Mechanics of moving... Advice?

zissou'smom

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So, it's about time for packing and whatnot. I've never moved very far, only a couple hours, so this is new to me.

We are looking at moving vans to rent (the diy kind) and it seems the best deal is a 14-ft for a little less than 600, with unlimited miles. Is that the best option? It has to be one way, since we're going 500 miles away. I looked into Pods but they won't even mess with our new zip code, presumably because there is absolutely no way to park...


What to do with Zissou? Obviously she'll be up front with us in her carrier, but how often are we going to have to stop? We're considering breaking up the move over two days, so finishing packing the trailer and leaving one day, getting as close as possible and then starting moving in on the second day (September 1st). We might be able to stay in Harrisburg, but with someone with a serious cat allergy, so I don't know if I would want to leave her locked up in a bathroom or something.

Any advice? What is it easier just to buy over again?
 

psjauntie

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When I moved from MN to TX I pretty much took everything with me, but it was only me and didn't have alot. When I moved from TX to FL we sold alot of bigger furniture. Couches, coffee tables, end tables, got more at garage/yard sales. Use linens to help with packing, then you kill two birds with one stone. Good luck with your move. If I think of anything else that can help, I will post again.
 
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zissou'smom

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Originally Posted by psjauntie

When I moved from MN to TX I pretty much took everything with me, but it was only me and didn't have alot. When I moved from TX to FL we sold alot of bigger furniture. Couches, coffee tables, end tables, got more at garage/yard sales. Use linens to help with packing, then you kill two birds with one stone. Good luck with your move. If I think of anything else that can help, I will post again.
Yea, luckily I only have two rooms to pack up
No big furniture, I have a twin mattress with no headboard and a futon that comes apart. Both our desks are about as small as something you could call a desk. No dining table, though next we will actually have a dining room
so we will need one.

We are cramped in here like trolls. I can't wait for our next apartment, it is more than twice the size.
 

buzbyjlc10

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Because of school, I moved 4 hours between there and home and several times between dorms/apartments and I have A LOT of crap! haha (you wouldn't believe what I fit in a single dorm room and then into a studio apartment!)

I was able to do it over several car trips thankfully (and almost all my furniture went to my cousins, so my uncle used his work van for that), but the one thing I will do differently when I move again is to get wardrobe boxes - I have a great amount of clothes and most of them are on hangers - I spent soooo much time taking things on and off hangers and in and out of boxes/bags (not to mention folding) that it so wasn't worth it that way.

When Oliver traveled the 4 hours between places (and the 8 hours to the shore) I had a litter box on the floor for him and boy did he use it! He hates being shut in his carrier in the car, so he goes into leash and harness, leash gets attached to crate and crate gets attached to seat - gives him some freedom without getting in my way and he can "do his thing" in the box if needed... for the 8 hours to the shore, I did get a mild sedative from my vet that worked very well (and of course entertained my dad and I since Ollie looked drunk/high out of his mind until it wore off
)
 

littleraven7726

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We've moved all over with the cats. Wisconsin to California and back. Wisconsin to Iowa and back again. The first 2 long distance moves we took everything. I don't do that anymore. I toss and donate lots of "junk" when we move (knick-knacks and clutter I don't want to take). I've streamlined what we pack from the kitchen, I no longer have full matching sets of pans--we just have the ones we use. The old matching set of teflon we got rid of (it was old and no longer nonstick anyway). I don't have giant sets of dishes for the kitchen, etc. And we severely cut down on our glassware. We get rid of the "disposable" furniture too (like those shelves you can buy for $30 at the big box stores).

Pack well and make sure nothing moves. When you pack the truck, tie down the big stuff (there are rails in the trucks to secure your stuff). Once you get on the road, it will all settle. When we moved to CA, we had some broken glassware from moving. And later discovered a bit more broken in a box from CA that we never opened.

We stopped when we needed bathroom breaks on our WI to CA moves. The cats wore H-harnesses and we had them on leashes. We would let them out at the rest areas on the leash and see if they had to go in the litterbox. Sometimes they did. I would recomend special ID tags that say "I'm Moving" with a cell number just in case she gets loose, in addition to her regular tags. Make sure you have a copy of her Rabies Certificate (and any other vaccination records) and keep it with you, not packed. Most likely you won't need it, but it's good to have just in case.

Edit: My cats were used to going out on leashes at that time, so being out on a leash in the rest area was scary, but not unknown to them. When we moved to IA, I kept the litterbox in the car for potty breaks.
 
