Moving is one of the most stressful things you can do in life. From picking a moving company to taking care to protect your belongings, the process is fraught with potential problems. Taking the time to plan for your move can help alleviate the stress and ensure that you have the smoothest transition possible. Follow these simple tips and hacks for packing for your move, and you’ll save yourself time and money.
Plan wisely
The most helpful thing you can do when packing is, first and foremost, to give yourself enough time. You want to have enough time to carefully and mindfully pack your possessions rather than stuffing them hectically in bags and boxes with no order whatsoever.
Send out notices well in advance
When you’re moving to a new place, there are many people you need to notify. This can be a lot to keep track of, so it’s helpful to create a list and schedule when you’ll take care of each task. That way, you’re less likely to forget anyone. Here is a rough list of who to contact and how:
- Your current landlord or property manager. Here you need to make a phone call and send an official written notice in advance, depending on your agreement.
- The utility companies at your current residence (water, electricity, gas, cable, internet, etc.). They will also require written notices submitted to each utility company’s office.
- Your phone company – they will require you to send a written notice that you would like to terminate their services.
- The post office – you’ll need to leave them your new address, so they can redirect any mail you receive to your new place of residence.
- Your doctor and any other medical professionals you see regularly – a phone call notifying them of the change should be enough.
- Your bank and any other financial institutions you do business with – you’ll have to fill out some paperwork so that they can assign you to a new local office that will handle your financial needs.
- Your employer – if you work remotely, you’ll still have to notify the employer of your address change so that they can send any materials or supplies needed there. Also, the new address will probably be added to your contract, as it’s a requirement.
- Schools your children attend – they will probably have some paperwork for you to fill, starting the transition to the new school and allowing them to transfer all the records.
- Any organisations or clubs you are involved in – depends on the organisation, but usually, a phone call is more than enough.
Gather up all the necessary packing materials
Don’t hold back on packing materials. Invest in enough bubble wrap, packing paper and quality boxes. Especially for fragile items, you want to do your best to keep them safe during the move. Saving money on packing materials can cost you more than what you would have saved. A good alternative or additional means of protection is rags or towels. You can always use them to fill in gaps and secure any cups, plates, appliances, etc., in their container. Many companies also offer packing services, the use of which you can only benefit from. During this event, you should invest in all the help you can get, be it from friends, family or companies.
Declutter to lighten the load
Packing for your move doesn’t have to be stressful. By decluttering and getting rid of things you don’t need before you start packing, you can lighten your workload and make the process much easier. Before you start packing, go through your belongings and figure out what to get rid of, what to keep, and what to donate or sell. You can leave labelled boxes on the floor in each room and just go through each item separately and place it in the corresponding box. Take measurements of your new home and remove any furniture that won’t fit or that you know you won’t use. This will help you focus on only packing the things you need, making the whole process much simpler.
Labelling all moving boxes
The most effective way to organise your belongings during the packing process is with colour coding and labelling! You can choose a colour for each room (for example, blue for the kitchen, red for the living room, etc.). Label the boxes containing items from each room according to their colour. If you want to know what’s inside, you can write it on the box before closing it. However, these lists might become damaged and hard to read during the relocation process. Alternatively, you can simply number the boxes and keep a detailed list of the contents in a notebook you keep with you.
Packing clothes and shoes
The most efficient way of packing your clothes for a move is to roll them up rather than folding them. Doing this will save space and your clothes from wrinkles as best as possible. Just be mindful and don’t overfill the boxes, making them too heavy to move.
For shoes, if you don’t keep the original boxes they can in, you can refer to plastic bags. Or even better, shower caps that, thanks to their elastics, will neatly hold onto your shoes during the relocating process. Additionally, you can stuff the cavities of your shoes with balled-up packing paper or rolled-up towels to ensure they don’t get squished.
Pack an essentials box
After you’ve finally settled into your new home, the last thing you want to do is unpack clothes, do laundry, and go grocery shopping. Moving can be exhausting for your family, so having a moving essentials bag packed ahead of time is helpful. In this bag, pack everything you will need for your first two days in the new home – a change of clothes, towels, toothbrushes, medications and anything else you will need to survive until you unpack and settle. This will save you time and energy to focus on enjoying your new home.
Repurpose linen, towels, pillows, etc.
You can use items such as padding and wrapping for other items. Use these items to fill any empty space inside the boxes. This will keep your goods from shifting inside the box and hitting against each other. Doing so will reduce the chances of damaging fragile belongings during transit.
Consider storage options
If you’re moving across the country or abroad, taking all your belongings with you at once may not be an option. Having so many unknowns ahead of them, many people choose to move with just their essentials first and come back for their furniture and kitchenware afterwards once they settle and make space for everything. This increases the need for secure storage services, as people need a safe place to store their valuables. Leaving them unattended hides many risks that could lead to damage and substantial financial loss. Properly packing and storing your items in climate-controlled buildings ensures your family the smooth transition they need.
Conclusion
Packing for a move is an overwhelming task – there are moving companies, so you must plan ahead and ensure you have everything you need before the big day. This can all seem incredibly daunting, but it’s important to remember that you don’t need to do it alone. Whether you’re looking to save time on your packing or packing everything yourself, these tips and hacks will help you prepare in advance and get the job done.
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