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Did you just land a job in another state? Another country perhaps? Are you scheduled to move, but you want to make sure your move is less stressful and well organized? Well, you’ve come to the right place!
There are ways to prepare for the big moving day to ensure your day goes smoothly. Below, I’ve outlined several tips to make moving less of a hassle. Take a minute to familiarize yourself with these organizational hacks, because they can make your moving experience from a nightmare to a daydream.
Set Your Budget
There’s a lot to think about when moving. Depending on how far away your destination is, you could be looking at a few hundred dollars in transportation. Determine first how you plan to make your move: by plane, by truck, or maybe via shipping means.
Once you have that decided, research the best deals for your move. You could save a substantial amount of money if you start planning in advance.
Create a Moving Checklist
It never hurts to be more organized. Upheaving your life from one location to the next is stressful enough, without having to handle the management of everything you own. You want to consider a timeline for your move. Maybe you have a year, a month, or a week to move.
You might be looking around your house or apartment wondering how you can do it all, but anything is possible when you set your mind to it. Once you have your timeframe determined, you can begin making your moving checklist. There’s a lot of moving parts to consider when it comes to moving and it should all be on your checklist: secure transportation, hire moving help, pack, prepare to purchase new belongings, etc. The more organized your checklist, the better your move will feel.
Catalogue All Your Belongings
Before you begin packing, take pictures of everything and write a complete list of everything you own. If you have homeowner’s insurance, this simple (but time-consuming) organization technique can help you immensely if anything is broken, damaged or lost during the move. You need to know what you’re starting with, so you have a comprehensive idea of what you’re finishing with. Otherwise, it’s painfully easy to become overwhelmed and lose track of your belongings.
Consider Hiring Professional Movers
This is one expense you’ll want to budget for as professional removalists can be expensive, but worth the price on moving day. Movers are well equipped for a moving job of any size because they do it regularly.
If this is your first move, you might want help with packing to utilize your space the most efficiently or packing your boxes into the moving truck tightly to avoid breakages. Maybe you plan to have help from your family, but movers can take the weight off your shoulders while you ensure everything is checked off your checklist. Especially if you have heavy furniture that would be much easier to lift with several hands.
Go Through Your Belongings Before You Pack
There’s a high chance that you can rid yourself of some belongings before you move! Maybe you’ve wanted a new set of bedding? Or has your coffee table seen better days? Now is the time to set aside a pile to donate, and your most essential belongings.
Once these are categorized, you might be surprised at how you’ve cut your packing list in half. When you have your essential packing pile, set aside the belongings you’ll want with you during the move. Food, toys for the kids, cell phone chargers, maybe even an extra pair of clothes can be good to have on hand. You should keep them in a tote or a spacious bag to make sure they don’t get accidentally packed.
Pack a Little Each Day
With anything major, you want to break it down into smaller steps. Make sure you have the right size boxes first, but when you’re ready – get packing a little bit each day. Regardless of whether you’re moving in three months or three days, this is a great tactic to keep your belongings organized and your mind de-cluttered.
If you do it all in one day, you can easily become overwhelmed. Packing for an hour or two each day keeps the process methodical, and you’ll remember what you packed and what you chose to leave.
Colour Code Your Package Tape
If you have blue packing tape for kitchen items, red packing tape for living room items, and green packing tape for bathroom spaces – this makes unpacking too easy! Separate each colour-coded box into each room it belongs in, so your new space isn’t filled with mountains of boxes.
You can take it a step further and write on the box exactly what’s inside so you can always ensure that you packed everything you need. This also allows you to unpack the most important things first, then you can whittle away at the remaining unpacked boxes.
