Go over the places where the bodies are buried extra carefully *before* you do the full clean. Otherwise, you'll just leave telltale signs behind when you go to check those spots. NEATNESS COUNTS.

Some animals get really freaked out. Have a plan for Twinkie so that she feels comfortable and isn't underfoot while you are busy moving.

Pack kitchen and other essentials that you'll need for your first few days in one box (if possible) and put it in an easily accessible place.

The more things you put in the same-size box, the better: it's much easier to handle stacks of like items. If you're renting a truck, make sure it comes with at least one hand truck or cart. If you can get two, it will drastically shorten your move time, and the half-dozen strong friends you sucker into helping you will fatigue less. On your last triple-check to make sure you haven't left anything behind: check behind all the doors and under the sinks.

So I am behind here. . .you are moving down to the seminary on 20th?

Yup!

Throw out a lot of stuff!!! One of the best parts about moving (besides settling into a great new place) is the chance to clear out clutter. Lighten up your load! Donate it, toss it, get rid of it!

Oh I am!!! I love getting rid of stuff, it's my favorite. I was very pleased to find a Mefite on the NYC Mefite group who wants to take our IKEA desk.

The only thing that's a pain is that we're in a fifth floor walkup and we don't have a car, so getting stuff out the door can be difficult (because if we're not going to work we probably have the baby and there's only so much you can carry at once). Thank goodness for Craigslist and people willing to take free stuff!

Do you have access to a dolly? That makes boxes moving much easier.

Do not underestimate the value of using clothing to pack up your valuable/breakable stuff. I have stuffed socks into glassware, and layered dishes in sweaters. It saves space!

Also, don't pack too much heavy stuff into one box. A box full of books is a very heavy box.

GOOD LUCK!

Don't skimp on tape. Make sure the boxes are secure. Label very clearly.

If we come to NY in the next few years, and stay at that Chelsea Hostel, we'll be almost neighbors!

Sell/give away whatever you can before you pack.

Do a little layout of your new place and where you plan to put your bigger items in that place. Label bigger items with their destination room and if it works, distribute your layout plan to your movers.

You can never have too many boxes, too much tape, too many markers, or too much bubble wrap,

Assume the worst (being dropped, e.g.) will happen to each box as you pack. Especially the stuff you love a lot. I.e., pack very carefully.

When you pack, go by room, mark the contents of each box on the side, and remember to err on the side of more detail, not less. Also mark the destination room on the boxes.

Move the really delicate things like plants first, yourself, to keep them safe.

Try very hard to be there when items arrive so you can tell movers where they go.

Recruit lots and lots of help for moving day. Offer awesome refreshments like pizza galore on arrival at new place.

I haven't actually put this into play, but it always strikes me as potentially useful: if you can get into the kitchen of your new place, maybe take some photos of all of the cabinets and shelves and junk ahead of time. Then you can plan where all of your stuff from your OLD shelves will go. Fiddly kitchen crap is the WORST.

Think about what the time frame of your unpacking will be and plan accordingly. For my last move we had two boxes set aside to get us through the first few days in case we were slow unpacking. Those boxes should have things like a few dishes and glasses, silverware, coffee maker, coffee, toiletries, alarm clock, an extension chord, tv remotes, phone/computer/device chargers and cords, flashlight, a fews days worth of clothes, notepad, pens, etc. That along with our toolbox and my messenger bag (where I threw some key documents and my bills/bank folder) really helped. Moving can be stressful and tiring and you might not be as ambitious as you expect those first few days, so make it easy on yourself to ease in at your own pace.

I'm with others that said that one of the best parts of moving was getting rid of clutter. It's a great feeling.

I'm also a big supporter of over-labeling your boxes. It takes a few extra minutes on the front end but helps when you're in the new place. A box marked KITCHEN is nice, but when you have a stack of them you'll appreciate the one that says CEREAL BOWLS AND SMALL PLATES or SPICES AND BAKING SUPPLIES.

If you have any complicated electronic setups or items that will be dismantled it wouldn't hurt to take a few digital pictures before you start unassembling.

No matter how much you plan something unexpected will happen and something you're dreading will turn out to not be such a bad deal. Just do the best you can and roll with whatever happens and remember how great it will be sitting in your new place. Good luck and have fun with it!

