To unpack or not to unpack. Should Your Movers Unpack You?

A common debate among military families is whether it is makes sense to have your movers unpack you when you arrive at your new location.

Personally, I am a big fan of unpacking the day you get your things. After one move where we fought through boxes for weeks all to get them on the curb and have them sit there for another two weeks, I was over it. Never again I decided.

Our next move we decided to do it differently. We had the movers unpack everything. I was 34 weeks pregnant and it was heavenly. I wish I had seen the light earlier.

Here are the pros and cons as I see them.

Please offer yours in the comments.

The CONS of your movers unpacking you:

• The movers will “touch your things”. How is this different then when they “touched your things” on the way into the boxes?
• There is just “stuff” everywhere. Yes, just like there is stuff everywhere when they are in boxes.

The PROS of your movers unpacking you:

• You are not opening boxes and unwrapping layers of paper. It is extremely time consuming to do so, let the person being paid take on that job.
• At the end of the day all the boxes and packing material are GONE.
• You can start putting things away as they are unpacking.
• You are able to use your moving day energy towards putting away instead of unpacking. The more you have to wade through the more likely you will lose momentum and end up with boxes months later.

How to prepare for your movers unpacking you:

• Clothes become such a battle in a move. If you have seasonal clothes or children’s clothes for different ages pack them in a plastic containers beforehand and then the container itself will be packed. No one will touch the individual items.
• Get rid of things BEFORE your move, donate them to your installation thrift shop, a charity center or a women’s shelter.
• Be sure boxes are marked correctly on the starting end so they are unpacked in the right places on the receiving end.

What to do on the day your goods arrive:

Be up front with your intentions to have the movers unpack you. They won’t love it, but won’t mind if you treat them right. Don’t forget they are getting paid!

• Go in with a game plan, where are they putting all this stuff? Asses the house beforehand, figure out where overflow will go if you have any.
• Make signs for each room! Just take some paper, a sharpie and tape and hang signs on the doors of every room. This is especially important if you have mis-match rooms. For example, a room that existed in one house, but will now be combined into another room in this new house.
• Use Post-It Notes to label kitchen cabinets and dresser drawers. This will make it easier for your spouse or children to chip in an help put stuff away as it is coming out of boxes.

What are your thoughts? Do you let the movers unpack?

Happy Moving!