep a big box labeled "JUNK", clearly separate from everything else. All the stuff you want/have to get rid of must go there.

    • Keep an inventory of every box, and keep it on PAPER. If you have a lot of time, and are as anal as I am, the inventory for each box should contain every single item contained in it. This worked marvels with my books - I have some many I haven't been able to take them off the boxes yet, and this way I know where any book is.

    • LABEL THE BOXES. Determine a numbering system and adhere to it. If possible, determine where the box should be located at in the new place (for example, kitchen boxes: K1, K2, ...; garage boxes: G1, G2, ...).


    And remember that it will take MONTHS to unpack everything!

  • Don't anally organize your stuff when you pack, except to throw out the cruft. Your goal is to move out of the place, not make a time capsule.

    Organize when you *unpack*, then you'll know where everything really is.
  • The best method involves getting a bunch of cardboard boxes and throwing your stuff from each room into it and then labeling it with that room's title (kitchen, bedroom, etc). Oh but you said you didn't want to do that, well then shell out the cash, hire movers and quit asking dumb slashdot questions.
  • on whether or not you like your current layout. When I moved from my apartment to my house, I used the opportunity to completely rearrange my living spaces. In the apartment I had gotten used to the arrangement of things and there was little opportunity or impetus for change. The house was a much bigger space, with many options that the apartment couldn't offer. I was able to both get rid of a bunch of junk that I didn't really need, as well as reorganize the stuff that remained into more usable living spaces.

    In my case, the "throw like items into the same box" was a good strategy. If, however, you are very attached to your current arrangement, and you are moving to a space that is similar to the one you are leaving, you are probably better off going with a "room-by-room" boxing method.

    My best advice, however, has to do with timing rather than packing: If you can do it, it is best to spread the moving process out over a few weeks. This is often not possible, since most people can't afford to pay rent on two places at once, but it makes the moving process much less hectic.

  • Just buy a bunch of boxes and start throwing things in.
  • #1 pack shit up where you find it in your apartment
    #2 move it to you new apartment
    #3 unpack it according to where it used to be in your old apartment

    tip: go to target and buy a shitload of big rubbermaid containers, they're cheaper than getting shitty cardboard boxes from Uhaul - they are also water proof, reusable, have handles, don't need tape, etc.
  • When I moved from Colorado to Florida, my wife and I itemized almost everyting we owned. We numbered every box and recorded (within reason) everything we put in the box. This served several purposes. First, imagine your house or apartment (or moving truck....IT HAPPENS!) burns to the ground, the insurance company (presuming you have it...) Asks you to list all your belongings so they can settle with you. They generally give you a couple of opportunities to revise the list. A statistic that I saw once stated that even after a third revision only half of the belongings get listed. It is a difficult time of tragedy and tough to remember everything. The packing list would serve as itemized proof of belongings. The second benefit came when we were holed up awaiting the construction of our house. Everything was in a storage unit for 8 months. When we needed something we looked it up and searched for that one box. 95% of the boxes were never opened because we didn't have to hunt it down. The third benefit was that we were able to spend an hour mapping where every box would go... Garage, Living Room, Family Room, each of the four bedrooms, three bath's and the kitchen. Made organizing the volunteer moving help a LOT easier!!!

  • Moving? Ask the US Postal Service! (Score:3, Informative)

    by dacarr ( 562277 ) on Tuesday October 22, 2002 @10:46AM (#4504235) Homepage Journal
    No, seriously. You go to this site [usps.com], and they have all sorts of stuff, especially right here [usps.com]. Granted most of what they have to offer is particular to the USA, but a lot of it seems to work for the whole world.

    They also provide a list of packing howto's [usps.com] on their website.

    Assuming you're a US resident, if you don't mind bombarding yourself with mail on your first day and you have a postage meter handy, you can also move using the US Postal Service by mailing your stuff to yourself. A ludicrous idea, and probably expensive too, but remember this: you are moving it for the price of postage [usps.com] (WARNING: PDF), and they bring it to your door. If you have the $12.95, they will also pick it up - hell, you can even bring it to the back dock if you don't have the meter. Expect to spend a fair chunk of change to get things from point A to point B., but it's probably still less than a mover, and if you're feeling a little lucky this is very much the way to go. If anything, though, this is a good way to get certain things out of the way for the time being, but do be sure that you're there to receive them, especially if you're in an apartment. (Ask the local office how long it takes to get there.)

    (A word of advice, please make sure your small appliances are well-padded and empty before you ship them. I shipped a few of my wife's things from Massachusets to California when she moved from Springfield, and while most of it survived, we unfortunately lost the laser disc player. (Our fault, we didn't dismount the LD that was in it.))

    Please note, however, that due to the USPS' weight limitations (70 lbs), I'm pretty sure they will not let you ship a pre-packed hippopotamus [usps.com] through them.

  • Don't use UPS! [slashdot.org]. Heh.

    -Vic
  • Weight and fragility are the main things you should be concerned about. You do not want, for instance, to carry a box that contains all the books from a bookshelf. Put some large, heavy, unbreakable things in the bottom of each box, then a layer of soft, fluffy things (e.g., clothes, blankets), then some light, moderately fragile things like telephones, CDs, clock radios, etc. Extremely fragile things should get their own boxes with lots of padding. When I moved a few months ago, I did it mostly this way. The only things I moved "spatially" were from the bathroom, since there were lots of things that could leak. Otherwise, I wouldn't reccommend it, since the things you will still need during the move out process are probably intersperesed with things you could live without for any length of time.
  • I was a coop student, I moved every 4 months for 5 years.

    Make an overnight bag of what you need, and the few items you will need within the first 24 hours.
    Unpack the rest as you go.

