My first move I packed my dishes in laundry baskets.
Not wrapped. Not padded. Just stacked them in there like I was carrying them from the dishwasher to the cabinet. Loaded them right into the truck. Drove forty-five minutes. Unloaded them and half were cracked.
I stood there in my new kitchen holding a broken plate and realized I had no idea what I was doing.
That was ten years ago. Now I work at a storage place and I watch people make the same mistakes every single day. Not little mistakes. Big ones that cost them time and money and sleep.
So I am just going to list them out. Not in any fancy order. Just the stuff I see over and over.
You Think You Have More Time
I had a guy come in last week at 4:30 PM on a Friday. We close at 5. He needed a unit because his landlord changed the locks at noon and he had all his stuff in a uhaul parked on the street and he was about to get a ticket.
He had thirty days notice. He just kept putting it off.
I see this constantly. You think you have plenty of time and then suddenly it is the night before and you are throwing things into garbage bags at midnight.
Start early. Like a week early. Pack one box a day. It does not have to be a whole room. Just pack the books. Pack the winter coats. Pack the stuff you know you are not using this week.
That way when moving day comes you are not crying into a pile of Tupperware lids at 2 AM.
Big Boxes Are A Trap
People buy boxes that are too big. I know the big ones seem efficient. More space. Fewer boxes. Makes sense.
Except then you fill them with books and suddenly that box weighs eighty pounds. You cannot lift it. Your friend cannot lift it. Two people can barely drag it across the floor.
Then you get to the new place and it is on the third floor and you are standing at the bottom of the stairs staring at this box like it personally offended you.
Get medium boxes. Get small boxes for heavy stuff. Your back will thank me.
Nobody Takes Stuff Apart And Everybody Regrets It
I watched a guy try to move a full size bed frame fully assembled. Headboard. Footboard. Rails. All connected.
He got it out of his apartment somehow. I do not know how. I think he tilted it and prayed. Then he got to the truck and realized it does not fit. He spent twenty minutes trying different angles. Nothing worked.
Finally his friend asked if the bed comes apart. He said yeah but it will take too long. His friend looked at him. He took it apart. Took seven minutes.
Take the legs off the tables. Take the backing off dressers. Disassemble the bed frame. It takes a few minutes and saves hours.
Stairs Will Ruin Your Day
You look at the unit number and think great, first floor, easy. Then you get there and realize first floor means you walk up three concrete steps from the parking lot. Just three. But you have a couch. And a washer and dryer. And twelve boxes of books.
Those three steps become a mountain.
If you have heavy stuff and stairs, even just a few, hire help. One hour of movers is worth it. They have straps and dollies and backs that are not already sore from moving everything else.
Your Essentials Bag Will Disappear
People pack a bag with essentials and then lose it. Everyone does this. You pack a separate bag. Change of clothes, toothbrush, phone charger, coffee stuff. You set it aside specifically so you can find it.
Then loading happens and someone throws it in the truck and it slides under the mattress and you do not see it again until 11 PM when you are digging through boxes in the dark.
Put it in your own car. Not the truck. Your car. Drive it yourself. Keep it with you.
Sometimes You Just Need More Space
People do not know what to do with the stuff they are not ready to get rid of. This is the one I see most often actually.
You have things that matter to you but you do not have space for them right now. Holiday decorations. Camping gear. The nice dishes your aunt gave you that do not fit in your new tiny kitchen. Your winter tires. Your fishing rods. Your wedding dress.
You do not want to throw them away. You are not ready to say goodbye. But your new apartment has one closet and it is already full of coats.
This is literally why I have a job.
We rent storage units. Month to month. Climate-controlled. Clean. Safe. You bring your stuff here, we keep it for you, you come get it whenever you need it. Next month, next year, whenever.
I have a guy who stores his motorcycle here over the winter. Comes in April, takes it out, brings it back in November. I have a lady who stores her Christmas village. Forty-three little houses. She sets them up every year and brings them back in January.
You do not have to get rid of your stuff just because your apartment is small. You also do not have to live with boxes stacked in your living room. There is another option.
Nobody Gets It Right The First Time
You have never done this before. Or maybe you have but it was five years ago and you blocked it out. Either way, you are learning.
You are going to forget things. You are going to break something. You are going to pack a box of important stuff and lose it for three days. You are going to measure wrong and have to sell your couch on Facebook.
That is okay. Everyone does it. I did it. My customers do it. My friends do it.
The people who look like they have it together are just better at hiding the stuff they broke and the boxes they cannot find.
Stop By If You Need Us
Anyway, if you need a place to put your stuff while you figure out where it goes, stop by. We are on Main Street, blue door, you cannot miss it. Ask for Dave. He is the guy with the beard who always has coffee. He will get you set up.
And do not pack your dishes in laundry baskets. I am serious. You will regret it.
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