So it’s been a solid 2 weeks since my last blog post, and that’s because we’ve been so busy packing and moving our family from San Antonio all the way to Las Vegas! We’re finally {mostly} settled in and unpacked, so I’m ready to start getting back to my regular posting schedule!
I wanted to talk about our experience moving since I haven’t seen a lot of content with tips or ideas from other places like Pinterest. My friend Chelsea actually wrote a post with her tips that were amazing, and I highly recommend checking her list out here!
Moving with kids isn’t fun, but it definitely doesn’t have to suck! We moved from Utah to Texas when Reagan was only 5 months old and it really wasn’t bad at all, but we changed some things up when we moved with two toddlers this time around. The most important thing is to do what you think will be best for you and your family, because what worked well for us might not be the best option for you!
Tip #1: Decide whether you’re going to fly or drive. When it was just us and baby Reagan, we decided to drive since she loved her car seat and slept almost the entire way. We also needed a way to transport our car and didn’t want Jared having to tow our car behind the moving truck alone. For this recent move, we found a way for me and the kids to fly because I refused to put two restless toddlers (one who hates the car seat) in a car for 17 hours. Decide what option is going to work best for you based on distance of move, if anyone can help you out, and what your budget is.
Tip #2: Start EARLY: Start packing wayyyyyy in advance! Doing one or two boxes a day when you have the spare time means you’ll be living in boxes for longer but greatly reduces the amount of stress you’ll have on moving day. It might be annoying, but take advantage of any kid free time you get to be productive and pack the things you won’t need before you move.
Tip #3: Shop around for rental trucks. In our experience, Penske is always the most expensive and Budget is always the cheapest. That being said, we had a horrible experience with Budget this last time around and will probably pay the extra money to go through a different company next time. If you’re planning on using a moving company, you can call around for free quotes and they will usually work with your budget to try to get your business.
Tip #4: Take a few days. With both moves, we took several days to get to our final destination. We had family at the halfway point who let us hang out with them for a couple days to rest and recoup before getting back on the road, and this made the long drive feel not so horrible since it was broken up! Plus, it’s a good way to spend time with family and relax a little bit in the midst of all the chaos.
Tip #5: Collect moving boxes. We didn’t have to buy a single box for either of our moves! We both worked in medical offices, so we grabbed all the leftover shipping boxes whenever we saw them in the halls at work. We started collecting a couple months in advance and ended up with enough for all of our stuff. You can also call around to local hospitals and grocery stores and see if they will save their night shipment boxes for you to come pick up (a lot of places offer this if you’re willing to swing by at 2am!)
Tip #6: Eat what you have. In the days and weeks leading up to your move, try to plan meals around canned and boxed goods that you already have, instead of buying new things. Food is really heavy and a huge pain to move, so the more of it you can eat beforehand the less you will waste!
Tip #7: Weather permitting, spend lots of time outside. I packed up 95% of the kids toys 2 weeks before we moved. To occupy them during the day, we spent a lot of time outdoors so they wouldn’t be bored or stir crazy (or making bigger messes) in the house. Take this time to do all of your favorite things in your current city for the last time!
Tip #8: Spend your last night in a hotel. If you want to get an early start on moving day, spend your last night in your current city in a hotel. That way, you can just take off first thing in the morning without having to sleepily load beds and last minute items into a moving truck.
Tip #9: Label boxes by room and contents. This is especially important for the unloading stage of moving! Label every box in large lettering with the room that the box belongs in, then in smaller lettering list some of the main contents. Now when you’re unloading the truck at your final destination, boxes will each go to a specific place instead of being piled on top of each other in one room. The smaller contents list will help you in the early days of unpacking to find important items and unpack them first.
Tip #10: Ask for help. Call on church congregation members, neighbors, friends and family to help you! Whether they watch the kids while you pack or load the truck, help load furniture or boxes, unload the truck, help tackle the cleaning check out list, or help unpack there is some way that people can help you. Ask for assistance, and accept it whenever someone offers! We had such a positive experience with church members helping us unload the truck in Nevada, what took Jared and I six hours to load up took this group only 25 minutes to unload!
I hope these tips help you with your next move! Starting early and sticking with what you know about your kids will help make this transition easier on everyone!
Wow, It’s a really awesome blog. You share the tips are very useful for moving work. Moving work is not an easy work it’s very stressful work. Thanks for sharing valuable tips.
Wow Casey! These are some great tips! I agree with you that moving can be a pain in the butt, especially when you have more than one child. So packing well early in advance is not only a great idea, it is basically necessary. I also think that moving while your children are still young is a much easier adjustment for them. If you are moving with older children, be sure to communicate with them and explain why the move is being done, so that they can better cope with the loss of friends.
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That’s a great idea for explaining things to older kids! Thank you for reading and I’m glad you found my tips helpful!
These are awesome tips! I’m glad you made it and are settling in!!!