Anyone accustomed to moving on short notice...

[Okapi]

We may have to, and I'm looking for some tips. So far, I've been trying to do as much decluttering as possible, but I'm not sure what else (if anything) I can do. I don't want to start packing everything only to have nothing come of it, but I also don't want to end up having to pack up everything we own in a couple days or something. Although, I will say, that knowing the real question is "is it worth moving this so far?" makes decluttering a *lot* easier, lol!

[SuzyLee]

-Take pictures of any big stuff and write descriptions so that you are ready to list them all on CL super-quick.

-Pack up off-season stuff ath you aren't using now anyway. Like your summer clothes or toys teh kids have outgrown or whatever. It doesn't hurt to go ahead and box that stuff up (well-labeled so you can find it later if you don't move!)

-Start eating down your fridge/pantry ASAP- buy only minimal groceries.

-Declutter, declutter, declutter! Although it sounds like you are already doing that!

[Jackies Ladybug]

hire movers, they can come in, box everything by room and have you out in a day.
the only thing is that everything should be in the room you want it to move with, so you should do a nightly round up if you go that route. and declutter!!
making an ad for craigslist in word you can copy and paste for furniture you dont want is a good idea too.
i've done it, it will work out ok, dont worry!

ETA: i agree with the food idea above, bring your pantry levels down as much as you can. you dont want to waste it, or move it!

[linguistmama]

We just moved and I made sure to deep clean beforehand. It didn't hurt and it made the final cleaning much easier.

[joyluc]

I had to pack and move in the same day because the house I was leaving had ROACHES I wasn't moving too far so I did laundry and took it to the new house and made a few other trips. Then the day of the move I packed boxes and put them on the porch so that they wouldn't get contaminated. Don't know if you have the same chance with the new place close by. But you can do this if you need to.

[zoebird]

yup, i would hire movers if you can.

but if you can't, pack whatever you can (that won't be used, isn't used but you want to keep, etc), and then just live minimally.

of course, i tend to pack a whole house in a day--it's just my way. i don't really procrastinate, so much as declutter and plan my process for packing, and then do it all at once.

[crazyeight]

start in the least used space; CLOSETS! i always start there for 2 reasons: i obviously stashed it for a reason and if i can get rid of anything i don't want then i also have a place to put packed items so it doens't LOOK like we're half here/half gone type thing. then i go under the sink counters and pack up extra cleaners (or rags, soaps, party supplies; i also include the "dump" drawers or kitchen gadget instruction manual and junk drawers) AFTER making sure everything is full (or enough to do a whole house clean). i include kitchens and bathrooms and cosmetic cabinets and medicine cabinets. from here i would probably do the toys. it's to the point that many HIDDEN things are cleaned and bare minimum so everything in VIEW is next. i like to declutter the toys so the kids are used to it in their old home (no "transition" linked with the new house) and also so that i don't feel as overwhelmed by looking at things i can do NOTHING about until much later. probably by now i have a big pile of stuff to get rid of so i would go through clothes and hung clothes now (include all seasons) and then whatever i don't want from that and the pile of other don't wants get donated (or save for garage sale). at this point i go through desks and filing cabinets. anything that should be SAFE is put in the safe (and i usually declutter the safe at this time too). the safe is treated like my purse in a move. it stays in the cab with me so i also include moving documents in here as well and relevent med records if needed). tv area is next then the living room clutter spots, side tables, bookshelves, decorations, pictures. i suppose i would tackle the kitchen next and pack less used items and make sure everything had lids and stuff like that.

thats pretty much my "before it IS living out of a box/move day is less than 3 days away" list. i'm pretty sure you'd know what to do with what's left! i've moved 2x this pregnancy (last time i knew where i was going 3 days before i left!) and moved dozens of times in as few years. GOOD LUCK!

[firstbabydue]

Make sure the stuff you'll need right away (towels, dishes, etc.) are packed last so they're the first to come off the truck. Go through your belongings and get rid of anything you haven't used in the last year or so (garage sale, donate, or throw away). Pack the stuff you aren't using now first to get it out of the way. I've done a couple of quick moves, just trying to remember everything...lol

[FoxintheSnow]

Also just a thought, sometimes it's cheaper not to move your stuff. You can hire an estate sales company to sell all your stuff for you. They literally sell everything including half used bottles of hairspray.

