Moving can take a lot of energy, and if you don’t know what you’re doing, you’ll end up overexerting yourself. Even some of the most prominent moving companies will tell you that it’s crucial to plan everything before contacting a moving service. And yes, planning for a move can be just as stressful as the process itself.
Luckily, you can learn from other people’s experiences, summed up neatly in this article. Reading through it, you will learn how to organize your move in the most streamlined, effective way possible. It will take time, but it will make the move much less of a headache than it tends to be.
Moving is a huge event, and as such, people need to have as much control over it as possible. The best way to do that is to draft a move plan from the very first to the very last day.
You’ll first want to create a master plan, a sort of spreadsheet that covers all of the key dates of the move. In addition, mark up the dates of major sub-events, like:
- Dates when you sell or give away certain items before the move
- Meetings with the movers, the realtors, and potential home buyers
- The final moving date
- Dates that involve utility cancellations and potential repairs
- Dates when your friends and family are free to help.
Nowadays, you can use one of many moving apps to create a perfect schedule. These apps have the extra benefit of providing their own suggestions and notifying you if there’s a snag in the plan. Furthermore, you can also put together a list of all the items you want to take with you. But more on that in the section that follows.
Whether you live in a three-story home or a dingy little apartment, you are bound to have a lot of stuff. So, before doing anything else, you will need to declutter. And depending on what you have, where you live, and who you know, you can carry out this task in several different ways.
One of the best methods of earning a little extra cash during a move is to sell stuff you don’t want to use anymore. After all, there will always be someone who can benefit from that worn-out couch or that Star Wars bedsheet. That is also an excellent way of getting rid of old children’s toys, small gadgets, garden tools, spare parts, old newspapers, magazines, etc. All of those items can be an eyesore when you try to pack them for the move.
Some people tend to organize garage sales, which bring the local community together and make for interesting social events. Others simply put the items they don’t need on Craigslist, eBay, or other similar retail websites. If possible, try both options; first, try to sell some of your items online, and then take everything you have left and organize a garage sale.
Organizations like the Salvation Army and Goodwill will gladly take useful but unwanted items if you’re willing to donate. After all, if you can help someone out by donating something you don’t need, then you should. Furthermore, you can actually use certain donations for tax write-offs. But more importantly, you would be directly helping the community in a substantial, noble way.
If you’ve already sold or donated most of your clutter, you can always use the rest as gifts. Make your neighbors, friends, co-workers, and distant family members happy by giving away free stuff that they can use. Everyone loves free things, and even if they dislike the gift, they can always try to resell it on their end, so nobody really loses there.
People tend to lend and borrow items left and right. So, it’s only natural that you might have a few things in your home that don’t belong to you. Make a list of those items and return them all to their rightful owners before you move.
If you do all of the steps above properly, you will be left with two groups of items. One of those two will definitely end up in a bin. But don’t immediately think of chucking any items in a trash container somewhere. Instead, find a good recycling or upcycling facility and give them a call. Furthermore, get in touch with the local waste disposal company and see what dates work for them, so that you can get rid of everything in one day without a lot of hassle.
After decluttering, you will be left with only the items you want to take with you. In order to avoid any headaches, you will want to get the best boxes possible and pack properly.
The first thing you’ll need to do is decide how to mark your boxes. You can use a number system or color coding, or both. Next, designate boxes for each room depending on how much stuff you have. Make sure that you pack fragile items extra carefully so that they don’t scrape against one another during the long drive. Finally, take inventory of each packed box and label them for size, color, number, and destination room. That way, you will have a list of boxes in case the movers lose or misplace some.
An essentials bag is always a must during moves. You will pack everything you need to make it through the drive from your old home to the new one in this bag. The most common items here will include:
- Clean clothing
- Towels
- Toiletries
- Food and supplies for you and your family
- Food and supplies for your pets
- Some essential tools for unpacking and furniture assembly
- Cash, checkbooks, and/or cards
- Electronic devices, cellphones, chargers, etc.
- House and car keys
Medication and first-aid kits.
While you can pack and organize alone, it isn’t really recommended that you do. It’s an incredibly stressful process, and even the strongest people buckle under pressure. So, if you can, always contact friends and family that are willing to help you pack and sort stuff. It would also be great if some of them could help you settle in your new home, especially since you won’t be familiar with anyone there.
Proper organization is half of your work done. By having everything on paper and ticking boxes one after another, your move will go by in a flash. More importantly, you’ll feel a lot less stressed than you normally would. Organizing everything gives you a new level of control over the situation, and that’s incredibly vital to pulling through the whole process with ease.
