Moving Tip: Packing the Kitchen Part 3

Okay, your kitchen is packed, minus essentials, and your new kitchen is ready. Now what do you do with the food?

• Scale down your grocery shopping. If you usually stockpile groceries, stop. Save your grocery money until after you move and enjoy having less groceries to move and unpack!
• Use up perishables. Cook your frozen meals, eat your leftovers, and only buy enough fresh food to last until you move. Even if you're moving locally it can be a pain to transport refrigerated and frozen foods.
• Keep coolers ready. You'll most likely have some perishables to move so make sure you keep your coolers at you current house until you move the groceries.
• Turn on your new fridge. If possible, turn your new fridge on before you actually move. This way your perishables can go directly from coolers to fridge without changing temperature too much.
• Pack nonperishables in boxes. If your extra cereals, baking products, etc aren't essential to meals during moving week pack them up in boxes and move them with your furniture. This is particularly helpful if you've hired movers.
• Find a local food pantry. There are tons of organizations that can use nonperishables. If you're cleaning out your pantry, or moving long-distance, consider donating unopened containers. No need to waste the food!
• If you are unable to move your perishable food and have decent fresh food left, check with your friends and neighbors. Most likely someone will be happy to finish up your milk or head of lettuce. Save them some money and the food won't be wasted.

An added tip is to plan meals involving all nonperishables for a day or two before moving. This will give you a chance to unplug and defrost your old fridge and clean it out.

Stay tuned for Part 4!

Moving Tip: Packing the Kitchen Part 2

If you have the opportunity to get things ready in your new house before moving day spend some time planning out the kitchen. If you know where everything will go you'll have your kitchen functional on moving day!

• Clean drawers, cupboards and appliances. This will save you tons of time on moving day!
• Put drawer liners anywhere you plan to use them. (You could actually take down the measurements and do the cutting at your old house.)
• Assess your space. What kitchen storage do you have available? Think about a pantry, cupboards, drawers and shelves. Compare the amount of storage with your old kitchen. If you're moving into a kitchen with less storage space you may need to think creatively!
• Get out your post-its! You've already divided your kitchen into categories. Now decide where those categories will go. Start with general spaces, for example, food in the pantry, dishes in the large cupboard, paper products in the bottom drawer. Use post-its to mark what will go in each storage space.
• Keep out those post-its! Make sure that you've taken each category into account. You may want to look through your current kitchen to make sure you're remembering everything. Take into account non-kitchen items that you may choose to store in the kitchen, or kitchen items you may choose to store elsewhere. Add more specific post-its to each storage area.
• Decide if you need more space. If you don't have room for everything you're moving into the kitchen consider what you can use for additional storage. Consider hanging storage (pot rack, baskets,) shelving (wall-mounted or otherwise,) or furniture pieces (rolling carts, butcher blocks, plastic drawers.)

Think creatively! A small space can still yield great storage. If you need to create more space there's no need to blow your budget - yard sales, thrift shops, Ebay, dollar stores, any of these places can offer inexpensive options.

Stay tuned for Part 3!

Moving Tip: Packing the Kitchen Part 1

I was putting groceries away today and thought that I should do a post on kitchen organization. The more I thought about it the more I thought it would actually turn into several posts. Then I started thinking about the amount of stuff in my kitchen, something I've been amazed by each time I've moved. I decided that before talking about my kitchen organization I'll talk about dismantling kitchens during the moving process!

Here's "Packing the Kitchen Part 1," which applies to the packing process several weeks before moving.

• As you plan your move divide your kitchen items into categories: dishes/silverware, pots/pans/cooking utensils, small appliances, cookbooks, tupperware, infrequently used items, perishable food, nonperishable food, furniture and miscellaneous. (Are you reading that list and realizing how much is actually in your kitchen?) You could probably make many subcategories if you really wanted to.
• Think about what you use often. Remember that, not including the bathroom, the kitchen will probably be the last room you use in your old house and the first room you use in your new house. Packing efficiently isn't enough - you'll need your kitchen items to be accessible as soon as you move.
• Pack underused items first. Fondue pot? Waffle iron? Holiday dishes? Anything you use infrequently can be packed early in the moving process and won't need to be easily accessible once you start unpacking.
• Select a few items in each category that you know you'll use - you'll pack these last. For example, keep one plate for each family member, a few pieces of tupperware, a saucepan and a frying pan (or whatever works for your family.) This frees up the bulk of each category for packing.

Stay tuned for Part 2: preparing the new house, Part 3: dealing with the food and Part 4: moving day. Yikes! If moving the kitchen takes 4 posts imagine how many I'll need for kitchen organization!

Moving Tip: Emergency Box

A must-have while moving, even just local moves, is an emergency box. You can customize it to your own needs, but here are some items that I've found useful:

• Copies of important papers, such as insurance policies, birth certificates, social security cards, etc.
• Paperwork specific to moving, such as the title or lease to your new house, your landlord's phone number (if applicable,) contracts with any moving companies, codes to any alarms in your new house, etc.
• First aid kit, and not just a little one with bandaids. During the moving process there could easily be more serious injuries, so keep larger bandages, pain relievers, and anything else that could help in a pinch.
• Cash - even if you just keep a $20 bill in an envelope, cash could come in handy. Granted you probably won't lose your wallet during the move, but keeping some cash in the emergency box is a good idea just in case.
• Flashlight, just in case you can't get the power turned on!