[Cativari]

I'm not sure the exact reason for the possible move but I do have plenty of experince moving short notice since Dh works in industrial construction (layed off now). I usually get 1-2 days notice before we have to be somewhere so I sell, throw away, or donate most everything that's not used all the time or that is very cheap to replace, dishes, utensils, bathroom stuffs ect. I par down on clothes, I only bring 5-7 changes of clothes a person, toys they have a box or plastic tub to limit toys. The only other items that get brought are the TV and computer. Everything fits into a mini-van.

[PenelopeJune]

Very good tips from everyone!

We are moving in February, although I don't know exactly when. Our rental is FULL of mold, so we have to move, even though we've only been here 5 months.

- I declutter EVERYTHING. And I mean everything! I go through every single drawer, basket, closet, and bin and get rid of everything I don't need. Then I usually go through again. Sometimes I get sentimental over the dumbest things. I think I have 4 bottles of baby shampoo. I don't even USE baby shampoo on my kids! They were gifts from when my son was born 4.5 years ago. I've finally decided to donate them, because I am NEVER going to use them.

- Go ahead and deep clean now. Move your furniture and clean behind it all. That way you won't have to do it on moving day.

- Gather your boxes. I usually get my boxes for free from grocery stores and stuff, so it takes some time to gather them. Break them down so they'll store easily, and buy several rolls of packing tape and a few magic markers to label your boxes.

- Pack seasonal items. I always store off-season clothing in suitcases, so I don't have to do that when it's time to pack. But if you don't, start packing up your off-season clothing now. Even if you don't move, it will be handy to have it all out of the way until you need it again.

- Keep your laundry caught up. A few years ago I had to pack 3 bags of dirty laundry because I didn't get around to getting it done. That won't happen again!

- I don't pack the clothes that are in dressers. I take out the drawers, cover the clothes/items with bath towels and tuck it well around everything to keep dust off.

- On the same note, I never have a box or bag full of towels. I use dish towels and small bath towels to wrap breakables and seperate plates and bowls while packing.

- Don't box your pantry items, it takes up a lot of room. Put them in cloth or paper grocery bags.

- I'm not moving long distance (only an hour away) so I never take my clothes off hangers. I just stack them in a car, still on their hanger, and then carry them into the new house and hang them up straight away. Saves me tons of time, and there is usually plenty of room in the cars.

- I pack my kids' toys in laundry baskets. This way the toys don't really have to be packed until the day of, and keeps my kids from being stressed that their stuff is disapearing.

[hopefulfaith]

What PenelopeJune said.

I have moved twice on very short notice (days to a few weeks), both without movers. The best thing I did then was to declutter as I packed. If I were packing my kitchen up, for instance, I would start putting things in boxes....and if I didn't use it/need it, etc., it would simply go into the "donate box" rather than the moving box. I tended to lean toward perhaps needing it at the new place (both times we were moving sight unseen...), so if we got there and didn't need the object(s), then it would be donated at that time, when I unpacked.

My last move had about six weeks warning, and for the first time in my marriage, I knew where we were moving into. I decluttered on both ends like crazy.

[Okapi]

Thanks for all the suggestions! These are exactly what I needed. I am working on my craigslist ads already I think we are also going to look into the estate sale idea, since there is a lot of stuff we won't bring if we go, but don't want to just throw out. To answer your questions, DH has applied for a job that would involve moving, and if he gets it, we may not have much notice before we need to be there. Our plan is to take as little as possible and live pretty minimally while there, but we need to balance that with the fact that they will, say, move our kitchen table, but they won't buy us a new one if we don't take it, KWIM? But then there's no guarantee that the table would fit into what ever place we end up in, so what if you move it and then have to get rid of it anyway? Not questions that any of you can answer, I know, but that's how my brain's working right now.

Anyway, you have all been most helpful. Thanks for letting me learn from your experiences!