It’s no secret that moving is difficult. You’re moving everything you own from one place to another, and that’s always going to take a lot of time and energy. But it doesn’t need to be awful. There are a variety of ways to make your move easier. Use these tips to make your move as stress-free as possible.
Throw/give away anything you don’t need
This is the first step to moving, but it’s also something you’ll probably do continuously throughout the process. On moving day, you might find yourself throwing away things you don’t expect simply because you don’t want to deal with it. Regardless, it’s better to start your moving off with some spring cleaning.
Start with the obvious items like clothes, books, and movies. If you haven’t used it in the last year, you’re probably not going to. Also, go through your cabinets for expired food and medicine. You’d be surprised how much expired stuff you have floating around. Then, you can tackle things like kitchen appliances or dishes you don’t use or will need to replace. Eventually, you might even move on to big-ticket items like furniture. You can check out this list of what you could get rid of.
Start saving newspaper
You might not want to splurge on bubble wrap unless you actually need it. If you get a newspaper, start saving it so you can wrap your breakable items like your dishes and picture frames. You don’t have to subscribe to a newspaper, though. Many people receive coupons and weekly deal fliers made of newspaper material that can be used as well. Just make sure it’s the heavy-duty, regular newspaper. Those thin inserts you get in the mail might not be as helpful.
If you don’t get any newspapers and you still don’t want to get bubble wrap, you can use things like towels, blankets, and even your clothes to pack up anything fragile.
Get a variety of boxes
You’ll need all sorts of boxes to get through this move, even large boxes that seem like they would be too big. Those big boxes can’t store anything too heavy, but they are great for moving things like comforters. If you’re moving books, get heavy-duty boxes that are specially made for moving heavy things. You can buy book boxes or you can source out your local liquor store for boxes. Looking into boxes from your local moving company, like CLR, can help you get boxes for cheaper too. Don’t forget about green packing materials as well!
Also, take advantage of any weird storing spaces you have like laundry hampers, baskets, or even clean trash cans. Nothing should ever be packed empty with the exception of large furniture like dressers, which you definitely don’t want to move if they’re full of stuff.
Start packing early
This is perhaps one of the most important tips for a stress-free move. This is something we all say we’re going to do but often don’t. But it can save you so much stress. We always forget how much stuff we actually have, especially since we don’t see a lot of it because it’s in cabinets or closets and under our bed. Trust us. You have more stuff than you think you do.
Start by packing just a couple of boxes a day a few weeks or even a month in advance. Pack up things you probably won’t need like your movies, books, decorations, and seasonal clothes you’re not wearing. As time goes on, you can start packing more essential items like cooking supplies you won’t need immediately.
Label everything
This may seem like a gimme, but it can get overlooked when you’re just stuffing boxes. Label every single box with important information like which room it needs to go into. Another important thing to consider is which boxes will need to be opened first. Any boxes that are essential need to be marked as such. Additionally, be sure to mark any boxes with fragile items or sharp items like knives. It might be helpful to label even more specifically and say what’s in each box. If you’re packing things in strange places like baskets, label them with tape. If you want to get really into it, you can color-code everything.
Put any cords into labeled or separate bags
Separate your electronic cords and put them into individually labeled Ziploc bags or at the very least, separate bags. This way you know which cords belong to which electronics. You don’t want to be digging through a massive bag of cords looking for the one you need to plug in the TV. This is an easy timesaver for later on when you’re setting everything up. Taking a picture of your electronic setup is also a good idea.
Hire movers
Movers are always a great investment. They’re the best way to make your move as stress-free as possible. Movers can take care of the big stuff, making your move a whole lot easier. Your movers might even be able to move specialty items. We can!
If you’re looking for a stress-free move, give us a call. We are a family-owned and operated moving company out of Belmont, NH that offers flexibility during your move to help you do what’s best for you. If you’re moving, we’d love to help out.
