What do we needd to survive without our stuff for a few weeks?

October 25, 2010 10:22 AM

What do we need to survive for ~2 weeks without our stuff?

We're moving cross-country and will be without our things for at least 2-4 days on one end and ~10 days (e.g. could be 2-3 weeks) on the other end. Both ends we will be in homes with fridges, washer/dryers, stoves. We can rent cars on both ends. We have 3 pets and a toddler.

What should we keep with us and/or buy to get through this?

My idea already:
- One of us goes out about 2 weeks before (we get keys to new house 2 weeks before we move) and buys hand soap, detergent, trash bags, paper towels, TP, some basic non perishable food, paper plates (brings 2 sets of silverware for each of us), dog food, cat food, kitty litter, new litter boxes, new pet dishes (we need 'em anyway), air mattress, disposable kids cups/plates/bowls
- During that trip the person takes all the cold weather outerwear (moving from warm place to cold place), sheets for the air mattress, extra towels
- I'll borrow an air mattress on this end

When we fly out to move:
- Pack a week and 1/2's worth of clothes for each of us (we'll have a washer/dryer)
- Pack a few toys and books
- Pack 1 cooking pot, 1 pan, 1 ladle

Upon arrival to new house:
- Get rental car from airport
- Need to get pets from Pet Airways right away
- Maybe ask friends to get groceries for us? Get groceries ourselves?
- Find nearest Starbucks for coffee

Are there things that I'm missing or would be smart to do?

posted by k8t to Home & Garden (17 answers total)

I think you might be stressing yourself out and overthinking this. There is nothing you need that, when you remember it, won't be available at the nearest supermarket.

Take it from someone who has lived out of a holdall for nearly seven months before, and is currently into week eight of an indefinitely long stretch of the same.
posted by Biru at 10:27 AM on October 25, 2010 [1 favorite]

Electric kettle.
posted by Ahab at 10:28 AM on October 25, 2010

Bring along your favorite pillow(s). That will at least help you sleep on an unfamiliar mattress in an unfamiliar place.

Also, pens/pencils and notepaper, so you can make lists of things you need.
posted by xingcat at 10:30 AM on October 25, 2010 [1 favorite]

Best answer: You're going to need something to sit on. We moved cross country and were promised our stuff would be there three - five days and it did turn out to be weeks. Just having air mattresses didn't really work so we had to buy a cheap sofa so we had somewhere to sit.

We also made sure to schedule cable/internet for the day after we got there (if that's your thing). We had to buy a small TV so they had something to hook the cable up to, and we had laptops so we could set up the cable modem. I especially recommend internet because it's hard to find your way around without it--even if you have a fancy smart phone because it's irritating to have to find everything on your phone.

You might want to have friends scope out some kid-friendly restaurants and some parks close by to your new house (or do it before you move). I also recommend doing some meal planning before you go if you plan on cooking and being really detailed about ingredients so you can restock your pantry for go-to meals. You forget how much you take your pantry for granted. You won't have flour or sugar or salt or spices or dried pasta etc.

Good luck!
posted by Kimberly at 10:33 AM on October 25, 2010

Best answer: If you have friends which live there, you could skip on going out there two weeks early. Buy the stuff you mentioned online and ship it their place. Don't forget to bring some towels with you.

You'll probably want to bring your laptops and chargers for the rest of your technology. If you're into sports, bring a basic kit: running shoes, etc. Bring (buy over there?) some office supplies.
Depending on your weight limit: a phone could be very useful if there's a landline installed at the new place, a cutting board and a sharp knife.

For coffee, you can always get a moka express or a french press to get you through the two weeks.
posted by ye#ara at 10:39 AM on October 25, 2010

Best answer: You might want to ship some stuff out separate from the movers. I'm thinking specifically a boxful of stuff for your son, so that more of his familiar stuff is available sooner, and some kitchen stuff. Also: either pack your toolbox in your luggage, or ship it out so it gets there before the movers do. When you need a screwdriver/wrench/hammer, you need it. Keep that stuff accessible. Shipping a few boxes last minute would be cheaper than excess baggage fees, and if you are flying with a toddler and pets you want to keep things as simple as possible on flight day.