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zissou'smom

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Zissou is quite leash-trained and used to the car (and has been to several rest areas in Ohio) but I never thought to bring a litterbox. I suppose I should have, she won't go unless she's in the box.

Do you take it out of the car, or just let her use it in the car with her leash on, or...?
 

littleraven7726

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Originally Posted by Zissou'sMom

Do you take it out of the car, or just let her use it in the car with her leash on, or...?
I've done it either way. In the car is probably safer though. When we moved to and from CA, we often picnicked at rest stops so we would let them have a potty break while we were eating, and they could also explore around us on their leashes.

Also, I only offered them canned food when we moved to and from CA. I was very worried about water intake while they were so stressed. They wouldn't eat their regular dry food on our way out there, so I got them FF at a truck stop.
 

whisky'sdad

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When I moved back to So. CA from Portland, OR, I packed up a GMC Jimmy with a trailer and stuff on the roof. Of course, I had to make room in the car so Oliver & Whisky could go from the front to the back, where the litterbox was. I took it slow and spent 5 days on the road (4 nights)

It would be safe to have a small litterbox in the cab with you. When I moved to Portland, I had rented a Uhaul and Whisky was in the cab with me. I didn't have Oliver at the time.
 

trouts mom

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I am moving like 700 kms too in the Fall, so these tips are great for me too!

I have no idea how big of a truck I will need though
I hope the one I get is not too small!
 

buzbyjlc10

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I just had Ollie's litter box on the passenger side floor board. I basically never stopped on the way between home and school (4 hours is do-able) unless I really really had to pee and I'd stop to get gas either the night before or right when I set out. On the 8 hour trip to the shore, I was following my parents - kitty and litter in front seat, black lab in back seat HAHA the humans/dog would get out on stops for potty/food, but someone ALWAYS stayed at my car so it could stay running with Oliver in it and we never ate inside a place we stopped - 2 of us would run in and get everyone's food and then we'd just eat parked in the cars. We also usually packed lunch and just stopped for breakfast somewhere on the road. I had food/water/treats available for Oliver all the time but he was never interested in them during trips. He does ok in the car but he's not a "wanna go for a ride?!" type of cat lol
 

calico2222

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I really can't give much advice on the cats, since the furthest away I've moved with them is 15 minutes and you would think I was killing them keeping them in their crates!

With the packing though, one of the best ideas someone gave me is if you can invest in some rubbermaid (or generic) rubber stackable crates, do it! They are so easy to pack and stack for storage. It also seems like you can put a lot more into one because they are more managable than boxes. Also, I used towels, linens, even t-shirt to wrap breakable objects for packing. Kills two birds with one stone, so to speak.

It doesn't sound like you have a lot of big furniture to move so that is one headache you don't have to deal with. When it comes to packing up the rooms though, make sure you LABLE the boxes or totes and try to keep only things from that room in the same box/tote.

It's a GREAT idea to have an extra tag made for Zissou saying you are moving w/ your cell number, just to be safe. That is something I never would have thought of! Heck, that's a good idea even if you are just taking a pet on vacation. I forget who mentioned that, but great idea!

Good luck with the move. It's stressful, but it will be worth it.
 

psjauntie

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One other thing that I thought about, for moving hanging clothes. Works great with waterbed sheets, but if you don't have waterbed sheets lay flat sheet down, put hanging clothes on top of sheet alternating the way the hanger go, put another sheet on top of clothes, twist ends together and carry like a big hammock. Clothes stay on hangers, no need for wardrobe boxes, less trips to moving truck. This really works
 
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zissou'smom

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I typically leave her harness on her unclipped from the leash while in the car. She doesn't mind it. So I will definitely figure out how to do a tag on there saying we are moving and with both our phone numbers and destination. Maybe one of those bracelets you get like at the hospital or clubs would work if I made it super small and just had most of it hanging of like a tag? I was thinking about microchipping but I don't think I'll have the money.

Gosh this is much more stressful, especially financially.

The things we do for love, eh?


You guys have some great ideas for clothes! Luckily my dad is obsessed with organizational crates and we used to go visit the rubbermaid factory/wholesale. I have 3 gigantic stacking crates and luckily all my clothes fit in them. I don't do much dress-up, so most clothes don't need hangers
 

mbrcpr

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Most pet stores and Wal Marts have the machine that engraves tags while you wait. Wal Mart tends to be cheaper than the pet stores. It's between $5-8 I think.
 

laureen227

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if you have pictures under glass to move, wrap them in bedding - quilts, comforters, etc. another dual job!
 
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