5 Helpful Moving and Packing Tips
October 16, 2018Moving into a new house is an exciting time, especially when you know you’re about to move into your dream custom home! Regardless of how excited you are, the prospect of packing up your current home and moving can be a daunting concept. With these helpful moving and packing tips, you can breathe a sigh of relief, get back to being excited, and tackle this process with ease:
1. Keep Your Kids Involved
Moving can be an exciting and also stressful time for your children. Whether they’re young or have already entered their teenage years, keeping your kids involved in the move can help make the process easier for everyone involved and also help make the transition smoother. Let them know about the move as soon as possible so they have a chance to work through concerns with you and get used to the idea.
From there, you can involve them in the planning and help get them excited about the prospect of a new home. For more tips on how to help your kids before and after a move, check out the infographic at the bottom of this post.
2. Make a List and De-Clutter
As early as you can, start going through everything in your current home and decide what will go with you to the new house and what you need to get rid of. You can donate or sell what you don’t want and start organizing the stuff you do want. As you decide on what you will keep, start keeping a list organized by room. This will help you declutter and get rid of anything you no longer want, need, or use.
It also will make unpacking in the new home easier because you won’t be dealing with excess stuff. Plus, having a current list of your belongings ensures nothing you need and want to keep gets lost in the move. This can also help you identify anything you need to get for your new home. Even if you’re not a first-time homeowner, there are still some must-have items for every new homeowner that you want to make sure you have when you move.
3. Take Care of the Details
After going through your stuff and decluttering, you should have some idea of how much you’ll need to pack. This will be helpful as you start to collect and purchase boxes and packing materials. This is also a good time to start arranging all the details. If you’re using professional movers, you can start researching and making reservations for your mover of choice. This should normally be reserved about 2-4 weeks before your move date. In addition to picking movers or getting ready to do it yourself, you also need to arrange other details.
Be sure to change your address with the post office, your bank, and other important entities. Having the post office start to forward your mail a week before your move is usually a good timeframe. You will also need to schedule the disconnection or transfer of your utilities as well as internet, phone, and cable if you have them. There are a lot of details to remember during a move, which can be overwhelming. Making a list and using calendars with reminders can help you navigate the process and remember everything.
4. Work Room by Room
Packing up your home is overwhelming. Break it up and work room-by-room to pack up the necessities. This will help you manage your time and energy. It will also make it easier for you to keep things together and decide what can be packed now and what you will still need to use until the move.
As you work through rooms, try to balance the weight of the boxes and save space where you can. You want to make sure boxes aren’t packed to be overly heavy. Books, for example, are best packed in suitcases with wheels or small boxes. You can also cut down on the boxes you need by packing electronics in their original boxes and using other household items like laundry bins and hampers, baskets, and extra suitcases for packing.
Securing loose items can save you space while also ensuring you don’t lose valuable pieces. When you start packing up the kitchen, you can wrap silverware trays tightly in plastic wrap to keep silverware securely in place and allow you to pack the tray horizontally or vertically to maximize space. You can also pack pots and pans with spices inside them to save space and keep similar items together.
5. Label the Boxes
As you are packing up boxes, be sure to label them! One of the most important moving and packing tips is to label the boxes. Whether moving yourself or hiring professional movers, boxes with labels make life easier for everything. You can put color-coded text labels on the top and sides of boxes to identify which room they’re going to.
You can also create a list of items that are within the box to put on the top, which will help you find what you need when you are unpacking. If you’re really into labeling, you can even create an additional label for “urgent” items that should be unpacked first. These would be items that you will need first and relatively soon in your new home.
Packing up and moving can be stressful, even if you know you’re moving into your dream home. With these moving and packing tips under your belt, you’re ready to go!