I haven't actually put this into play, but it always strikes me as potentially useful: if you can get into the kitchen of your new place, maybe take some photos of all of the cabinets and shelves and junk ahead of time.

I would love to do that but we still haven't seen the new apartment yet :( Don't even get me started. Hoping we can see it before we move in so I can figure out how to configure stuff before we get there!

Heavy things like books should go in smaller boxes.

Definitely mark each box with a description of its contents and the room it should be put in, as bearwife suggests, i.e., Dishes/Kitchen, Books/Living room, Sex toys/bedroom (okay maybe avoid the TMI on the last one.;-) I did this when I moved into my house and was unpacked in two days.

When I moved I also moved my computer, sewing machine, plants and some of the fragile kitchen ware before the move date. I knew they'd be safer in small load in the car than put in the big moving fan, and I probably saved some money on moving men time.

If you have helpers, it can be a good idea to assign specific jobs to people. I remember helping my brother move, and how my mother organized the kitchen while I did the pantry. We had it all in order before we left that day.

Make sure you plan the meals. It's easy to let that slip your mind, but everyone will get very hungry!

It might be a good idea to park Oliver and your dog with a friend for the day. You'll have so much on your mind that it would help to not have to look after or even worry about them.

My current issue: Have a plan for the empty boxes on the other side of the move. In urban areas I've usually been able to tie them up neatly and leave them next to the recycling, but you may want to check ahead of time. (Here, I've been having to drive them out to the recycling center.) It's a bit demoralizing, as well as chaos-inducing, to unpack but have tons of boxes sticking around (especially, I'm guessing, if you're also trying to wrangle a baby, a cat, and a dog).

I was going to mention occhiblu's great point. It is usually best if you can to keep your moving stuff, including the (broken down) boxes, but if there's no storage for that, then yes, plan for box disposal. This is an area where it would be great to have a friend/family member who might take that chore on for you.

Know that we're always here if you need to vent.

Make one box called LAST/FIRST box that has toilet paper, shower curtain, towels, one set of dishes and a knife and whatever else you just can't lose in the pile of boxes. Have a plan for a meal or two on the other end. Save cleaning for an entirely other day if you can. Leave the dog with friends for the day if at all possible.

Put scissors in your pocket the day of the move so you don't get to the new place and have nothing to open the boxes with.

Move everything but a broom, dustpan, mop and cleaning stuff.
Then go back once all else is gone and do a deep clean so you are sure to get your security deposit back.
Take a cab to your new place with the cleaning crap.

Or even better- have 2 sets of cleaning stuff.
Buy new stuff and take it to your empty new apartment and do a deep clean. Leave it there and do the move. Then do the old apt deep clean with the old cleaning crap and leave equipment on the curb for someone else to use.

Consult this recent thread.

Hire people. Seriously. Best thing we ever did was hire movers from CT to NYC 1st floor to 3rd floor no problem. Everything done in a matter of hours. So, so nice. We've done it ourselves (I drove a truck from CT to Miami for grad school, which was actually kind of fun, but the loading and unloading was MISERABLE. Never, ever again. And it turned out that, with the truck rental, gas, etc., movers would've actually been cheaper. Sigh.) Maybe get a few estimates and see? With not that much stuff, doing the packing yourself, and a local move, it might be quite reasonable. I swear, I'd spend my last dollar rather than do a self-move again, but, of course, I'm old. (If you're already hiring movers, please ignore, and enjoy the new place, in any case! : )

You better believe we are hiring movers! We hired movers last time, too (packing ourselves), and it was a godsend. They were so great and they liked us because we really don't have all that much stuff. Although we're moving from a fifth floor walkup to what's basically a gated community (you have to go into the campus through a gate and then walk over to the building), so it's gonna be a schlep. But hey, I will pay for the privilege to not do it!

Smart gal. I should've figured. Sounds like a dream of a location... (and, hopefully, no 2am stereos. ; )

Has anyone ever had movers pack/unpack for them as well? I'm thinking of doing it for our upcoming July move, but not sure if it's worth it.

I have, rimless. I don't think it is worth it. The pack very little in many, many boxes, and you spend oodles of time moving what they unpacked.

Don't forget to pack the baby!

Hire my mother-in-law. No, seriously, the woman is unbeatable when it comes to organization & packing/unpacking.

Have plenty of bottles of water for your movers. Also, leave a bag or two out for day-of-moving trash.