Capybara #148: Deep In The Hundred Acre Woods...

hi! i really appreciate the advice you share; both what you communicate and the way you communicate is super helpful. i was wondering if you had any tips on packing to move/general moving tips? my husband and i are currently in the process of moving between states and it's the first time we're doing a major move like this - and i'm sure we'll get ourselves where we need to go, but as with everything in life i'm sure there's skills and crafty ways of doing things that we just don't know due to inexperience. we're leaving alaska with cats & don't want to subject them to air travel, so we're going to be going through canada in a car with everything we need for in the short term & shipping the rest.

& i know you get loads of asks, so if this one is one you haven't the time or interest to answer, here's wishing you & yours the absolute best!

OKAY I don't know a bunch about a long move like that, but here are the things I learned in my recent state-to-state (2020, 2021) and around-the-corner (2022) moves.

Make sure that the utilities are turned on by the time you get to your end location. You don't want to move a bunch of boxes and then find out that you can't turn on the shower or that if you do it isn't hot.

Know whether or not there will be lights when you get to the new location. If you aren't sure, pack a couple small lamps that will go with you.

If you're packing a pod, try to group stuff by what room it's going into. Kitchen stuff with kitchen stuff, etc, and pack it (mostly) in reverse order of distance. So if you have to walk further from the pod to your bedroom than from the pod to the kitchen, put the stuff that goes to the bedroom closest to the front so that you aren't exhausted by the time you have to haul stuff the furthest.

This should seem obvious but sometimes it isn't: write what room things *came from* as well as what rooms things *go in* on the boxes. So if it came from your hall closet junk drawer but you're planning on putting it in your new office, write both of those on the box so that you will be better able to visualize what's in the box based on where it came from. Also, write things big, and on multiple sides.

Use your towels to pack your dishes. I used a big rubbermaid tote to pack all my dishes and most of my towels and it was heavy as fuck but when I got it to the house it was so nice to have all my clean dishes and towels together because it wasn't like the towels were going to make the dishes dirty or vice versa. And it saves you money on bubble wrap or packing paper.

One of the things you should pack closest to the entrance to the pod is a trash can full of cleaning supplies. You may think "I don't want to pack this half-used bottle of dish soap or two rolls of toilet paper that are left in the bag, I'll get new stuff when I get there." That is the devil talking. Fill up your trash can with bin liners, paper towels, dish soap, toilet paper, scrubber brushes, spray cleaner, and put a broom and dustpan nearby and have that be the first thing you unload. Moving is dusty and grimy and sweaty and you will want to be able to wash your hands and wipe down surfaces. Unpacking boxes generates so much trash. Also all of that shit is way more expensive than you think it is when you have to buy it all at once and as it turns out a half-empty bottle of dish soap and a quarter-full spray bottle full of 409 are lighter than full ones. This trash can should also have: Boxcutters, Packing Tape, Sharpies, and scissors in it. Also pack your tool box and a step ladder close to this. And you may want to have some lightbulbs in the trash can.

If you are moving books, you want several small boxes instead of fewer large boxes.

Are you up to date on your tetanus shots? If not, get them taken care of now, before the move, because unpacking boxes with a sore arm sucks and you are probably going to get scraped to hell and back by items of questionable provenance as you're loading and unloading.

Pack a "first night" box - depending on whether you or the pod will get to the location first, pack it with you or the pod. This should be stuff like cups (DRINK WATER. HYDRATE. YOU ARE GOING TO BE THIRSTY), snacks (chips and crackers and maybe candy or beef jerky. POP TARTS. Shelf-stable food, that will replenish your sodium and give you calories to keep your blood sugar up until you figure out meals, basically - you're going to be hungry and you are going to need something to eat onhand because you're moving to an unfamiliar area and you should have a snack while you figure out where the local grocery store/pizza place is), clean underwear and pajamas. You want to pack a big box full of all the things you're going to use to be nice to yourself at the end of the first day of unpacking. You may want to put some chemical ice packs, blister cushions, a first aid kit, painkillers, and booze in there too.

BEFORE YOU GO make a list of the new local places you'll want to know about. Search the area ahead of time and write down the addresses and phone numbers of local pizza places, hardware stores, grocery stores, pharmacies, etc. Moving to a new place is disorienting and it's better to know the location of the nearest grocery store before you go than it is to try to find one once you're there, and it's MUCH better to just be able to call the take-out place whose number you've already written down and whose menu you've checked out than it is to go "....okay does this town have a Thai restaurant?" once you're there. Actually, here's a list. Write down the address and phone numbers of the following: - Nearby Pharmacy - Nearby Hardware Store - Nearby Restaurants you want to try (and menu items you want to try from those restaurants!) - Nearby Urgentcare - Nearby Hospital - Nearby Grocery Store - Nearby Discount Store - Nearby Veterinarian - Phone numbers of any service or utility providers you're going to be using - Local branch of your bank

If you have never lived in this place before, it is going to be confusing and disorienting for a while. You're not going to know local landmarks, everything is going to seem *really* far away the first time you go there. Once you get to town, when you find you have downtime, go to the places on your list. Drive by the bank on the way to the grocery store. Get lunch out at a new restaurant on the way to the hardware store. Figure out where there's a local park and go there once a day. Go to the same places three or four times until you start learning where they are in relation to your new home, this will help to orient you to the area and make everything less exhausting.

Your cats are probably going to be confused and mad at you. Make sure that you and everyone else unpacking has a plan to keep the cats contained while doors are opened; the cats will be happier about not being subjected to the chaos of furniture moving and vacuum cleaners and you will be happier if you're not worried about your cats trying to make a run back to Alaska. Put your cats in a smallish room that you won't need to use constantly (a bathroom or closet is probably a good idea) and don't let them out unless you're sure the doors to the house are closed and there's no chance of an escape.

Prepare for the weather where you're moving. You may need to hydrate more, or to buy cooler clothes, or to make sure your cats have more access to water or a cooler hangout place (or a warmer hangout place!). What's the average temperature in your new home in the month you're moving. How do you currently dress and act when you're in temperatures like that? Prepare accordingly.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head that I figured out that isn't in every single standard moving guide. Trashcan full of cleaning supplies, know where the local food is, pack snacks to have in the house, pad your dishes with your towels, contain your critters, get a tetanus shot, and books go in small boxes.

Good luck!

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