I've helped around 30 people move unfortunately. Each time it was a nightmare.
Use your car in the move if possible.
Any time I help I always insist on bringing my own car. I don't let other people pick me up. It's not that I'm super paranoid about being able to leave whenever I want (which is true), but it's always nicer to have a small car that you can use to go pick up things like food or cleaning supplies--whatever you need, at the new location. If you can have at least one other person helping you (meaning three of you total), have the other person ride in the truck, and you or your fiance should drive the car.
I've always reserved the car for fragile items. The backseat is a good spot for things like LCD televisions or the glass from table tops.
Everyone driving should know the new address by heart. It's aggravating when people don't communicate in a group. There's no reason to be racing to keep up with each other (or pulling over to wait for others to catch up).
Bring the right equipment.
If you don't already have a hand truck, I would rent one from the truck agency, even though they tend to be heavy and crappy. On the other hand, a decent, light, plastic hand truck with air-filled (not solid) tires will come in very handy for a move. This one costs $65 [http://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-600-lb-Capacity-Hand-Truck-60610/100095316#.UVtZbxy7N8E], but if the rental costs $20, I would buy a fiberglass one. THESE COME IN HANDY ONLY IF MOST OF YOUR STUFF IS IN BOXES. I'm sure you can find one for around $40. They're extremely light, the air tires don't leave too many marks on the floor/carpet, and the "shelf" tends to be larger than the metal ones that rental agencies use.
If you decide to buy one, be sure to tell the agency to remove the metal one from the truck as I believe they're always in there, bolted down.
You may also want to consider picking up at least two furniture dollies [http://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-1000-lb-Capacity-Furniture-Dolly-33700/100057209#.UVtXhBy7N8E], which cost $20 each. These tend to be handy only when moving from/into apartments however, so these probably aren't for you.
Bring some rope, like a decent, braided jute twine. It's not expensive and can be used to tie larger items to the truck walls, such as bookcases.
Packing your boxes.
Instead of packing up all of your older sheets and towels, use them as padding for the aforementioned glass and anything else that cannot be boxed.
And for the love of God, why does everyone always pack their books in the largest boxes? Be sure to pack your heavy books in medium sized boxes at the largest.
Packing the truck.
I like packing the smaller, boxed items in the truck first, then "lock them in" with heavier items closest to the door at the rear. This means that, while the heaviest items go in last, they're also the first to be unloaded, so you won't be left moving the heaviest items at the end of the day.
Sometimes you have no choice though, like with couches. they tend to be the largest items and take up a lot of square footage. You can usually find something that can sit on the couch though.
Don't pack your tools!
Make sure you have easy access to a tool set. Do not pack them in a box as I guarantee you'll likely need them. For example:
I was moving a 60-year old man to an apartment and the only other person helping was my father, a man in his 70's. The man had an extremely heavy couch that had to be moved up three stories. It was too large for the elevator and too heavy to be carried by myself and two senior citizens. I flipped the couch on its back and saw that it was made of three recliner chairs that were bolted together on the bottom. Luckily I had my Leatherman Crunch, which contains 1" locking pliers (vice grips) and was able to remove the retaining bolts. Then, we took each section up in the elevator.
KEEP YOUR TOOLS HANDY!
Water and food. If necessary, bring plenty of water with ice, possibly in a cooler. It's always nice to have something cold to drink, like a mix of both water and perhaps Gatorade. You'll probably be sweating like crazy, so keep taking breaks at least every hour to hydrate.
I've been in situations where I was helping people move for at least 16 hours. The key is taking breaks when you feel it necessary, drinking plenty of fluids, eating when you feel like it, and pacing yourself.
Just buy the tape.
I can't explain it, but nobody enjoys paying money for good, clear packing tape. Yeah, it's only going to get taped up for less than a day, but there's nothing quite as embarrassing as picking up a box and having some woman's underwear and makeup spill out the bottom because she didn't tape it. I think half a dozen rolls of tape might be enough. Maybe.
I think that's all for now. Oh, look around your house for a lock that will fit on the door mechanism for the truck. I've never had to use one, but it's always nice to be able to lock up your truck should something happen and you can't finish.
Oh right, and find a
sucker friend or friends to help out. That sucker was usually me, obviously. Over 30 moves, no lie. Good luck!
*edit* One more thing, look for boxes at nearby grocery stores. Beware of any that had liquid on them. Also, just about every business has tons of boxes on hand that they just can't get rid of fast enough. That's how it was at my last job, a technology company. We had tons upon tons of PC boxes that we would stack outside for a guy who actually recycled/sold cardboard. It's tough out there, yeah, but ask around as "moving boxes" tend to be expensive when you're buying them two dozen at a time. And empty Xerox boxes can be a lifesaver.
