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Theresa
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| Posted: Feb 20 2008 at 12:01pm | IP Logged
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I am up to my ears with piles of stuff to pack for our move. My house feels so chaotic now and for someone who is normally a very neat person, having all this stuff out makes me feel icky.  I know it is only temporary though and it wont be like this forever.
I am trying to sort, purge and pack in a way that will allow me to have an organized move but not much else is getting done around here, including school.
My mom got me some really nice boxes from where she works and I am using them for items that we will be storing in the basement. I'm trying to set up an organizing system for them that I read about in a book. Each box is plain and will be labled with a number. Then I will keep either a little notebook or file box with the information about what is stored in each box. For example box number 1 has our wedding stuff in it. Boxes 2 and 3 have Easter items and box number 4 has Valentines decorations and extra valentines and stickers that didn't get used this year.
Hopefully with this new system things will be easier to find down in the new storage room. I can just tell Scott to grab a certain box rather than going through a bunch of different ones. Another plus is that with all of the boxes the same size it will make for easier stacking and viewing.
Anyone else have any good organizing or packing ideas for me?
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Theresa
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JennGM
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| Posted: Feb 20 2008 at 12:12pm | IP Logged
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Well, I did the same thing when I moved -- purging and organizing. We did our own move, so I color coded the boxes for which room they were to go, so the movers/helpers knew. I had a print out list of the room names and color code, and then a sign on each door with the color code. I also had the name of the room, what number box. I had 2 index cards per box that had a list of items inside the box. One was taped on the box and the other in a file for reference.
I doubled my cards and used the room or subject name on the box because I remember my mom's experience. She used Sidetracked Home Executives suggestions and marked all her boxes with initials and numbers, such as Christmas CR-1, CR-2 with the information on the index cards. But movers had a tough time keeping straight or figuring out the "code" and the boxes were all scattered. And when someone needed a box and didn't have access to the card file, it made it quite difficult to find the box without opening many to find the item.
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to  & ds1  '03 & ds2  '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: Feb 20 2008 at 12:16pm | IP Logged
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Oooooh! I am definitely keeping these tips in mind for when we move this summer!
We have moved many, many times and it has always been utter chaos both before and after.I am hoping to do a better job this time.
Great ideas, ladies!
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Feb 20 2008 at 12:27pm | IP Logged
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It helps things feel less chaotic if you can clear out one room and be able to put all the packed boxes into that room.. with the suggestions above you don't need to worry about keeping like boxes together.
That let's you have some spaces without things piled up..
also I find it helps me to do all the stuff that is hidden normally first.. clear out the closet and pack it all up.. put the boxes back into the closet.. it just helps keep our living space semi-normal as long as possible.
I'm rather envying you this opportunity though  I've moved so much all my life that I'm really struggling with having been in the same place now for almost 7 yrs and how do you organize and clear out stuff if you're not packing it all up to move???? 
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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missionfamily
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| Posted: Feb 20 2008 at 12:54pm | IP Logged
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If you keep your index cards in one place, then copy them and tape them to the actual box, you can find the list in two places, and even send kids to find things! I've always packed like this and it is wonderful wen you arrive in your new location.
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Colleen
dh Greg
mom to Quinn,Gabriel, Brendan,Evan, Kolbe, and sweet St. Bryce
Footprints on the Fridge
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Waverley
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| Posted: Feb 20 2008 at 1:09pm | IP Logged
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On of the best organizing things I ever did was to store hand-me-down shoes (swimsuits, coats, etc) by type instead of size. For example, I have a box of "White Dress Shoes." When we're getting ready for Easter, I just pull out the whte dress shoe box and we go shopping. Before when I stored all the shoes by size, I was getting out 5 or 6 boxes and looking for the white dress shoes in each one.
You can make the categories as broad or as narrow as you want. Some examples would include: summer sandals, winter dress shoes, boots, girls swimsuits, boys swimsuits, tennis shoes, raincoats, heavy winter coats, light wieght coats, etc.
It has made my life a lot easier.
Good luck to you!!
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Theresa
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| Posted: Feb 20 2008 at 2:28pm | IP Logged
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Jenn & Colleen, good idea to also label the boxes with an area or subject or to make a copy of the contents and affix it to the box.
Waverly I love your idea of grouping like items together rather than sizes. I have a friend with 7 kids and I think this will be an excellent idea for her.
We only have about 4 bins of clothes that are currently in storage for hand me downs so it's not so bad for us in that area. Since my last 3 are boys not much other than dress clothes, shoes and jammies make it to the next child. They wear through their clothes so fast.
Jodie, I just told my husband I need a room or one wall to start stacking stuff. Currently I have boxes in the dining room, family room, small hall and my bedroom, but I bet I could get them all in one area and it would help cut the stress.
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Theresa
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JodieLyn
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In the grouping like items instead of sizes.. it really depends.. I find a mix of the two to work best for me.. so all the snow boots are together as are all the swim suits and socks and long undies.. but most of the rest of the clothes and shoes are sorted by size.. because we do a full wardrobe (season and/or size) shift more often than we get just one like item out for all the kids. And having all like items in each box is just way way overwhelming because you ahve to do all the kids at one time. with like sizes together you can work at just one child at a time.. no more than 2 boxes out (size for current clothes being put away and size you're getting out)
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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mavmama
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| Posted: Feb 20 2008 at 9:35pm | IP Logged
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One small thing I did was to have 3 boxes I left open in a convenient spot (for me, the dining room). One each for: things to give away; things to take in the car (we moved cross country); and things to leave with the house (leftover wallpaper, appliance manuals, etc.). The night before the packers came, I put everything that wasn't to be packed in the bathtubs. They knew exactly what not to pack and I didn't have to worry about something being where I couldn't get to it. Just my 2 cents, Theresa, I know you aren't moving across country
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Liz
Blessed by 4 wonders
dd11, dd911, ds9, ds8
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: Packing
