Overwhelmed with the idea of moving finally

[Ms Hogan 295]

It's time for us to make the move in another few weeks. We did our POE on March 14th but have been back and forth so far. I have to pack up our lives in Canada and get ready to go. My husband is picking up a truck and bringing it here from Penske on May 31st and we'll pack over that weekend and then drive down on June 3rd. I find myself starting to put some stuff together and then just feeling overwhelmed by the idea so I put it down. The last time I moved it was out of the house I had with my ex-husband and with a 5 week old and 3 year old in-tow. It's now been 4.5 years since then and I'm so ready and excited to go but the task seems too huge to tackle.

I don't know where else to post this so figured I would post it with fellow Canadians. Our moves have got to be way easier than those of folks moving from around the globe. I can't imagine moving across an ocean or from a country that doesn't speak the same language. But for me, I'm trying to deal with my own personal feeling of being overwhelmed by the idea.

Does anyone have any advice to offer? I realize it's a huge job for everyone but some handle it better than others. I'm an extremely organized person so I think that it might be that looking at it seems like such a disorganized point to start from that I can't get my head around it.

Thanks for reading.

[NikLR 13,227]

Get your boxes and start in a room. Pick a room you don't need as much, like the living room. Pack books and knick knacks. Then move onto the kids rooms and pack their unessential stuff, and go through each room of the house ending with either the kitchen or bathroom. You'll have to make another trip just before it's time to move to make sure you get the last of it. Get everyone to have the same kind of bag they take on overnights with a couple change of clothes, pj's and their tooth brushes. Pack one box or bag with easy to get to bathroom stuff. You can do it.. Just start at one point and move along to the next. One room at a time.

[Ontarkie 14,279]

Bedrooms other then cloths, all nicknacks and pictures off the wall, most toys. The TV, computers and video games got packed with the kitchen the night before.

[hikergirl 277]

Mark each box with a number and put it on a spreadsheet as you go along with columns as such: box #, contents, room name where you want it unpacked (or mark storage for boxes that don’t need unpacked right away). Print it out to take with you through POE and then to help you unpack.

Have boxes out as you go along marked with Charity, Family&friends (for the stuff you are giving to people you know) and lots of garbage bags. After you fill one up, get it out of the house if you can, don’t wait until there’s an overwhelming pile.

Like Niki said start going a room at a time. Pack up all non-essentials including extra linens.

Buy yourself a few paper plates & plastic cutlery and plan on take out or simple food for a couple days so you can get your kitchen packed up.

Start your list of utilities and such that you need to shut down and/or transfer south. Put it on a spreadsheet with account number and phone numbers of company and then print it out in case your computer is packed up for longer than you are originally planning. A lot of places make you turn in your modems etc to get a deposit back and shut down services.

Get a copy of your driver’s extract and letter from your insurance company to save you time down south.

For the kids: Have a copy of their last report card with school address & phone number, vaccination records, birth certificates together in a package to register them for their new schools. Contact the current school and see what paperwork they need from you to send the kids records to the new school.

Have all of your furniture parts (i.e. screws) with tools to put them back together in a well marked box (kept somewhere easily accessed). Put each set in a baggy and have a slip of paper inside saying what it goes to.

I have a plastic filing box that I put the essential paperwork that I don’t want lost and it travels with me and not with the stuff.

As you pack up a cupboard or shelf - clean it. It’ll save you time and stress as the days go on.

If you are taking dressers, leave them full and just place packing paper over top of the clothes to protect them.

*buy packing paper* Newspaper leaves marks and you get get less expensive supplies from U-haul. Including mattress covers and China barrels (for breakables) and the like.

Good luck!

[Ms Hogan 295]

Thank you all so much. This really helps a lot.

[His karma 20]

Also, instead of using alot of paper, use towels and clothes to wrap breakables. They provide more cushioning. For really breakable stuff, buy yourself rubbermade bins. They are duarble and stack nicely in the truck. Pack the clothes you need in a suitcase and start living out of them, that way you don't have last minute laundry. if you aren't taking dry goods/groceries make a box to go to the foodbank. Check expiry dates etc. Pack cords with the electronics with a peice of tape marking what the cord is for for easy set up. We don't even have our NOA2 and I am thinking about starting to pack the nicnaks to get them out of the way. We won't need the heavy winter stuff so I am looking at a storage unit in Canada, getting rid of the extra's I won't need and keep stuff the kids aren't likely to grow out of before our next visit north.

[Ms Hogan 295]

I went to Home Depot yesterday and spent money on boxes. I figured it would be easier to have boxes that are more uniform in shape and size so as to be able to organize and sort better. Like I said before, I'm EXTREMELY organized, but facing the entirety of it is what's overwhelming. I have started sorting though into donate, toss and can-be-packed-now. I just finished a box with all of our winter coats, boots, hats, mittens etc. I stated a spreadsheet to track items and number boxes.

I work from a home office so I can't even pack that up until the last-minute that weekend before we go. I figure if I tackle a box or two each day I will be able to get it done without losing my mind. I have several weeks but want to spread it out and plan well.

The other challenge for me on the other end is that we still have work to do on the house we bought so there's going to be a lot of temporary living on that end, too. The boys' rooms are done so that's all good but our master bedroom is getting redone completely as are 2 bathrooms. I need everything to be reachable but safe enough in boxes for a few months possibly.

Thanks for letting me stress out here. It helps to "talk" about it all.

