feature image via Shutterstock.
I’m moving right now. And I hate it. And every time I do it, I approach it poorly, like Kermit flinging his hands above his head and running around. That is how I move. And if I weren’t an idiot, I’d be using the following technology things to help me move. But I am an idiot, so I haven’t. LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES.
Moved
Last night my wife found the box for the knife block after she’d packed all the knives and she cried. Today I found Moved after we’d done most of the move and I cried. Finding Moved after doing most of this is exactly like finding the knife box after packing the knives, so we were essentially crying over the same thing. Moved pairs you with a move concierge, an actual real person, to help you organize your move. They do everything from finding a storage unit to booking movers to changing your address. And that concierge? It’s free. Having an actual real person help you coordinate all those things costs you zero dollars; you only pay for the services and supplies you order. I’m dead. I’m. Dead. Why didn’t I research this sooner? Why didn’t I know about this? DON’T BE ME. DON’T PACK THE KNIVES YET. Also maybe we’ll use this to get us out of storage when we’re done being on a farm for the summer because HOT DAMN.
Moved is free for iOS and as a web app.
Sortly
Instead of labeling boxes “random crap,” I could’ve inventoried our apartment and packed everything neatly with Sortly. I could’ve made labels for the boxes with QR codes on them, scannable, so I know what’s in each box INSTANTLY. It even makes MOVING CHECKLISTS. Moving. Checklists. I DON’T HAVE A MOVING CHECKLIST! I barely have my wits.
Sortly is free for iOS and as a web app. They’re currently working on an Android version.
Cleanify
I think of myself as a pretty clean person. But with our vacuum broken for the past few weeks, it’s awful in here. Cleanify lets you book a one-time, move-out cleaning and I am SORELY TEMPTED but I probably won’t do it because I LIKE TO SUFFER. Moving is a weeks-long exercise in self-destruction for me, and if anyone has attempted to human at me during this time and gotten no response, THIS IS WHY. Because I’m over here accidentally mopping myself into a corner and washing literally every single thing in my kitchen before it enters a storage unit. Cleanify hooks you up with independent cleaning professionals who are GOLDEN GODS.
Cleanify is a web app, a sweet, sweet web app that leads to people who are smart enough not to mop their own body into a corner.
ThredUP
https://youtu.be/4DCf7-p8g-4
While I am super glad we donated clothes to Housing Works, the idea behind ThredUP makes me cry, it’s so easy. Seriously, I am literally crying right now as I type this, I’m going to go to the grocery store to get a frozen bullshit thing because all of our pots are packed and our fridge is empty and I can’t think through the hunger, I’ve been living off cookies for two days.
Okay, back. What’s so easy about ThredUP is that you can order a free closet clean out kit. They’ll send you a bag and you just fill it up and mail it back. ThredUP looks through it and finds what they’re willing to buy off you, and then… they pay you for it. If you’re like me and you never want to see those items again, you can elect to have anything they don’t use be recycled into stuffing for pillows and such. If you’re not really looking to make extra cash, you can choose to donate it to a cause.
ThredUP is an online store with free apps for iOS and Android. Heads up, this is for the femmes — my suit jackets would not do well here.
Flip
Okay, this hasn’t been a problem for me during this move, but I’ve got friends who are doing academic stuff in other cities for the summer and have had trouble finding subletters. I figured some of y’all might be in the same boat. Flip is a market that looks a lot like AirBNB, except it’s for longer-term sublets rather than shorter-term rentals. Listing is free; flip makes its money through rent paid through the app (5% off it). If you’re looking to sublet your apartment (or move somewhere for a bit!), Flip is an excellent option with its custom legal documents and its “rent release” button, where you release your first month to your new landlord when you’ve got the keys in your hands.
Flip has a web app but they also have a free iOS app.
