How to keep your friends when they help you move

Have you ever helped someone move, and you arrived on moving day only to discover... they hadn't even packed? I have, and let me tell you, it's not pretty. Here's how to be ready for your move, so your friends who are helping you will still like you the next day!

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• plenty of boxes
• packing tape for boxes that don't close
• big fat magic marker
• if possible, a floor plan of your new home

1. Get boxes! Just start collecting boxes of different sizes, from the first day you know you're going to be moving. Copy paper from work, canned good and other product boxes from your supermarket, boxes that packaged anything you bought that came in the mail, even shoe boxes! Just make sure they are in good condition so they won't fall apart mid-move, and that they either flap-close or have a lid. You can have a few boxes that don't close, but don't overdo on those because you can't set stuff on top of them.
2. Start packing up things you don't need, now! Holiday decorations, out-of-season clothes, most books and movies and CDs/DVDs, small kitchen appliances you don't use every day (and won't need for a few weeks). Go room by room and decide what you can go ahead and pack up.
3. As much as possible, pack stuff from one room in the same boxes. Then, just write the name of that room on the outside of the box, with your big fat magic marker. For example, I pack all toiletries and personal care items together, and write "bathroom" on the box. Books, movies, CDs, candles, and assorted knick-knacks go together in several boxes, and on all those boxes I write "living room". Same with kitchen, dining room, bedroom, office, den. That way, your helpers will know which room the boxes go, and your things will be in the right rooms, right from the start. This makes UNpacking MUCH easier!
4. If you can get an accurate, scale floor plan of your new home, this makes it easier for you and your help. Before moving day, imagine where you want your furniture in each room. You can draw on your floor plan where you want each piece, then put the floor plan in an easy place for your help to see it in your new home; for example, on the kitchen counter, or taped to the front entrance. This saves time and stress ~ you don't have to be everywhere at once!
5. Pack clothes into suitcases. There's no point in moving empty suitcases! And they were made for clothes, so roll up your clothes to pack as much as possible, and unlike for an airplane ride, there's no weight limit.

Tips & Warnings

• Try not to mix items from different rooms in boxes until the very end, when you'll be packing up last minute stuff.
• Be sure to keep out one roll of toilet paper, a hand towel, and some hand soap for the bathroom. These are items you will want handy at the end for your old place, and from the start in your new place.
• It's nice to have paper cups and cold water or iced tea available for your friends. Moving is a hot job, and this is a very small gesture to say "thanks" during the job. Plus, water and tea are not dehydrating like soda can be.
• Don't pack heavy items in big boxes. For example, books should be packed in smaller boxes so that one person can pick up and carry the box without danger of hurting him or herself.
• Remember to smile, breathe, and stay calm, and be sure to thank your friends when they arrive to help, during the move as appropriate, and especially at the end when they are leaving.