Making strategic choices about how you pack up your belongings, makes moving to a new location easier and less stressful.
1. Clean Out Your Belongings Before You Pack
Go through all of your current belongings and set aside any unused, broken or unnecessary items. You can then separate the items into things to sell at a garage sale or online, or things to donate to a charity of your choice. Anything that cannot be sold or donated should be thrown out. Organizing your belongings before moving will save you from having to pack, unpack and organize unused items.
2. Pack Essentials in Easy to Locate Bags and Boxes
The first step to a stress-free moving day is packing an overnight bag with the essentials you need for the first day and night of your move. After the exhausting work of moving, you will be glad you do not have to unpack clothes and toiletries as soon as you move in.
Another tip for keeping essentials handy is to pack any items you need first in see-through bins. Using a plastic bin allows you to see the items and differentiates it from all of the boxes. These can be used for items such as:
- Trash bags
- Power Cords
- Chargers
- Paper towels and toilet paper
- Tools
- Necessary cookware
3. Protect Breakables Effectively
Use packing paper to wrap individual dishes, then bundle about five dishes together with more packing paper. When you place the dishes in the box, place plates vertically, and fill in any gaps with bunched up pieces of paper to prevent movement during transport. Another option is to wrap dishes in clothing to save money on packing paper.
4. Use Plastic Wrap in Multiple Ways
Before you start packing, purchase a whole bunch of plastic wrap to use:
- For sealing open toiletries before placing the cap on
- For covering a drawer so you can move it and its contents together
- For keeping jewelry displays together
- Label Boxes Efficiently
After you pack each box, place a label on it with the room it belongs in and a description of the contents. This will make it easier for the movers to put the boxes in the right place during the move and makes it easier for you to find the things you need without opening every box. You could also use color-coded labels to differentiate each room. Numbering the boxes allows you to make sure everything made it to the new house.
Planning of time and using strategies like the ones above help make your move a stress-free one.