How to Pack for a Move
Even if you’re just moving a few blocks away,
the prospect of packing up your entire household can be overwhelming. It’s so
stressful that many people put it off until the last possible minute, which is a
recipe for disaster. Instead of letting anxiety and dread take over, make this
move the best one yet by taking an organized approach to your packing. While not
an easy task, it’s much more bearable when you break it down into three stages.
1: The Seldom-Used Stuff
Whether you’re packing up over a period of
hours or weeks, this category includes everything that you won’t need any time
soon—and probably haven’t used in months. In fact, some of it may still be in
boxes from your last move! This includes off-season clothing, seasonal
decorations, old photo albums, financial records from the past decade, that
fondue set that’s been sitting there since your wedding…you get the picture.
Anything that you haven’t touched in at least two months—and that you won’t need
within the next couple of weeks—makes it into this category.
2: The Need-It-Soon Stuff
You can pack these things a day or two in
advance to make moving day easier and less chaotic. Need-it-soon stuff includes
all of the items that you generally need on a daily basis but can live without
for a day or two. For example: your clothes. Pack everything up except one or
two changes of clothes. Kitchen items tend to fall into this category as well.
When you’re in the midst of organizing yourself for a move, you probably won’t
be doing much cooking—delivery, please!—so pack up your pots and pans,
silverwear, plates, glasses, etc. For the day or two when you’re in between
houses, use paper plates and disposable utensils.
3: The Need-It-Now Stuff
You shouldn’t pack items in this
category until the day of your move.
Some need-it-now may stuff may include hygiene items, pet
supplies, a change of clothes, daily prescription medication—and don’t forget to
leave a roll of toilet paper. It’s always a necessity. Also, remember to leave a
vacuum and other cleaning supplies so you can do a once-over before turning your
house over to its next occupants.
Your boxes should be loaded into your moving
van in the above order as well, with seldom-used stuff in back and need-it-now
stuff in front. This way, you won’t have to dig around for immediate necessities
in a hot (or cold) moving van.
Other tips for having a stress-free move that I’ve learned
over the years include:
·
If you have time—and you should, unless your boss told you to
report for duty in another state tomorrow—weed out your possessions either
before or as you pack. In addition to the moving boxes you’ve got set up, make
two additional piles: toss and donate. Haven’t used that camping gear
in…well…ever? Donate that and any other usable items to a charitable
organization. Some stuff is beyond redemption, however, and there’s no use
dragging it to your next house. Just dump it.
·
Not having enough boxes on hand leads to delays and promotes
frustration. Double whatever number of boxes you think you’ll need, and about a
week before your move (or earlier if you can motivate yourself to get started),
designate one room to store boxes and other packing material.
·
If you can afford them, new
moving boxes are a joy to work with. They are clean and sturdy and actually
perform the way you need them to – unlike many used boxes.
·
In a pinch, you can use kitchen linens to cushion breakables.
Place pot holders between layers of glasses and wrap fragile items in hand
towels and cloth napkins. Bonus: you won’t have to wash newsprint off of
everything when you reach your destination.
·
Mark every box carefully—on top and on at least two sides—using a
two-step approach. First, identify the room or area where the box should be
delivered (“kitchen,” for example). Then, indicate what the box actually
contains (“pots and pans”). This way it’s easy for the movers to quickly
determine where to dump the box, but it also lets you know whether you need to
open it right away or sometime next week.
·
Make a concerted effort to either eat or toss the majority of
items in your fridge and freezer. Depending on how far you’ll be moving, it can
be tough to keep cold things cold on a moving truck.