MOVING TIPS

If you haven’t heard yet… I just moved from New Orleans to Mississippi! A new adventure begins.

I will still be visiting New Orleans for some of my favorite festivals (like Jazz Fest and French Quarter Fest). Of course, I will still be there for Naughty N’awlins, so stop in this August and say “Hi!”.

At some point, we all move, and I wanted to share some tips on moving with as little stress as possible.

Here are my top ten tips for moving:

1.     Start Early

As soon as you know you are going to move, start packing. I know people that wait until the last moment and then they are frantically packing the night before the moving truck comes, or worse yet after the truck arrives.

I started months early by packing at least three boxes per day. When moving day came, everything was already packed, and the movers could start packing the truck as soon as they arrived.

2.     Purge.

It’s amazing how much “stuff” we accumulate. Packing up is a great time to figure out what you really need and what you don’t need. I found things in boxes that I hadn’t used in years. If I wasn’t using something regularly, I decided it was time for it to go. I probably got rid of about one-third of the stuff in my house and it was all stuff I never used.

3.     Have a garage sale.

Just over a month before I moved, I had a garage sale and I made almost enough to pay for the moving truck. It was a fun day, and it gave my neighbors a chance to come over and say goodbye.

4.     Donate.

After you sell what you can, finish your purge and make sure you donate as much stuff as you can to places that give away and recycle clothes, appliances, furniture, and other things you decide you can part with. I tried on almost all of the clothes hanging up in my closet and I found plenty of clothes that didn’t fit me or was no longer my style.

I found two places to donate, one Dress for Success,  identify women who, with a hand up, not a handout, can gain employment and economic independence. I donated some other clothes to the Bridge House, which is a substance abuse treatment center in New Orleans.

You can also donate to Goodwill, the Salvation Army, thrift stores, and other places that accept clothes and household items.

5.     Save on Boxes.

Don’t fork over your hard-earned money for cardboard boxes. Instead, look for free moving boxes at your local recycling drop-off points. Chances are, you’ll be able to find plenty of cardboard boxes that have been tossed by neighbors. Other places to find free moving boxes include Craigslist, Nextdoor.com, Freecycle, book stores, liquor stores, offices, and U-Haul Box Exchange – just to name a few. For more advice on finding free moving boxes, check here. 

6.     Get friends involved. I scheduled a couple of days for friends to come over and help. It’s amazing how much can get done when 4 or 5 friends come over to help. I ordered some pizzas and we opened some wine and it was a great time. A few friends took home some nick-knacks that I was throwing out which made me happy to see stuff going to a good home, instead of the dumpster.

7.     Hire movers.

This was the first time I hired professional movers and it was worth every penny. We have movers that help us move all our stuff into the hotel for our events and I decided to hire them for my move. They were amazing!

 I spent around $750 but saved my back a million dollars. Just moving the boxes that I packed around the house made me realize that I am too old to start a career as a professional mover. I am glad I had these guys’ information (from using them for Naughty N’awlins) and they really were a lifesaver (and a back saver!).

 You can also find movers by going to Uhaul’s website, they have a way to find local movers. Two Men and a Truck has grown to a nationwide business, with listings in most major cities. Craigslist is another place where you can find moving labor.

8.     Use lots of bubble wrap.

I was able to get a lot of bubble wrap on sale and I didn’t end up with one broken plate or glass. Bubble wrap is worth its weight in gold. (good thing it didn’t weigh much).

9.     Label Everything.

It really helps to label all the boxes to make the move-in day run so much smoother. I didn’t have to tell the movers where to put most things, it was already labeled “master bedroom”, “kitchen”, “garage”, etc.… This allowed me to concentrate on supervising the furniture while allowing the boxes to find their way to the right place on their own.

10.  Hang photos and art.

I like to hang up my art and photos right away. It makes my new home seem like my home, right away. I use picture hanging kits with the easily removable nails made for drywall and I had most of our artwork up before the truck was unloaded.

It’s a lot easier hanging up artwork before the couches and tables are in place. Have a level handy to make sure they are all level (I hate crooked pictures!).

These are just a few tips that helped me have a stress-free move. If you are wondering where I moved to, I moved to beautiful Magnolia, Mississippi (just an hour and a half from New Orleans).

If you live within an hour of Magnolia, MS, send me cool places I should check out at Info@Naughty-Events.com. I look forward to exploring the area this summer.