    Don't unpack for the sake of unpacking, wait till you need it.
    Throw stuff out, if you don't need it chuck it, if it stayed in your moving boxes for a full year you probaly don't need it.

    Liquor boxes (ask your local store) are good. Strong and smaller then the boxes from a grocery store. I used them for textbooks.

    Rubbermaid containers are great, pack up, put in storage.

    Like another poster said try to move over a few weeks, much less hectic, after I got married the extra months rent was more then worth it.

    Box everything up, then bribe friends to carry it, don't expect them to pack, they won't stick around to carry stuff.

  • If you are only moving between apartments within the same city, it's pretty easy.

    - Start packing early. Take the stuff you don't use too often (last 7 years worth of tax paperwork, the winter clothes that you don't need if you are moving in August, etc.) and pack it a couple of weeks in advance. Anything fragile should be packed with lots of packing paper in a sturdy box. Label it all well.

    - Pack "spatially" for anything that isn't really important that you get at in the first day or two at the new place. Pack up all those books in your office into SMALL boxes. Pack up most of the kitchen stuff together, etc.

    - Pack a couple of the last boxes with the "can't live without" items. Toilet paper. Shampoo. Microwave oven. Web server. Label these "OPEN FIRST".

    - Inventory everything you like. If it gets lost or broken, having an inventory (maybe even some pictures) will help with the insurance claim.

    - Pack it into the truck biggest items first. Fill in the empty spaces with the smaller items ("big rocks first") Strap everything down unless you want it to go flying about the truck.

    Now, for a real challenge, try moving two people, two dogs, three vehicles, and an entire bungalow full of possesions 3600km across the country during the X-mas holidays. Without spending $15,000. Oh yes, this is fun...

    • I have to comment on this...

      We moved from New Mexico to New York (Job related, why else?)

      Thankfully, the company paid for the move, but when we went to the airport (10/01/01: During the height of the post 9/11 panic) we showed up with:

      • Two Adults
      • Three kids
      • Two cats (one per cat box)
      • One 70 pound Basset hound (In LARGE kennel)
      • One HUGE carryon (With wife's purse, backpack, and one backpack for each kid)
      • 14 (YES, FOURTEEN) 2 foot by 2 foot by 2 foot boxes. That's three boxes per ticketed passenger.

      The most common question asked that day was:
      Are you moving? (Asked somewhat sarcastically, usually)

      And we were forced to answer: Yes.

      It took two vans to get us and all our stuff to the airport.

      If I NEVER do that again, it'll be too soon.

  • I would begin by breking down your house/apartment by room. Have an extra bathroom, dining room etc. pack those first. These are probably rooms you don't use much and you can bear to be without them for a few weeks. As moving day approaches you can pack the rooms you use more often, living room/rec room, kitchen and finally your bedroom.

    As you pack each room you can group related things together into boxes. Sheets and towels in one set, computer cables and accessories in another set. As you go mark each box in big letters which room it belongs to. You can also mark the general contents of in smaller writing. Don't go overboard with labeling each and every item in the box, keep the description to 2-3 words, like "pots and utensils". Remember to mark this on the side of the box as the top and bottom are usually obscured by stacking them on top on one another. When packing each box remember that you will need to be able to lift and carry them a good distance (possibly up steps?). Even if all your books and CD's fit into one container they may be too heavy to manage in one container.

    As you move into your new place stack your boxes into their respecitve rooms. Unpack each room as you see fit.

    Suggestion: Pack at least a weeks worth of clothing and other essentials and move them yourself, don't put them on a truck. This goes if you are using a moving company or not. Moving companies routinely misplace things in transit, it has happened to me and several friends. In addition you may get to your new place and discover your apartment is not ready and you have to put your stuff into storage and live in a hotel until everything is sorted out. Be prepared for the worst!

  • Here's my strategy after 20-some moves: 1. Set aside the very essential, can't-function-without-them things in a small bag / box & put them in your car before you do anything else. Ditto with very expensive / portable items. Set aside some cash for takeout meals on moving day. 2. Pack a few days' worth of clothes, sundries, supplies, phone, laptop etc. and put those aside too. Include towel, washcloth, sheet, blanket, pillow. Also pack a few dishes (or paper plates & bowls), a coffee cup, a pot or two, paper towels, spray cleaner some plastic bags & stuff that in your car too. 3. If you know what rooms you'll have in your new place and roughly what will go where, organize boxes by destination room ... i.e. books for office vs. books for living room. Otherwise organize by existing rooms & like items. Label by destination room / contents and number them. Keep a list showing box #, room & contents. Keep a 2nd copy of the list with your essentials. 4. As boxes are loaded onto the truck / into your car (no matter by whom, or whose truck / car) check them off of the list. 5. Ditto at the other end as they come into your new place. 6. Try to have boxes placed in the new rooms somewhere away from where your main furniture will go. Usually boxes come off of the truck before the big items & it's a hassle to have to move them again to make room for a bed or couch. If you can, group boxes you're likely to need right away into one area -- you don't want to have to shift book boxes a lot to get at clothes, for instance. 6. Have a priority for unpacking. Mine is: bathroom, kitchen basics, clothing & main office stuff first. Books, room by room, second. Other stuff as I can. Totally a function of your lifestyle / situation, but you'll be glad for a shower / bath when you finally get all the boxes into your new place. Enjoy your new place ...
  • The bin packing problem or knapsack problem ...

    http://www.nist.gov/dads/HTML/knapsackProblem.ht ml

    How much stuff do you have? It's will get exponentially worse the more stuff you have. So giving stuff away and throwing stuff out might be a win.

    • 1. Bottled beer. Drink a lot of it. Beer bottle (returnables) case boxes are the best, bar none, for easy handling or reasonable sized loads.
    • 2. For light, large things, break some monitors at work. Use the boxes from the replacements to move your shit.

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