Surveys done in the last few years have shown moving to be one of the most stressful events in the average person’s life. It’s no wonder then that the thought of packing up and moving house is met with some resistance from your family. In this read, we share Packing Tips to Take the Nightmare Out of Moving.
The secret to making a move as easy as possible is the preparation you put into it. Being more organised involves stocking up on necessary items such as boxes, labels, and ratchet straps for use on trailers.
Here’s your go-to guide.
Get Organised
Moving prep is definitely one of those activities that you shouldn’t leave until the last minute. This is especially the case if you live in a large house, have a lot of possessions or haven’t moved in a while. The longer you live in one place, the more likely you are to gather clutter, so packing require a bit more time and effort. People who move often have learnt to keep their possessions and clutter to a minimum.
No matter your history with moving, our experts have shared some simple tips to get you more organised and less stressed this time round.
Prepare in Advance
Ideally, you should start preparing for your move on the day that you decide to relocate—even if it’s months away. Start by creating a checklist that highlights everything that needs to be done.
Your list should include key aspects like the following:
- Get quotes from different moving companies.
- Arrange a date for utilities to be switched on at the new house.
- Establish a budget for the process.
- Cancel any mail that still comes to your home.
- Research the best ways to move your pets.
- Start collecting boxes, large containers and garbage bags.
- Assess what’s needed to relocate children to new schools if necessary.
- If you’re using a trailer, get quotes to find the best option.
- List all the items you’ll need to use on the trailer such as car straps, moving blankets and corner protectors to protect delicate furniture.
Declutter
The reality of moving is that the more items you have to move, the more difficult and stressful the whole process will be. And in truth, you don’t really need some of what you own!
The solution is to declutter as much as you can. Get the whole family involved in this process by making each person responsible for their own rooms.
One of the quickest ways to declutter is to set items aside that can be donated. Consider these tips:
- Donate old blankets and towels and even carpets to your local pet shelter.
- Find a local Red Cross shelter or Save the Children organisation who you can donate old clothes and toys to.
- Don’t just throw things away—consider dropping unusable items off at a recycling centre.
Think Outside the Box
When it comes to packing up your items, your budget may not allow buying new boxes or containers. In this instance, don’t stress. Simply think outside the box! Try these tips:
- Use your pots: Use bigger cooking pots to pack utensils and smaller kitchen items in. Pots are also excellent for packing spices, condiments and other non-perishable pantry items, so they don’t get damaged on the way.
- Zip tie your clothes hangers: Don’t pack clothes into boxes—rather leave them on hangers and use a zip tie to tie a bunch of hangers together. This you can easily scoop up and transport in the backseat of your car.
- Use pillowcases: If you have extra pillowcases, use them to transport smaller items such as socks, underwear and even kids’ toys.
- Larger plastic containers: Any large plastic containers can easily be converted into temporary storage for bathroom items, arts and crafts items and even photo frames.
- Laundry baskets: Another item you can use to move items in is your laundry basket. For instance, it’s an excellent place to pack shoes, bigger toys, or even dishes. If you’re packing glass items into the basket, be sure to wrap them in newspaper or blankets.
Label Everything
Whether you’re using boxes or containers, another important aspect to keep in mind is to LABEL EVERYTHING! You can use markers and labels that you can easily stick onto your boxes.
Alternatively, you can also make your own labels by cutting a piece of A4 paper into smaller pieces. Use some of your clear packaging tape to stick the label onto the box or container.
If you have a selection of coloured paper in your craft box, use different colours for each room. That way, when boxes are coming into the new home, it will be easy to immediately identify which rooms they need to go into.
Getting older children to help with this process will give you time to focus on other packing and organizing.
Final Thought
There’s no need to make your moving process harder than it needs to be. A few simple organisation skills combined with some out-of-the-box thinking will get you moving without creating too much additional waste. Delegating tasks to everyone in the home will ensure that you’re not doing everything on your own! Use a few smart strategies, so you can enjoy the move even more than expected.
