How to Prepare for a Move

Just like a chick leaving its nest, moving is a part of life. Whether you move often or are packing up your things for the first time, it’s a stressful process even for the best of planners. Fortunately, while it isn’t easy for anyone, there are ways to reduce the amount of work and make the process smoother than it might otherwise. 

Like the sound of that? Check out our packing and moving hacks for yourself and learn new ways to enhance your moving experience.​

How to Prepare for a Move

The Preparation

Generally, you want to pack as early as possible; the longer you wait, the less time you’ll have which leads you to rushing and making mistakes. So before packing, here are some moving preparations to consider that can help you in the long run.

• Set your budget. Moving can get expensive. Take advantage of prices listed online and figure out how much you can expect to spend. If the total amount exceeds your budget, consider donating or selling a few of your stuff.

• Hire a professional moving company. Find reliable movers in your area with good ratings, or ask your friends and neighbors if they know a good mover. Determine their service details and moving schedules as you contact them.

• Plan out your packing supplies. Make use of packing calculators available online to know how much you’ll need. Nothing’s worse than going back to the store because you need an extra box when packing.

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• Eat as much of your food supplies. Make it a goal to eat as much of the food left in your house before moving day. If you’re feeling generous, you can also donate your unexpired food to a local charity. ​

Reducing Your Load

We can’t overstate how much easier your move will be if you have fewer belongings. Instead of bringing your junk to your new home, try your best to throw, recycle, or donate what you don’t need. It’s an undertaking, but here are ways to make it easier.

• Make donation arrangements. If it’s still in good condition yet you want to get rid of it, consider donating it. Not only are you helping someone else, you are also mitigating environmental degradation by not having it in a landfill. If you’re donating big items like furniture and appliances, contact your local charities and schedule a pickup ahead of time. 

• Purge clothes. This is especially important for people who hoard clothes. If it doesn’t fit, is out of style, or you haven’t worn it in a year, it’s the best time to get rid of it. 

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• Get rid of items you wouldn’t buy again. When you decide on things you want to bring, ask yourself whether you would buy it if you didn’t already have it. If you wouldn’t, then you likely don’t need it at all.

How to Pack for a Move

Depending on what you’re bringing, packing for a move might be the most time-consuming part of everything. Here are ways to save yourself time while making sure your stuff is safe. 

• Start packing days before moving day. Make it a goal to be ready for pickup a day before your movers arrive. That way, you can focus on moving and minimize last-minute packing. 

 

• Prepare a camera with a decent memory. The camera is for taking pictures of your box's contents and electronic wiring setups. Before sealing your boxes, take a quick pic of the inside of the boxes. While you don’t need to take pictures of every item, it should give you a good idea of what you’ll find in each box—in case you need to jog your memory about what’s in there. 

          You’ll also want photos of some of your unpacked items, like electronics. Electronic wiring setups like TVs or            PCs can be difficult to remember. So before unplugging your electronics, take a picture of the wirings so                  you can remember how to set it up later.

• Label your boxes with letter or color codes. Save time with your box labeling by assigning a room with a different color. You then can label each box with words to categorize them even further. That way, you’ll be able to identify what needs to go where quickly.

 

• Make use of your soft items. Wrap up breakables like glasses or perfume bottles in socks and use linens or towels to cushion lamps and vases. In the kitchen, use dish towels to wrap up knives. To secure them further, use quality rubber bands. Using your soft items will save you a lot of much needed space.

 

• Get creative with your packing techniques. Find other ways to pack your things—wrap items in a large garbage bag, hang clothes in a wardrobe box, leave items in your dresser drawers, place small objects in pots, or use suitcases to hold heavy objects. If you’re going to use furniture or containers, secure it by wrapping it in plastic wrap. By getting creative, you’ll be able to save a ton of space and have it secured.

 

• Prevent spills in transit using plastic. Items that might spill—shampoo, cleaning supplies, liquid soap, condiments—must be wrapped with plastic if you don’t want it to pour out all over your things.

 

• Put together a moving essentials bag. Pack a small duffle bag or suitcase with the items you’ll need access to during your move and right after you’ve arrived at your new place, such as important documents, medications, chargers, basic toiletries, a couple of changes of clothes, etc.

 

• Leave some tasks to the movers. If you have money to spare and are hiring a moving company or junk removal company, you can offload some tasks to them. Moving companies are more than happy to wrap up your furniture and get last-minute items into boxes.

Moving hacks are all about making things easier for yourself. Follow the ones above and you’ll see that moving isn’t as bad as you expected it to be—it can even be fun if you want it. Just remember to always be smart and safe about it.​