You’ve found your dream home and you’re preparing your family for a long trip to a city, state, or even country. Congratulations! Alongside the excitement of a long move, there’s plenty of factors that cause stress.
Packing your belongings can be a major time commitment, but there are tried and true strategies that can make the task a little easier.
Pack an Overnight Bag for your First Weekend
It’ll take a while before you’re able to fully unpack. Okay, let’s be real–it might take a couple days before you’re ready to unpack much at all.
Don’t get stuck digging through fifty cardboard boxes looking for a toothbrush at the end of an exhausting trip. Pack a suitcase with your essentials as if were you traveling for the weekend. You’ll want important medications, your toiletries, and a couple changes of clothes.
Electronics are another key item to include. A phone charger and a laptop for a movie will be much appreciated by the whole family.
Hire Movers to Save Time and Energy
Not everyone can carry a couch down a flight of stairs–thank goodness for professions! Even if you’re fully capable of loading everything you own into a moving van in one day all by yourself, the level of exertion and the time commitment are both significant.
Packing and preparing for a move is enough to exhaust anybody, so by the time moving day hits, an extra hand is worth a lot. Hiring a team of professional, long distance movers will make your day more pleasant from start to finish. You’ll have more strength and energy for settling in and getting your new home put together.
Sort Boxes for Easier Unpacking
This is a classic tip, but it’s one that a lot of people skip: Label your boxes with the name of their destination.
When you’re deep into the packing process, taking the time to find a permanent marker and write a room name on yet another piece of cardboard starts to feel like an annoyance. There are a few ways to make this process easier.
You can find markers with a built-in hole at the end of the cap. It’s much harder to misplace something that’s attached to a string. Wear it as a necklace or tuck it through a belt loop.
Or, do away with writing altogether and buy or print room stickers. Slapping a color-coded sticker onto each box only takes a moment and even people with the messiest handwriting will be understood.
Don’t Carry Your Trash a Long Way
Moving is an excellent opportunity to get rid of clutter, junk, and perfectly nice things that you never actually use. If you get rid of excess items as you begin to pack, you’ll have less to carry, less to unpack, and a nicer living space altogether.
For smaller items, it may be most efficient to declutter as you pack. Keep a large trash can and a box for donations close at hand. As you’re packing up your favorite dishes, you can easily remove a mismatched plate or stained mug.
Larger items should be considered in advance. Many regions’ waste collection services will pick up furniture from your curb, but there may be limitations. You could end up with a fine if you clutter the sidewalk with half a dozen pieces at once. Some heavy or potentially dangerous items may need to be hauled to a dump. That’s not a task you’ll want to fit into your busy moving day.
Bon Voyage, Enjoy Your New Home
In the end, the strain and work of a long move can be totally worthwhile. You get to explore a new place, connect with new people, and turn a new house into your home.
