For some reason, the moving house always seems to be a test of mental, emotional, and physical fortitude. The following will explore a few tips you can apply to help ensure your next move isn’t miserably hectic.
Give Yourself Emotional Time
Moving is emotional. Not only that, but it’s always more emotional than you think it’s going to be. The effect is doubled if you’ve lived somewhere for a while.
Make sure that you’re scheduling some time to get emotional amid the process. If packing up all the photo albums is going to involve a lengthy flip through the pages, then account for that time by planning the task early on with lots of space between packing and moving day.
If you don’t, the emotions will likely sneak up on you and burst out at less ideal times.
Sort Through Your Belongings In Advance
One factor that makes moving a lot easier is having less stuff to move. Most people have items that they don’t need or use anymore or things that are broken in their homes.
Before you begin packing, take the time to sort through and downsize your belongings. Anything you don’t use that’s still in working condition can be donated; this helps families with restricted budgets get the things they need.
It also usually has a double positive effect because the money that the donation places earn from selling your items is often also donated to a worthy cause. Anything that doesn’t work anymore or is broken upon repair can be thrown out.
Hopefully, when you’re done with this step, you’ll have a lot less you need to pack up and move. You can begin this process as soon as you’re thinking about moving.
Get Your Packing Supplies
You’re going to need boxes, bags, plastic totes, tape, and something to cushion breakable objects (this could be towels, newspapers, or bubble wrap). If you look, you’ll be able to find boxes for free.
Don’t forget to purchase the required tools to label all your boxes. You might want stickers with space for writing contents and markers.
Likewise, get your hands on some smaller containers or sandwich bags as these can be used to keep teeny items separated so that unpacking isn’t a nightmare.
Things like tacks, paperclips, nails, hair ties, small bathroom items like tweezers and nail clippers, and other mini items can easily become a mess or disappear during moving.
You can also use small bags to keep small pieces with their counterpart in larger objects; the screws that hold up your curtain rods and the twist on ends of those rods can be popped in a bag and taped to the rods.
Understand When You Need Help
Today’s culture has people feeling like they need to be all the things all the time. Not only is this unhealthy, but it’s also a recipe for disappointment.
Throughout the moving process, it’s important to admit when you need help when the tasks are just too big to get done in the time you have.
This might take the form of asking other members of your household to help you sort items. It might involve giving a handful of tasks on your list, like delivering your donation stuff to a donation bin, or to a friend.
This might mean looking into local moving companies and asking for help when you need as it is going to make the process a lot easier. It might also help you avoid injury when it comes to lifting heavy objects on your own.
Pack A Basics Bag For Each Person
When you’re moving, most of your stuff will be inaccessible. Make sure to put aside a bag for each member of your household that can hold all the things they’re likely to regularly need throughout the move or pretty quickly once they get to the new place.
This will include phones and chargers, medications and personal hygiene items, three days’ worth of clothing, homework for the kids or grown-up work for the adults, and a book or magazine in case anyone finds themselves with some spare time.
Box By Room
When you’re packing, try to keep items from each room together. This makes unpacking so much easier, and you won’t need to run around the house trying to find a spot for things. You can take one box at a time into one room and put stuff away.
The above tips should help you set yourself up for a smooth move. The preparation work you do for moving is a big part of how comfortable the experience is for you.