There are many other things that might be appropriate to your own emergency box. The important thing is that you plan ahead and gather any materials that would help your family during a worst-case-scenario move. Stay tuned for "Surviving the First Few Days!"

Moving Tip: Curtains

What's the last thing you pack from your old house and the first thing you want to unpack at your new house? Unless you live out of sight of your neighbors, probably the curtains. I have three handy solutions that I have used many times:

• Pressure Rods - These are curtain rods that are spring-loaded and attach to the inside of a window frame using pressure. There's no screwing rods into the wall - all you need is a screwdriver to quickly select the rod length. These save a lot of time and are quick to both put up and take down.
• Sheets - The tried-and-true method of using sheets as curtains is incredibly useful during a move. Simply double a sheet over a curtain rod for privacy and you're good to go until you have time to put the curtains up.
• Display Boards - My own invention out of necessity, this works well if you have wide window ledges. Take a cardboard science display board (such as this one made by Elmer's) and set it in your window, facing you. This creates fast and easy temporary privacy, although your new neighbors may wonder why your windows all say "Elmer's!"

Moving Tip: Cats

Moving with cats, either locally or cross-country, can be a hassle. They're not used to cars, don't like being forced into carriers, and often have trouble adapting to new environments. Here a few tips I've picked up after several local moves and several cross-country moves.

• Cat Carriers - If possible, pick a cat carrier that allows your cat to comfortably turn around. If you have multiple cats it can be comforting to them to travel in the same carrier. A good place to start looking for carriers is any place that sells items meant for show cats. There are many sizes and styles to choose from and comfort for the cat seems to be more of a factor than it is with traditional plastic carriers.
• Food and Litterboxes on the Road - The first time I moved with a cat I was much too worried about these issues. The truth is, most cats are too scared by the move to eat or use the litterbox. When traveling cross-country I suggest placing a small, rectangular tupperware with litter in it in the carrier. The cats probably won't use it, but at least they have the option. Don't worry about leaving food in the carrier - just offer it to them when you stop for breaks.
  
• Water on the Road - Do keep a container of water in the carrier. Cats are more likely to keep themselves hydrated than full. A method that works for me is to use adhesive velcro on the bottom of a plastic water bowl. I put a piece of velcro on the floor of the cat carrier as well. I can fill the bowl with water and velcro it in so very little water spills. When the bowl needs to be refilled you can just unvelcro the bowl and refill it.
• Hotels - Many hotels allow cats to stay for a small fee. This isn't too much of a problem - just bring in your carrier with the bowl of water and litterbox inside. Provide a bowl of food and your cats should be okay. You may want to look the hotel room over before taking the cats out of the car. Many hotel beds are easy for cats to hide under and hard for people to move to get the cats out. Block any easy access points with luggage or pillows and you'll have an easier time finding the cats in the morning!
• Familiarizing the Cats with the New House - The most important thing to show your cat in your new house is the litterbox. Many cats become disoriented, resulting in unpleasant messes for you! If possible, set up the litterbox before bringing the cats into the house. Let the cats sniff around on their own, but make sure they find the litterbox. If they don't notice it, take them on a little tour! (Helpful hint - use the same litter they've had in the past. New litter can also throw them off, resulting in more unpleasant messes!) After you know the litterbox has been introduced, show them the food and water bowls. This part of familiarization should be easy. If you already have your old furniture in the house your cats should find their favorite chairs or shelves and settle in comfortably. If you're still moving the furniture in the adjustment period might take a little longer.
• Identification - Always put collars and ID tags on cats when moving with them, even if they are indoor cats and normally don't wear collars. A disoriented cat might run out of the house and you'll want your new neighbors to know where he or she lives!

Most of these cat tips work with other pets as well. The bottom line is, moving is stressful enough without any pets. Planning ahead makes a huge difference.

Moving Tip: Preparing for a Move

Anyone who knows me well (or knows me at all!) realizes that I'm a little obsessed in the organization department. One of the ways this has come in handy has been in moving. Here are a few tips that have helped me:

• Post-Its - A few sticky notes go a long way. Use them to temporarily label all cabinets, drawers, shelves and other storage places in a new house. This makes unpacking go very quickly and can help the first few days in a new house when you don't quite remember where you put everything. I think this works especially well in the kitchen.
• Measuring Tape - Nothing is more frustrating than finding out the shelf you knew would fit between those two windows is actually half an inch too wide. Measure all the walls in your new home the first chance you have. As you pack your furniture you can quickly measure questionable pieces and consult your notes on the wall measurements. This will save you so much time when moving in!
• Save Your Mail - During the few weeks before you move save all of your mail, including catalogs. Keep them together in a folder or envelope. Take time one day to contact all of the places you've received mail from - this way you'll be less likely to forget to change your address with all the necessary contacts.

You'll find my moving tips sorted under both "Moving" and "Organization." Hope they help you out!