In another two weeks, b'ezras Hashem, we will be
moving. Here are some tips to help others in the same boat
(or in the same van, as the case may be).
COLLECTING BOXES
When you're in the moving mode, you get a little obsessed
with collecting boxes. Walking down the street, you'll find
your eyes darting from side to side in search of those
precious commodities. You'll shed your pride as you zero in
on garbage receptacles or find yourself haunting the
supermarket parking lot to rescue boxes before they get
tossed into the carton crusher. Make sure the boxes you get
from the supermarket or health food store don't have the
smell of food (ex.: fresh fruit and vegetable crates) which
attracts bugs and mold.
Book stores are good sources as well as pharmacies. Don't
overlook those in your building (or in the next building) who
sell diapers, toys, clothing (we're trying to get away from
anything that held food). Try to gather as many boxes as
possible before the rainy season starts. They can then
be collapsed and stored under beds and behind closets.
Don't try to save money when it comes to PACKING SUPPLIES.
It's just not worth it. Splurge on four or more black, good,
thick markers, large white stickers/labels (optional but they
make identification much easier) and six to twelve rolls of
packing tape. This way, if a marker gets misplaced, which it
surely will, or a roll of tape gets finished, which it does,
just reach for another one without any of the aggravation.
Keep them in ready places around the house. This also helps
when others (spouse, children, friends...) are helping to
pack; they won't need to wait for you to finish taping your
box before they can tape theirs. If you have any left over,
don't worry -- tape and markers always come in handy, even
when packing away Pesach dishes.
It's very important to LABEL THE ROOM you want each box to go
into. I neatly wrote in Hebrew the room and scrawled in
English what was inside the box. Hopefully, the movers'
Hebrew is a lot better than their English! Another good idea -
- put your labels on several sides of the carton so they can
be read from wherever. Another idea is to color-code the
different rooms with colored stickers (for those moving men
who refuse to read, or foreign workers who can't read Hebrew
or English!) or large colored circles on a box with a
corrresponding colored circle/sticker on the door of the room
you want the box in.
Some people number their boxes and write in a notebook the
contents of each box.
If there is anything fragile inside a box, I try to pack it
well, as well as writing the word along with a picture of a
fragmented glass. The stuff I really worried about (musical
keyboard, model of the Beis Hamikdash etc.) I carried by
hand. [You can have children prepare signs in advance, as
well as cut out suitable pictures to stick on boxes: kitchens
etc., as a keep-busy and out-from-underfoot activity.]
A friend brought over a roll of good quality garbage bags for
throwing in last minute things as a moving present.
Thanks!
Another piece of advice that I feel very strongly about is to
use the opportunity of moving to get rid of things. I
regretted it when I got lazy and packed things away without
any weeding through. The guilt got so overwhelming this time
that I paid my most ruthless teenager to open the boxes I had
already packed, go through them, and send over to the Gemach
things we never use, no longer use, or won't ever use! One
neighbor told me that when she moved, she went into her
storage room and took over to the Gemach bags and boxes of
clothes -- without even looking inside! Now that takes
guts!
Regarding WHICH DAY TO MOVE, most people find that Thursday
and Friday are too close to Shabbos, and Sunday isn't great
either because it means you're staying up very late
motzaei Shabbos cleaning up and packing last minute
things.
You can find out on which day your present building and
future building clean the hall and stairway. Try NOT to move
on that day so as not to annoy the other tenants with a mess
davka on the day they just cleaned up. And for sure,
you will want to avoid water on the stairs!
Try to get a GOOD RECOMMENDATION FOR MOVERS.
"Our furniture was second hand and looked like garbage to
him, so he treated it like garbage. Some things got
broken..." a friend reported.
"We had Arab movers. One asked, `Are you gonna tip us?' I
said, `Yeah, sure.' He called to the other workers, `They're
gonna give us a baksheesh. Don't break their stuff!'"
What chutzpa... But it was effective, nonetheless.
Check around to make sure the movers took everything into the
truck, and when you arrive, make sure everything's taken out
as well. Check under those front seats! If you're moving
within the same city, it's not so bad if they forgot to take
the boxes under the stairs and you have to hire a car service
to take it over to your new place.
When we moved from one city to another, a big box of things
was left behind. We had to repack it into bags and shlep it
on the bus(es) for hours. Live and learn.
Here's some advice for friends of the family who are about
to move:
1) Invite them out the Shabbos before the move. Thanks to the
S. family, we didn't have to cook for that Shabbos, which
meant we could already pack away our Shabbos things as well
as not having stacks of pots to clean after Shabbos. We
relaxed and had a wonderful time at their home without being
surrounded by boxes and boxes and boxes...
2) Babysitting for the little ones on the day of the move,
perhaps with supper and baths, so that they're not underfoot
is a real chessed.
3) Sending over food in disposble containers after the move
is a tremendous help. The family is so busy unpacking,
settling in and trying to figure out where the knobs for the
oven are (maybe they fell off during the move? Or did the
movers put them inside of something...) that whatever time
you save them from shopping and cooking will be put to good
use. It's also a great way of saying, `Welcome to the
neighborhood.'
4) If you're not up to cooking, a `WELCOME' sign on the door
can lift the new family's spirits and make them feel wanted.
[Perhaps add your phone number for questions.]
PART TWO was going to be about settling in, but who knows how
long it will take until we unpack and find a pen/the keyboard
and the time with which to write. Any readers want to take a
turn with Part Two?
I'm off to daven for good neighbors and that the move
should go smoothly.
[May each move anyone ever makes be for the good, the better,
the best!]