If I were you I'd scope out now if there are any grocery delivery services in your new location, and set up an order to arrive the day after you land. I'd also search on Yelp or the local equivalent for some good delivery/takeout options, since you'll be frazzled and exhausted with the moving and unpacking and so forth.
posted by ambrosia at 10:45 AM on October 25, 2010

Best answer: To add to your shopping list on the other end: scissors/pocket knife/box cutter to get into all your boxes once they arrive. Also a shower curtain (if needed in your particular bathroom), bar soap, and towels.

The above, plus tp and trash bags, is my bare minimum new house survival kit. Also, make sure you pack your electronics chargers in your suitcase, not in a box.

Good luck!
posted by somanyamys at 10:50 AM on October 25, 2010

It's not completely clear to me, but it sounds like you are planning on one of you taking an extra round trip (flight?) cross country just to haul some extra soft goods and lay in a supply of nonperishables ahead of time?

If it were me (with "me" = total cheapskate, light packer/traveler), I would just treat this as you would a 2-week vacation trip to a cold climate, with a handful of extra needs. I would only make the one, 1-way trip all together. Sending out one person 2 weeks in advance just to have litter boxes and the like ready and waiting seems like complete overkill. There is no shame in eating a few meals out or grabbing a few coffees at Starbucks so that you don't feel like you need to have a functioning kitchen all set up the moment you arrive.

I would pack with me a sparse, climate appropriate wardrobe (maybe 4 days' worth) + outerwear, and your usual personal items, child's favorite toy. etc. Upon arrival, I'd pick up the pets, pick up next meal at the drive-through, deposit one parent and all the little peeps at the house, and send one parent out Walmart to get the bare necessities for the next 18 hours: pet food, disposable plates/bowls/cups/utensils/paper towels/TP, litter box/litter, air mattresses, and a few simple basic foodstuffs for breakfast/lunch the next day.

Then relax, sleep, and the next day you can make another foray to the store for a few more groceries and household goods.
posted by drlith at 10:51 AM on October 25, 2010 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: I guess that I should mention that moving increases my anxiety pretty high. Knowing that all of that stuff is there and ready to go puts me at ease and is worth an extra trip out.

I think that as it looks as if we'll be probably taking a redeye with a toddler (which totally sucks, based on prior experience) (but we have to do it in order to meet the pets on the other side of the country), that morning is going to be a total clusterfuck of tiredness and confusion.
posted by k8t at 11:00 AM on October 25, 2010

2nding the scrap the first trip advice.

Don't waste money on a cheap sofa either - consider the benefits of garden furniture for temporary seating and table arrangements and as you're moving somewhere cold, your friends will probably be happy to let you borrow their garden furniture until you get your stuff as they won't need it right now.

- Disposable plates etc is a good idea
- chargers, a knife/scissors/duct tape/pen and paper/1st aid kit
- Take less clothing - if you've got a working washer/dryer use the additional space to bring other things you'll find useful.
posted by koahiatamadl at 11:00 AM on October 25, 2010

I have done this twice. It kinda stinks, but it's not the end of the world.

Must-have items:

• Alarm clock. You can use the alarm function on your cell phone, of course. But I had a combo clock/radio/CD player. It became my entertainment station.
• Cheap folding chairs, and ideally a folding card table. (These will come in handy long after you have gotten your stuff back.) You want somewhere to sit, and something to eat off. It also quickly becomes an invaluable multi-function work space.
• Air mattress or something else to sleep on. You can fill an air mattress with a hair dryer (heat off). Buy the most comfortable one you can afford; it will be a place to lounge and read, as well as sleep.
• For me, a coffee-production device is absolutely mandatory. I bought a Mokka pot, which is a stovetop espresso maker. A tea kettle/French press combo would also be acceptable.
• Disposable plates, bowls, cups, and silverware. Wash and re-use as much as possible. I bought plastic everything, and was able to wash and re-use each item dozens of times.

