Moving is awful. There is absolutely no way around it. You have to put your entire life on hold to organize all your belongings, pack all the stuff you’re bringing, load everything into a truck, transport it all to your new home, unpack everything and attempt to bribe your friends into helping you with money, free food and free beer. However moving doesn’t have to be quite as difficult everybody makes it out to be. Here are some easy hacks (besides hiring a local moving company) that can make your next move a little less stressful.
- Be Smart About Where You Get Your Boxes
Don’t buy your boxes at a post office or office supplies store and buy a bunch a boxes. Instead use every source you have to get boxes for free. If you have a friend that you know recently moved, ask if you can reuse some of the boxes they might have saved. Also grocery stores, warehouse type stores and Craigslist will likely have a bunch of boxes that you can have for free.
- Get Rid of Everything You can
Since you are cleaning out your entire home, moving is always a good time to get rid of anything that you don’t need anymore. Before you start packing anything, go through all your belongings and sort everything into 3 piles. Stuff you plan on bringing with you, stuff that can be donated and stuff that can simply be thrown away. It will make packing a lot easier and you will fell a lot more organized.
- Take Pictures of All Your Electronics Before Packing Them
The last thing you want to deal with is not being able to set up your T.V. or your internet connection when you move in. To avoid this small hassle, take a picture of how everything is plugged into all of your electronics before you pack them. This way all you will have to do is simply match to your picture when you’re setting everything up.
- Wrap All Clothes On Hangers In Garbage Bags
This is a more well-known hack to most experienced movers, but this list would feel incomplete without it. To avoid a bunch of clothes scattered all over the place, wrap everything on hanger in garbage bags and tie them up at the bottom so you can simply throw them in the truck. Then when you arrive at your new home, all you have to do is take the garbage bags off and hang your clothes.
- Turn Your Dresser Into A Giant Box
Don’t take everything out of your dresser just so you can put them in another box. Maximize your space by filling your dresser with as many clothes as you can. When you can’t fit anything else, wrap moving tape all around your dresser to seal your drawers shut. This saves on space, work and money on extra boxes you don’t really need.
- Keep Loose Nuts and Bolts in Plastic Bags
It’s common to lose small pieces to your bed, furniture, electronics etc. Avoid this by putting all these little pieces into plastic bags. Put all the loose screws, nuts and bolts to everything in separate bags and either label them with a sharpie or tape them to their corresponding piece of furniture or machine so you don’t have to have to spend too much time figuring out what goes together.
- Use Soft Objects As Padding
Don’t overspend on paper and packing peanuts to make sure all of your fragile belongings are safe. Utilize as many soft objects as you can and wrap them around anything that you are worried about breaking. Think towels, old shirts, socks, bed sheets, etc.
- Stop Grocery Shopping
About 2 weeks before moving day, don’t do anymore grocery shopping. Slowly you’ll be cleaning out your refrigerator and pantry, thus also giving you more incentive to pack up the kitchen. The downside is you might have to resort to eating out for most of your meals if you run out before the big day. But that’s better than having to either throw away perfectly good groceries or having to worry about how to pack them.
- Have a Box for All Your Materials
Whether it’s an actually tool box or just some old tupperware, it’s smart to have a box that holds all your basic moving materials. Moving tape, sharpies, box cutter, and any other handheld tools you might need. It’s a small tip, but being organized will save you that much more precious time.
- Make a One-Day Box
After you’re finally done moving, you aren’t going to be in the mood to unpack all of your stuff right away. Avoid having to do this by packing a separate box with all the stuff that you need to survive one day. Sundries, a change of clothes, anything you might need for work, any dry food you might be bringing along.
