Moving and Packing Tips & Tricks


(Disclaimer: We have partnered with PODS to bring you this post. All opinions expressed are 100% our own, and are not influenced by PODS.)

Last week I left you with an empty PODS container, and a very full loft of our belongings.

How were we able to fit our entire loft full of belongings into one PODS container?

Well, today I’m here to show you how we fit our 2 bedroom loft into our 16x8x8 container. (Spoiler Alert: It all fit!)

In order to save some cash, we decided to only order the PODS container. That meant that movers and moving supplies (including boxes, tape, dollies, or moving blankets) were not included in our PODS package. We figured we could improvise and find a way to make everything work on our teeny, tiny budget.

Our first inclination was to beg ask all of our friends and family to drive down to St. Louis and help us for the weekend. But then we thought about sleeping arrangements and the long drive…and decided to save our “manpower” for our Chicago move-in instead.

Hiring helpers for your move is a smart idea if you don't think you can handle it all on your own

We then turned to hireahelper.com where we found 2 local movers to help us out for 3 hours. It only cost us about $230 and they brought their own dollies and moving equipment. This turned out to be the best decision for our move, and we saved money and time. #winwin

When moving a lot of stuff, you have to be very strategic about packing the POD!

While “the muscle” tackled the heavy furniture pieces, we focused on carting all of our small items down to the moving dock.

You'll become a tetris pro while you try to fit smaller stuff into big stuff to save room

This was the best system because could tuck small boxes and items right alongside the big furniture. It maximized our space, and kept everything tight and secure in the PODS container.

Roll up rugs and pack in spaces to cushion other items in your storage pod

So our advice for you movers out there…use your space efficiently! Put boxes inside drawers, sneak rugs alongside bookshelves, and safely stack your belongings up to the ceiling. Use every inch of space you’re given wisely. Don’t just shove your stuff into the container, or it won’t fit!

Finn is pretty good with fitting things together, so he was in charge of the pod

I’m very lucky that Finn is very good at spatial organization. He can look at a space and know what can fit, and where it can fit. If it were up to me, I would put a box in the middle of the container and call it a day. ย I would have needed 3 PODS containers!

Don't pay for moving blankets if you have plenty of blankets and pillows to cushion valuables

To keep our stuff from jostling around and scratching, we cushioned everything with our own belongings. Blankets, pillows, couch cushions…they were all used to pad the container and keep our stuff secure. We will have a lot of washing to do once we arrive at our new home, but it was worth it to not have to buy moving pads or blankets.

Lots of trips up and down the elevator to unload our loft

After plenty of trips up and down the elevators, we finally had all of our stuff outside by our PODS container.

One super packed pods container!

It took 5 helpers, 3 hours, and 1 packed PODS container…but we got ‘er done!

Finn is pretty proud of the packing job he did in the pods container
The loft looks so much bigger when it's all cleaned out and empty
Our empty loft looks so different, and it was hard to say goodbye!

After saying our “goodbyes” to the place we called home for the past 2 years, we locked up our PODS container, and called it a day.

Our container was picked up two days later and taken to a secure storage center in Chicago. We’re now just paying a small fee for it to be stored.

The best part is now we can focus on the next important step…finding our new home! I promise to keep you (our favorite readers) in the loop as we search Chicago high and low for a fab new place.

Casey DIY Playbook
Chicagoans..any neighborhoods you recommend? Anyone have more moving tips and tricks for us?ย 

The Year of Casey

Hey there!

Iโ€™m Casey Finn, the voice behind The DIY Playbook. I’m a Chicago gal teaching you how to design, DIY, and maintain your home…by yourself! Learn more about me right here.