If possible, set aside time and money to go out to eat, go to the movies, or just go to the nearest coffee shop in the evenings. Libraries are awesome places to hang out, too. I tried to plan one Event every night, ideally something 2-3 hours, to keep me from sitting at home on the floor reading the same book for the third time and feeling sad.

To help tame your anxiety, make checklists. I am a big fan of checklists! Take 24 hours and write down every single item that you use. You will no doubt find 2 or 3 things that are Must Have items, that you wouldn't have thought of on your own.
posted by ErikaB at 12:59 PM on October 25, 2010 [1 favorite]

-If you have friends in the new area, have them buy you food for breakfast and lunch that first day. (Could be as simple as eggs, a loaf of bread, peanut butter and juice.) Having a fridge stocked with those first couple of meals will take some pressure off as you recover from the flight.

-You may need a lamp or two. I can remember a couple of places we moved into that didn't have ceiling fixtures.
posted by wallaby at 1:18 PM on October 25, 2010

We moved cross country the week the OJ Simpson verdict came down. I was 14, my sisters were 9 and 6, we had to wait a week for our stuff to get there. I wish we had had Yelp and Google Maps printouts in that era.

We needed two more camping chairs, toys, a book or three that we had already read, LAMPS, plastic cups, bottles of soda and chocolate and potato chips and everything to make our favorite meals two days in a row, quarters for gumball machines, one more stuffed animal each, an alarm clock/radio (oops!)and alcohol for my parents. And LAMPS and flashlights and nightlights and candles and matches and those lighter sticks. You cannot have too much light in a new house.

Also, we hated the way the water tasted at first - we moved from city to rural, and it was very different. Some distilled water would have eased the transition some.

Finally, it would have been better if the cable guy would have beat the furniture (he did not.) On the other hand, because he didn't, I can always go to Wikipedia if I need to remember what week we moved.
posted by SMPA at 1:19 PM on October 25, 2010

Do you have camping gear? That's the ideal stuff as it's already optimized for weight and space.

Chairs. Will you have a patio or deck? Buy a couple of chairs for the porch, use them inside till the real furniture arrives.

Save the money you'd spend on an extra trip and use it to ship some necessities(below). After the movers leave, you're at home with air mattress, basic coffee needs, microwave, books, and entertainment stuff, incl. laptop with a couple movies, and 1 box. On the way to the airport, overnight the air mattress, microwave and anything not needed on the plane.

On the way from airport to new house, get cleaning stuff, *light bulbs, *paper towels, *toilet paper, paper goods, pet stuff, bottle of wine and nice meal. Most grocery stores sell roasted chicken and trimmings, or other goodies.

1st night in new house: 1st, clean anything important to you, like 1 bathroom and the living room. Dinner is candles, nice meal, music from laptop, and telling each other stories about the old house, new house, etc.

Then pretend-camp in the new house. If you have water, electricity and heat, it's fun to indoor camp.
posted by theora55 at 6:55 PM on October 25, 2010

Response by poster: Was chatting with my current landlord. He said this:

"You're without your stuff for 2 weeks either way. Isn't it easier to be without your stuff for 2 weeks in a town that you know your way around, have friends nearby, and know the places to eat/stuff to do?" (And he didn't mention, but have daycare all day as well!)

So he says - get the movers to take your stuff 8-10 days before you move and walk into the house with your stuff there.

Thoughts?
posted by k8t at 7:30 PM on October 25, 2010

I see his point, but then the movers are dropping off your stuff in the new place without you being there, right? That would stress me out way more than a little bit of indoor camping. YMMV.
posted by somanyamys at 10:27 AM on October 26, 2010

I would definitely be worried about my not-supervised, not-in-the-hands-of-a-bonded-carrier stuff. I'm a "check the door four times to be sure it's locked" girl, at least when I'm already under other kinds of stress. I doubt I'd be able to sleep with my boxed up stuff in a darkened house so far away I couldn't possibly check the doors.
posted by SMPA at 2:12 PM on October 26, 2010