After our move to Littleton, I think this blog post would be better titled “How NOT to move” because we did not move efficiently. The move took close to a month and a half and now that we are through it, I have been reading up on the perfect move and how to do it. It may be too late for us but I am sure you can benefit. Here are some great tips and tricks to make moving a little less painful.
- Prior to packing, go through everything. Are there items that are unnecessary and can be given away? Don’t move items you won’t use. While packing, I, personally, keep two piles going – what needs to be packed, what needs to given away and what needs to be sold.
- Organize and pack items into categories and/or rooms. This will help with unpacking.
- If this didn’t happen already, get a deep clean before moving in. We moved into a house where three cats lived previously. The seller said that they were getting a move out clean but it became evident that it needed a deeper clean. We got a number of our personal items in only to stop midway when we realized we need a deep clean before anything else came in the house.
- Pack an overnight bag (or two..). There is nothing worse than a long day of moving to only have to search for your PJs, toothbrush, etc.
- Consider what you will need immediately and pack it into a a clear box. This makes it easier to find. 🙂
- Label your boxes, this will help with locating items and while unpacking.
- We only have two broken dishes, thankfully. Don’t be like us, wrap your wine glasses and stemware in socks and keep it protected.
- Hire professional movers. If you are able to do this, this helps take a lot of the physical work out of moving. Since we were moving from two homes and fortunately (or unfortunately) had two months or more to move, we hired movers to move our furniture while we moved everything else. Don’t want to hire movers? Recruit your friends but be sure to reward with pizza and beer, of course!
No matter how you look at it, moving is no fun. Organization and preparation are the keys to moving successfully. Look here and here for even more tips. As awful as moving may be, always remember how great it will be to be settled in your new home!
