Get Moving in all the Right Ways!
One of our clients just used Organized & Orderly to help pack him up and assist in the many details of his local move. Our team happily obliged with 2 and a half days of packing, scheduled for the beginning of the week with Move day being Friday. We had already done a supplies assessment, and purchased all packing supplies on our clients behalf which eliminates the last minute panic of not having enough boxes or paper, or running out of tape.
During our time at the home, we didn’t just pack boxes…..
- we separated out items for donations and took 3 car loads full to GoodWill (and arranged pickup by trailer for furniture donations),
- We set aside items needed for the remainder of the week (think, 2 plates, 2 coffee mugs, 1 pan, food and snacks, etc etc, and packed the remainder.
- We set aside all the cat items so that on move day, kitty could be moved in ahead of time with all her supplies, to try and limit stress on her.
- We set aside in a labelled box, all DirectTv boxes, remotes and cables that would need to be mailed back to the company (or they charge you for them!)
- We created a NO PACK ZONE for some items that were still being used, as well as some cleaning supplies and swiffer mop so that the home could be cleaned once it was empty – and trash bags for any last minute trash
- We purged through the kids clothes (with the home owners permission of course) getting rid of any sizes that were lower than kids were currently wearing ensuring that unpacking at the new house was a breeze for the kiddos
- We ensured that if we found something in a room that didn’t typically belong in there, that it got moved to its correct room and packed accordingly
- We spotted the fact that our client had asked us to pack up a particular drawer, but it had the check book in it, and boy was he relieved that we pulled it out! (True story, many years ago I was working along side a moving company who used their movers for packing services. Turns out, when the home owner said pack the kitchen, the packer didn’t think twice and packed the keys, the check book and the credit cards AND, to add insult to injury, didn’t label the contents, so over 100 boxes had to be opened and gone through in order that the movers got paid and the homeowners could drive to their new home!!!)
- We tagged large pieces of furniture with the rooms that they were going to in the new home, which saves so much time on the other end, minimizing the constant need for questioning where something is going
- We put together OPEN FIRST boxes that contained things like power cords, toilet paper, dish soap, paper towel, basic cleaning stuff, scissors, paper and pen, trash bags,
As the end of the week neared, I asked the client if he needed my services on Move Day. The conversation went like this…
Me: “Hey Dave, will anyone be there to help you on your move day?”
Dave: “I think I’ve got it. Should be OK. What do you normally do on move day? Aren’t you done by then?”
Me: (Laughing) “Lets talk about a couple of areas, and if you think you’ve got it, that’s totally fine and no pressure at all”
– “Some one will have to meet the moving crew and walk them through the entire house, pointing out anything that they are NOT taking, (ie. Fridge/washer/dryer is staying) and getting them going for the day – WE CAN DO THAT!
- Some one will have to fill all the wardrobe boxes that the moving company bring for use day of the move. WE CAN DO THAT!
- Someone will have to pack up the remainder of the kitchen, bathroom, office stuff that you have needed to be left unpacked to this point – WE DO THAT
- Some one will have to strip the beds off and pack the bedding – WE CAN DO THAT!
- The cat will need to be taken over ahead of time and put in one of the kids bathrooms (ie. where no one will need to go and inadvertently let the cat out in a new neighborhood) WE CAN DO
- Some one will have to box up all the DIRECTV boxes and remotes so that you don’t get charged if you have not returned them within 7 days. WE CAN DO THAT!
- You have 3 vehicles, and 2 of them will need to be taken over to the new house and dropped off so that the moving truck can park immediately in front of your house for loading. – WE CAN DO THAT!
- In order to make the unload easier, someone should label all the rooms (in line with the labeling on the boxes) so that the moving crew don’t need to keep asking you which room the box is going to. WE CAN DO THAT!
- Someone will need to be available at ALL times during the offload to identify which items are going where. WE CAN DO THAT!”.
So Dave agreed that maybe I should come in for 2 or 3 hours on the morning of the move, which ended up being nearly 9 hours instead. I heard Dave as he wondered, aloud, what on earth he was thinking when he imagined he could do it himself! In fact, he was able to meet with the contractors, interior designers, and give a tour to his new neighbors, all the while knowing that his move was being managed with the utmost efficiency.
Move day went like a dream… according to my applewatch, i did 18,000 steps from 8am-5pm. The last thing I did before I left was to make the beds. There is nothing worse than searching for your bedding when all you want to do is collapse in a heap after a long moving day!