[hikergirl 277]

I went to Home Depot yesterday and spent money on boxes. I figured it would be easier to have boxes that are more uniform in shape and size so as to be able to organize and sort better. Like I said before, I'm EXTREMELY organized, but facing the entirety of it is what's overwhelming. I have started sorting though into donate, toss and can-be-packed-now. I just finished a box with all of our winter coats, boots, hats, mittens etc. I stated a spreadsheet to track items and number boxes.

I work from a home office so I can't even pack that up until the last-minute that weekend before we go. I figure if I tackle a box or two each day I will be able to get it done without losing my mind. I have several weeks but want to spread it out and plan well.

The other challenge for me on the other end is that we still have work to do on the house we bought so there's going to be a lot of temporary living on that end, too. The boys' rooms are done so that's all good but our master bedroom is getting redone completely as are 2 bathrooms. I need everything to be reachable but safe enough in boxes for a few months possibly.

Thanks for letting me stress out here. It helps to "talk" about it all.

Moving is stressful!

One thing that I was thinking of this morning is that you could ask The Boys if there are any toys or things that they want to give to other children to love. Like in Toy Story where Woody and the others went to live with the new girl.

We started an almost annual purge with my daughter giving the items that she no longer “loved” to give to kids who didn’t have as much. It’s worked out well with all of our many moves.

You’d be surprised at what they are or aren’t attached to.

If it ever stops snowing here I’ll get our winter stuff packed up for my mum’s house since we won’t be needing them again.

[SF2007 48]

Take it easy. Even if us Canadians might have an easier time moving to the U.S. it is still quite a change. You would think it's not that big of a change for us. Yet... I can assure you otherwise.

It will most likely take some time before you truly feel at home, and making new friends might not be easy. So be kind to yourself. And don't rush things. The journey is not over. It has just started

Good luck!

[KTandTommy 31]

As someone who is still in the "unpacking" stage... I would recommend *OVER LABELLING* all of your boxes, if that makes any sense. I thought I was being hyper organized when I would write stuff like "Box #2 - Jeans, t-shirts, other summer stuff" ... and that was pretty awesome. But it was the miscellaneous boxes that got "under labelled" like, "Box #24: Pots & Pans" - I'm pretty sure that there is a box SOMEWHERE that has more pots & pans, that probably got shoved in with like "box #22: Dishes", just because there was extra room in that box. Don't fall into that trap. I've been in my house for a month, and I still can't find my small and medium sized frying pans!! Haha

I also do a lot of craft stuff (and I'm doing an insane amount of crafting for our "big" wedding coming up in less than a month") and it is *less* than helpful to me when I see "box #12: craft stuff, box #15: craft stuff, etc" ... when there's 10 boxes of "craft stuff" and I am looking for something in particular, without unpacking every single box!

Sorry, this is probably a bit disjointed, but hopefully you get what I mean

They did, however, really love at the border that I had a corresponding spreadsheet with the box #'s and what was in them. They didn't tear apart the car at all - just looked at the spreadsheet, and (I think) looked at a few boxes to make sure they matched, and sent me on my way!

[daphoknee 4]

I haven't given myself a chance to think about packing and moving as of yet! Good luck with everything

Are you renting a moving truck at all?

[hikergirl 277]

I was surfing around on some sites to try and find an example spreadsheet to make sure I wasn’t missing anything and I found 2 suggestions so far that I liked:

1. On your spreadsheet for the last column include a link to a picture taken of the contents of the box. Could be a hint as to what type of “craft supplies” are in the box for you.

2. Pick up a roll of Red Tuck Tape (the stuff they use on Holmes on Homes for taping the vapour barrier) and use that to seal the boxes that have your essentials in it. A quick visual clue for you when you are unloading. Anything with the tuck tape gets set in a separate area so you know it needs unpacking sooner.

Starting to pack up our non-essentials today.

Found this article also but haven’t checked out the apps yet: http://moving.about.com/od/Moving_Schedules/a/Ipad-Moving-Apps-For-Your-Next-Move.htm

Edited April 24, 2013 by hikergirl

[Ms Hogan 295]

I haven't given myself a chance to think about packing and moving as of yet! Good luck with everything

Are you renting a moving truck at all?

Yep. My husband is picking up a Penske truck in Buffalo and bringing it to Toronto for us to pack up over a weekend. They don't do one-ways from Canada to the U.S. and even though other companies do I prefer Penske.

[Ms Hogan 295]

I was surfing around on some sites to try and find an example spreadsheet to make sure I wasn’t missing anything and I found 2 suggestions so far that I liked:

1. On your spreadsheet for the last column include a link to a picture taken of the contents of the box. Could be a hint as to what type of “craft supplies” are in the box for you.

2. Pick up a roll of Red Tuck Tape (the stuff they use on Holmes on Homes for taping the vapour barrier) and use that to seal the boxes that have your essentials in it. A quick visual clue for you when you are unloading. Anything with the tuck tape gets set in a separate area so you know it needs unpacking sooner.

Starting to pack up our non-essentials today.

Found this article also but haven’t checked out the apps yet: http://moving.about.com/od/Moving_Schedules/a/Ipad-Moving-Apps-For-Your-Next-Move.htm

The good thing for me is that we will be back and forth and I'm currently moving out of my parents' house where we stayed since my ex left us. That makes the pressure a little less because if I miss something I can still get back in

[NikLR 13,227]

Just realized I can get rid of all of my dishes (not my mugs or glasses though.) WOOT. I think I'll have to plan the pack of the uhaul carefully with things that can be dropped off at the local salvation army at the back. I need boxes now. I should go through and pack up my books and get rid of things while I can. Probably have a load for the garbage peoples tomorrow.