Moving is often stressful, time-consuming, and complicated. It takes a great deal of work to pack up your whole life and transport it across state lines or even just to the next town over. Because it’s such a big task, there may be unexpected elements or things you may forget to do. We’re here to make sure you remember those elements and learn some new ideas for completing a successful move with our top 15 moving tips for your next move.
Tips for Moving
Our moving tips and tricks are designed to make the process of uprooting your life just a little bit easier. Take a look at our suggestions below to learn where to start the process.
1. Start by Packing an Overnight Bag
Preparing an overnight bag is an important step that will make a world of difference for you. It’s going to function just like the bag you’d pack when you go on vacation. Make sure you have all the essentials: toothbrush, toothpaste, pajamas, a change of clothes, etc. With this overnight bag, you won’t have to sift through your packed boxes looking for things you need once you get to your new place—it’ll all be readily available to you.
2. Know How You’re Going to Move
Figure out how you’re going to move. Are you going to pack and transport everything yourself? Are you going to get neighbors and friends to help? Would you rather hire professional movers? Once you know how you want to move, you can plan the actual packing and moving better.
3. Figure Out Your Open First Box
Consider all the items you own. Take stock of those that would be the most needed while you move. After you’ve figured out what those are, pack them in your “open first” box. Items to go inside could include toilet paper, drinking glasses, soap, a towel, your phone charger, etc.
4. Label Your Boxes
One of the most useful packing tips for moving is to label your boxes. Color code them so that you don’t lose track of whose stuff is whose. You’ll be able to organize the boxes in your new place and less likely to be running around unsure of where this box or that box is.
5. Take Photos of Setups Around Your House
If you’re not sure you’re going to remember how to set up your television or entertainment system, take pictures of them as they are in your current home. Take pictures of the back and the front, so you know where all the plugs need to go. This will save lots of time as you begin to set everything up.
6. Put the Heaviest Items in Suitcases
Your suitcases can take on heavier items than plain cardboard boxes can. Try putting heavy items like books or canned foods in the suitcases. The wheels will make it easier to transport, and you won’t run the risk of breaking a box and sending your stuff all over the place.
7. Keep Your Hanging Clothes Hung
Don’t waste time unhanging all your clothes. If you do that, you’ll have to pack up the hangers separately and then re-hang everything all over again. Instead, gather the hanging clothes in chunks of about 5 to 8 items and cover them with a garbage bag. Just poke a hole in the top for the hangers.
8. Pack a Cooler for Moving Day
People are going to be hungry during moving day. Like packing an overnight bag, prepping a cooler with drinks and snacks for the day of the move will be very useful. Keep this cooler with you in your car during the move.
9. Sort Through Your Stuff Before the Move
Before you begin packing and wrapping everything up, sort through your belongings and take a look at what you can get rid of. You’ll likely find that you’ve built up more of this or that than you want or need. Moving is a great time to purge your closets and pantries and remove any unwanted or unneeded items.
10. Create a Moving Checklist
Another great idea is to write down the things you need to do before the move. This could include changing your address, forwarding your mail, filling out prescriptions for family members, etc.
11. Delegate Moving Tasks
Moving takes a while. The more you delegate tasks to family members, friends, or your professional movers, the faster things will go. You can’t take everything on yourself, so don’t try to. Learn to delegate and get people involved so that the process can move along efficiently and quickly.
12. Pack Before Moving
Don’t wait until moving day to pack everything up. That’s going to slow the process down and take up a lot more time than necessary. If you pack up everything or as much as you can right before your move, actually moving everything out will happen a lot faster.
13. Invest in Packing Equipment
It’s worth it to invest in more packing equipment than you might think you need. Nothing is more inconvenient when packing than running out of tape or other supplies on your last few boxes.
14. Have Sandwich Bags on Hand
You never know what small items will show up and need to be stored once you’ve already finished packing. Keeping some small plastic sandwich bags on hand during the final stages of moving will help. You can store these needed, small items in the bags, so they aren’t misplaced.
15. Have a Plan for Food
You might have a cooler full of snacks ready to go, but that doesn’t satisfy as a real meal does. Keep in mind that you’re probably going to need to splurge on some take-out or restaurants as you move.
Trust Moving Squad to Help
Moving Squad professional movers can make your move better. Trust our team to handle packing, moving, and storage. Contact us today for a free quote.
