- Save boxes. I learned this one from my wife. She would tell me when we first moved here to "save the box for that!" & I'd be like no it's just in the way we dont need it. But actually, we do need it keep those boxes! When we bought our microwave, fan, tv, PlayStation, all those big items I should have saved all those boxes. I kept the fan box, it's brilliant because in winter when we dont need it we can take it apart and put it back in its box and when we move it'll take up less space. I kept the PlayStation box also that's the safest way to not mess up the game every time we move its safe in there. Other boxes I've saved since include all my kitchen appliance boxes, our record player box, Keurig box, knife set box. They are all going to come in handy this move, they are all in their boxes where they are going to be kept safe and not lost. So you have the box for the thing you need to put away and you dont have to label it because it's literally in the box it came in.
- Hoard boxes a month or 2 in advance if you can. I ordered some jars for my kitchen pantry and they came in this GIANT box, it's sturdy from Amazon and it'll come in handy. Also in that box were 2 boxes and in those 2 boxes, there was another box. I'm not sure why so many boxes were involved blame Amazon but I saved all of them because you could always use smaller boxes. My mother in law sent a package and we saved that box too. We buy eggs in bulk so they come in a box and I saved a couple of those. We bought a pack of 48 pop tarts once and I saved that box. So now you have 10 fewer boxes you need to buy because those can get expensive.
- Dont buy boxes. You can show up really late at Walmart or really early whenever they do stock at your Walmart and ask nicely if you could have some boxes. They will most likely say yes. When I worked at TCP I was able to take boxes they get with the stock. I dont work there anymore but feel free to call your local Children's place and ask if they have boxes or ask if they can save you some boxes that you can pick up the next morning. They'll probably say yes, they are free, you are recycling, and the awesome thing is that they are like 90% all the same size which is awesome when you are stacking boxes, they are pretty sturdy too. There are so many places to get free boxes I will never buy s box for moving ever!
- Small boxes are your friend. Shoe box fits all my cables and iPods and old phones extension cords. Those egg boxes I used for picture frames and a couple of my knick knack home decor items. Depending on what kind of person you are a small box is good for your makeup! Small box is good for all those small random things that you dont want to toss in a giant box. Small box for your kitchen utensils. Small box for your plates and cups. Because when you toss it all in a giant box it's too heavy to even pick up then your box falls apart and you dont want that!
- Lable everything. Every single box. Try to be very specific. Maybe write in there if it's a box that can wait or has to be opened asap. Write big in neat writing.
- Start packing early, a month in advance if you can. But only things that you dont need daily. So that way you can do a box or 2 a couple days a week. Then when it comes closer to the big day you don't overwhelm yourself.
- Declutter ahead of time. Probably a month or 2 in advance. Go through areas of your house and get to spring cleaning. Maybe do one room a week. Clean out your closets, kitchen cabinets, pantry, fridge, your movie collection, book collection, your makeup, everything. Donate items, sell items, throw away items. Do what you have to do.
- Plastic bags! I hate plastic bags I've slowly have tried to only use my reusable bags when I go shopping but I still have a ton of plastic bags I dont want to throw away. They are actually coming in handy. You can use plastic bags to wrap your fragile things like glass plates or picture frames so they dont break. Just wrap them in bags and tape them to keep them wrapped and it'll keep your fragile items more secure. instead of using a ton of newspaper. I personally dont get a newspaper so I wouldn't want to go buy a newspaper just to use it for packing.
- Dont go grocery shopping a week or 2 before the move so that way you dont have to move so many food items those can be a hassle. Just try to use up the stuff you already have.
- For packing your food items you can use your cooler for the frozen and refrigerated items.
- For other food items, you can use those reusable bags that you use when you do your grocery shopping. That's what they are for so they will work for your canned food and pantry items.
- Use bags you already have to pack items instead of using boxes. Pack up those backpacks with items and even hand bags save space and put bags inside of bags.
- For shoes, I packed my shoes in a suitcase we dont have that many so they fit perfectly in a suitcase.
- Cleaning supplies, you need those on hand. You have to clean up the place you're leaving and leave it how you go it nice and clean, dont be a jerk clean your mess. But you also have to clean up your new place it may look clean and it may actually be clean but I like doing my own cleaning when I move to a new place. If I think too much about how someone else lived there and how gross of a person they could have been I get creeped out so cleaning is a must. A good idea is to keep all your cleaning supplies in a bucket all your rags and sponges and scrubbers and cleaning sprays. They should fit if not just pick the important ones. That way it'll be easier to carry them back and forth.
- Resist from buying new items. I'm so excited to reorganize and redecorate. But the thing is I want to buy things I know will work with our current kitchen and I'm not 100% sure how our new kitchen is laid out. So what if when I move the things I bought dont work out for that kitchen! For example, we have a pantry our new place doesn't, also the new place I think has more drawers this place I only have 2. Just wait till you get to the new place, maybe save extra money to splurge on new organization things and new home decor. Then it'll also be fewer items to move if you wait to buy them.
- Pack your essentials separately. Toothbrush, toilet paper, shampoo, an outfit change pack these in a special bag that you keep near you so that you dont have to dig through boxes to find your shampoo or a pair of underwear. You'll be good to go!
- Keep your tools in a special box. We have this cute little tool box with all the basics like screwdrivers and a hammer and nails. You will need tools at some point. In this special box put all your little screws and things from stuff you took apart like the screws on your table put them in a ziplock bag label it and place it in the tool box. Now you know where all your little screws are and it's handy because you will need the tools to put it together so it'll all be in one.
- Have a packing room/area. All that packing you've done ahead of time you can just start stacking boxes in one part of your house it'll make you feel more organized and show how much progress you've actually made.
- Packing dressers. Don't just dont do it, it's a big hassle and unnecessary. Just tape your drawers shut.
- Packing Clothes. Keep them on their hanger. Whether you choose to buy a special box for your clothes or do the thing where you stuff the clothes in the garbage bag. Whatever you want just keep them on the hanger. I'm still sometimes a mess so I will probably just toss them in the Jeep in hand fulls. Then when you get to your new place you can just hang them in a closet and organize that later.
Bonus don't forget to change your address and switch over all your utilities. With that being said I may or may not have a part 2 to this post because I have so many other things that I could think of. Also after the move, I could do a new one of things I would do differently. Expect more moving posts, like organization and home decor and other stuff.
Comment how you feel about moving or maybe share some of your tips with me. Don't forget to subscribe to get updates when I post a new post. I try to post 3 or more times a week!
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