Moving on

Best of luck! My only advice is use colored dot stickers to organize boxes. Much easier than trying to write on the boxes and then read it when you’re moving in to the new place.

I’m interested in moving from Ohio (Cinci) to Florida. House swap? I want to get away from the income taxes…I lost 10% of my income moving to OH from TX…really want to move back to one or the other, but the fam is all in FL

I have moved a number of times. It is helpful to have uniform sized boxes in several sizes so your piles in the uhaul don’t fall over (also rope to secure rows periodically). It may be worth hiring someone to pack the moving truck. Don’t forget to rent a pile of furniture pads with your uhaul.

Check craigslist or something for someone dumping moving boxes. A moving company around here saves used boxes and when I asked for a handful of dishpack ones they gave them to me although I had to dig through the rather large pile to find those. Buying the brown package tape is cheaper (usually) by the 6 pack of which you may need two of those.

I bought colored dots like suggested - put them on the sides and top of the box. That way no matter how they are being stacked to move around you can see what that is.

I bought mailing labels (mid sized ones) and hand wrote what was in each box on those and stuck them to the side of the box. Way easier than opening a bunch to see what was in them.

Make sure you have packing paper. If a box isn’t tightly filled then the box tends to collapse. If that box is near the bottom of the stack the stack is then unstable.

Make sure you have separately, and put in last, things you need first. Label those boxes differently so you can easily find them. At the new place put them all in one place so you know where they are and can find them to unpack first, so you have at least one plate and a pan, etc. so you can cook, a change or two of clothes (unless that suitcase will be in your car), etc. Don’t dot color them for the room they will eventually end up in as then they can get buried.

Pack plates and dishes on their side rather than stack them. Stacking them flat increases the odds they will get cracked when the box bounces in the truck. Put a wad of paper on the bottom of the dish pack and between each layer.

Mark boxes that are light and will crush easily (like lamp shades) as “top load” (term the movers use) so you (or whomever) puts them on top rather than on the bottom.

Get rid of things well prior to packing as eventually the odds are high and you will run out of time. I had boxes I had to label “junk by the chair in the living room” and hoped I remembered what had been stacked up there. I then threw out half the crap that was in that box once I unpacked.

Working by myself it took me (house not apt) about 3 weeks of 6+ hours a day, 7 days a week to pack everything up to move.

Good luck. Moving is a giant PITA.

Oh I almost forgot. And all the crap you may have bought from meh? Well if you then decide to put most of it in a garage sale rather than move it… well 'nough said (grin).

I had good experience using U-Pack a few years ago for an interstate move. They drop off a big empty trailer at your house. You have a few days to load it, then have to install a locked barrier. They then use the rest of the trailer for shipping on their roundabout way to your destination. You pay a base fee with more per foot of trailer that you use.

I hired separate loading and unloading crews. A three-man loading or unloading crew can work very efficiently, but it really depends on the quality of crew you get.

One thing I think is a good idea that rarely gets mentioned: A few days before your last packing/loading push, make sure you pack a bag with everything you’ll need for a week or so, as if you are going on vacation and start living out of it. That way, when you’re in your final push and packing up things that you had to save for last you don’t have to stop and think “am I going to need this during the move” for every little thing.

Geeks use apps. I was all set to make a flowchart, but instead of reinventing the wheel, I’m using https://moveadvisor.com, and new & recycled packing material, including honeycomb paper. And color coded labels. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DVC4ZBS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_172122P5VZQ5V603Y38S?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Liquor boxes are great for moves. Very strong, and they have dividers for glass ware, etc.

i wish you well…
but why? why are you moving back to ohio after decades away from there?

I work at a C-store (Casey’s) and every so often we get people asking us to save boxes for them. Usually medium sized (cheese, meat, etc) ones work best for moves. Some really sturdy types of boxes are the ones that our soft-serve ice cream mix, Gatorade, antifreeze, and windshield wash fluid come in.

So my suggestion is that you ask local businesses if they will save boxes for you and specify what size and if you are okay with them being broken down or not. (You definitely don’t want the sturdier types broken down as they are very difficult to break down without damaging the box.)

Although shopping at Walmart irritates me to no end, they some incredibly good prices on moving boxes in a variety of sizes. In store, they’re located in the office supply section. They also have a huge selection of boxes and moving kits online. Free two-day delivery saves you the trip and hassle.

My suggestion is to write what’s in the box bc you may have stuff boxed up a lot longer than than anticipated. Sometimes life happens and those boxes stay packed up. Also if your having somebody move your stuff make sure you know how many box’s total (maybe break them up into categories) I’ve lost stuff from unprofessional mover. Have no idea what they did with it but it never made it back to me.

Ohio has it going on. Wind farm, solar and all.
http://www.amppartners.org/generation/wind-power