For many people, moving to a new home is both exciting and intimidating. While you may be thrilled about moving to a new location, the amount of work moving requires may make you want to crawl back into bed until your belongings somehow teleport themselves to your future home.
Since teleportation is still just a theory, you’re going to have to roll up your sleeves, stretch your back and prepare for some hard work if you’re getting ready to move. Although you might not be looking forward to the process of moving, it’s important to remember that all of your hard work will be worth it in the end.
Useful Packing Pointers
One of the biggest parts of any move is packing your belongings. While packing is often a big job, you can employ some tips to make packing easier on you both physically and emotionally. Here are some pointers you can use to make packing your possessions something you’ll look forward to instead of something you dread:
- Purge
No, we’re not talking about a movie here. We’re talking about going through your belongings and getting rid of everything you no longer have a use for. Purging before you start to pack is a critical step because it will prevent you from having to pack, transport, unload and unpack items you don’t want.
The key is to be honest when you purge. If you haven’t worn a piece of clothing in the past year and it’s in good shape, donate it or sell it on consignment. If you haven’t plugged in your blender since you served margaritas at a party in college, consider donating it or selling it online.
- Sort by Category
Although conventional wisdom normally leads people to sort and purge their possessions by room, it’s typically a better idea to do so by category. Rather than going through your bedroom at once, start by going through all of your clothing at the same time, including the clothes in your bedroom, hall closet and storage areas. This will make it easier to sort and purge without accidentally holding onto duplicate items. It will also give you a clear idea of how many things you’ll actually be transporting.
- Donate or Sell Unwanted Items Early
As you’re sorting, you’ll generally have four options for your things. You can keep, donate, sell or trash them. You need to make a decision for everything you own before you begin packing.
If you’re going to donate some things, make arrangements for a charity to pick up your donated items early on. If you’re going to sell things, you can contact a local consignment store or sell them online. Just don’t wait too long to get the sales process started, so you won’t end up having to move things you’re attempting to sell.
- Make a Calendar
Buy an oversized calendar or make a monthly calendar using a large whiteboard. Use your calendar to schedule your packing activities. Doing this will make packing seem more manageable because it breaks up the packing process into singular steps you can literally cross off your to-do list.
However, just making a calendar isn’t enough to smooth out the packing process. You have to stick to it, too.
- Get Boxes
For most people, moving isn’t something you decide to do today and execute the following day. In general, you’ll know weeks or even months before you change residences. Use the time leading up to your move to collect boxes from local retailers like your neighborhood market. By repurposing boxes from retailers, you can save some money as you’re packing.
- Visit the Hardware Store
Even if the retailers in your area are willing to give you their used boxes, you’ll still probably end up needing more packing supplies. You can typically get everything you need to pack your belongings by visiting the nearest hardware store. Consider making a list of the supplies you’ll need before you shop for them to avoid forgetting something.
