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10 Tips To Help You Enjoy Moving

ChristopherHeader

So you are moving. Congratulations on; buying a new house, getting a new job, having a baby,finally moving out from your parents basement, finding a place that is cheaper/bigger/nicer/less drug lord infested! I am so excited for you. Well I am mostly excited for you. I am also somewhat sorry for you. Because now you have to move.

Lets face it moving sucks.  There is the packing, the lifting, the carrying, the cleaning, and the unpacking. All I can say is “bleck”!

I lived in my childhood home from age 6 to 20 so for years I was sheltered from the dread of moving. But that has ended. In the last ten years I have moved 8 times. I also have helped members of my family move an additional 8 times. Each of these moves reinforced what I knew all too well, I HATE MOVING.

In that light here are

10 tips to help you enjoy your moving experience

1. Don’t Actually Move!– Oh sure you, your partner, your dog, your cat and the new twins don’t fit very well in your university studio apartment. But think of all the good times you have had there, and all of the money you will save compared to that four bedroom bungalow.

2. Try To Convince 5-10 Burly Men They Are Auditioning For A New Reality Show– You have heard of Canada’s Top Model? Well here comes the newest reality show tom sweep the nation, Canada’s Top Mover. Contestants compete to see which of them has the best packing, lugging, cleaning, and unpacking skills in Canada! What is the prize you may ask? Pride of course.

Photo acquired using Creative Commons License from RBerteig's Flickr

Photo acquired using Creative Commons License from RBerteig’s Flickr

3. Don’t Label Your Boxes– Half of the fun of Christmas and birthdays is being surprised by the boxes you open. Why not transfer some of that holiday joy to your move?

4. Leave  Gifts Behind- Actually the biggest joy at Christmas is to give isn’t it? Why not send some abundant joy toward the person who is moving in. I am sure they will love your sectional sofa from 1971 that is just too heavy and too awkward to get out the front door.

5. Start Fresh- You are moving to a new home – do you really want to fill it with old things? Haven’t you gotten tired of your bedroom set, kitchen set, living room future, grandmas antique clock, and your wedding pictures? I say embrace change stop being so shackled to the past!

6. Use Non Standard Moving Vehicles- Anyone can move with a 26ft U-Hall truck but it takes skill to move an entire family using nothing but a skateboard, hatchback and pack mule.

7. Don’t Order The Pizza– Everyone knows the reason your friends and family have taken a day out of their lives to help you move is to get free pizza. It is also true that their rate of productively drops to zero once that pizza arrives. Don’t give in to those pizza leaches. If they start to question why the pizza hasn’t arrived call a restaurant at random and say; “I am so angry at your poor service I demand you cancel my order immediately”. I bet you can pull this off 4+ times before anyone catches on. 

8. Pretend To Be Thor – You are going to break dishes when you move. You might as well have fun doing it. Smash glasses like Thor!

9. Pack Decoy Boxes- Pick up twice as many boxes as you need and leave half of them empty. Take those empty boxes and tape them up just like your real boxes. Then label the decoys with heavy sounding contents like books, bricks, or anvils. Tell your helpers while they get all the furniture into the moving truck you will pack all the boxes into the van/car.

Photo acquired using Creative Commons License from Robert S. Donovan's Flickr

Photo acquired using Creative Commons License from Robert S. Donovan’s Flickr

10. Pretend To Be A Fledgling Moving Company Looking to Hire- For a few weeks leading up to your move, post on job websites that you are starting ABC Moving and are looking for employees.  Collect resumes, hold over the phone interviews, whittle your selection down to a top 20. Then let the those remaining know the final part of the interview will require them to move a ‘mock family’ for an hour. After their hour is up tell them you will contact them within two weeks if you have a place for them in your company.

Normally moving is no fun. But I hope this list has shown you that with a little creativity you can have a lot of fun on moving day. Happy moving!

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  2. #4 – we did that, hah! We figure they wouldn’t mind a black leather sofa. So, the toddler had puked on it before, but, leather.

    #10 is absolute genius.
    Alison recently posted..DoMy Profile

  3. SOOOO funny Christopher! Nice approach to moving! Years back, when we were moving and I was still married, I labelled all of the boxes that were to go into my husband’s office “porn”. It totally backfired on me the day of the move as my father in-law arrived to help move the boxes!!! I was mortified! LOL

  5. There were pretty funny! When we moved there weresome boxes we forgot to label and it was like a present. Some things we left behind because we just had no need and did not fit int the truck.I would love to know if anyone has tried number 10.
    Alma recently posted..Return of the KingMy Profile

  8. This is so funny! I am grateful that you helped me move…. even though I fed you pizza (Sometimes it is good to bring the productivity level down to zero. A break can rejuvenate! :)

    Thanks for adding the funny to this series! So great to have you back on my blog.
    Laura O’Rourke recently posted..10 Tips To Help You Enjoy MovingMy Profile

  9. Pretend to be Thor is my favorite. Now that’s something I could totally get behind. I could get my kids in on that action too….they’d think I was the coolest :)