Moving Boston-How to prepare

MOVING HOUSE:

 THE STRESS-FREE PACKING GUIDE

Moving house can be a very stressful time for everyone, so it is important to try and make it as smooth as possible. It is especially important to avoid this stress before you have even begun to move your belongings, and this means to ensure you are packing effectively.

Your Handy, Stress-Free Packing Guide
Here are some handy hints to ensure that packing goes as 
stress-free as possible!

Ensure that you are not leaving anything to the last minute whatsoever! It is incredibly important when packing to not leave yourself too short on time and therefore hurrying to get everything ready and finished in time. This can lead to carelessness when you are packing your belongings for the move and can often be the catalyst for your own belongings getting damaged.

Use reliable and effective containers and boxes to store your belongings in. 

It is easy to acquire strong and reliable boxes and containers from shops which are also useful and efficient for storing items in when packing to move house. Look to use reliable and recommended brands that fit the sizes that you will require to pack your things into. Try to avoid using containers that you think might be strong enough to hold your belongings. It is important that they are secure when being transported. Removal services may also offer containers and boxes that can be used if you are using one of them.

Make sure that containers and boxes are clearly labeled.

 Clearly labeled containers and boxes allow you to be able to find the things that you are going to need first when you are unpacking your belongings into your new home.

Make sure to mark the room and the content of the box, It will make it easier for you and the movers to find which room to place the Items and what is in them.

 Use packing as an opportunity to streamline some of your possessions and belongings. 

Often when beginning to pack for a move, you realize that you have many more possessions than you initially thought. This is a great chance to be able to streamline some of these things. Be it an old t-shirt that is faded and doesn’t fit anymore, or house ornaments that you just don’t use, moving is a chance to be able to send these unwanted items to charity shops. 

You should really assess whether these items have any sentimental value at all or whether you may actually use them again before deciding what should go. It also creates less for you to unpack at the other side!

Ask for a few favors!Packing is definitely an opportunity to use any favors that you may be owed to help speed along the process and make use of friends and family who can help you with your upcoming move. Often, people are more than willing to join you in your mountains of packing. It is a lot easier with 5 pairs of hands compared to just one!

Preparing for a Smooth MoveRemember that packing is just the first part off your move, so it is important that it goes smoothly. These simple tips should allow you the opportunity to be able to do that, as well as decreasing your stress levels greatly. Happy packing people!

THE PACKING TIPS THAT KEEP US ORGANIZED WHILE WE MOVE

I tackle packing up our home in four rounds.  Breaking it up into rounds or stages really helps to keep me from feeling overwhelmed and it also makes the packing process a little easier for me.

ROUND 1 – NON-ESSENTIALS AND THE BIG DECLUTTERING

Round one is the toughest round.  It takes the longest, but it also offers the greatest reward.  This is also the round where the majority of the packing happens.  Before you begin to gather up your supplies.  You will need:

• the packing kit
• boxes
• recycling and garbage bags

Pick a starting point and begin working your way through the room, sorting everything as you go.  I use four categories:

• Pack
• Need Out
• Donate
• Toss

I put all the donate and toss items right into the appropriate bag or box.  Then I tackle what’s in the pack pile.  I pack it all up, right then.  Jotting down items on my packing list so I know where to find them later.

ROUND 2 – PLANNING AND PACKING IMPORTANT ITEMS

This round happens between 6-4 weeks before moving day.  I go through all the rooms and pull out all the important things that I may need or don’t want to lose during the move.  These include things like:

• Important documents and contracts
• Photos, planners, toys, comfort items that mean a lot
• Cleaning rags and supplies for at the new home
• Clothes and bedding for the first few days in a new home
• First Aid kit and toiletries

I pack these items accordingly.  These are going to be the items that are either the very last things loaded into the moving truck, or they’re the items that are being loaded into our vehicle.  Having them set aside ahead of time allows me to stop fretting that I’ll forget something.  And if I find another item that belongs in this category I can easily put it where it goes.

Another advantage to having the important things and essentials taken care of early means I can easily breeze through the rest of the packing without having to think about it too much.

ROUND 3 – EVERYTHING BUT WHAT IS ABSOLUTELY NEEDED

I like to think of this as the home stretch around.  It’s time to start packing up everything but our most essential items.  It means we’re going to be roughing it for a week or a two, but it also means we’re almost on our way to our new home.  For this round, I go through every single room and pack everything that we can manage without for a week or two.  Packing up this stuff early serves two purposes.

1. It allows time to decompress and rest before moving day
2. It makes cleaning so much easier

ROUND 4 – THE LAST OF IT

Round four is like a liquidation sale – everything must go!  Because we did the bulk of the de-cluttering in round one, this time around is super easy.  You’re just packing things up.  Going through the different rounds or stages also means the items you’re packing in this final round are your essentials.  These are the first things you’re going to want to unpack at the new home.  If you like, use colored duct tape on these boxes so you can quickly see which ones you need to unpack first.

BONUS TIP

If you use the numbered box system like I do, unpacking is a breeze.  Start unpacking the highest numbered boxes first, and you’ll have your new home set up and running quickly.

Moving to a new home is a lot of work.  It can feel overwhelming and daunting at times, but if you break it down into smaller rounds or stages, it can really help you feel more in control of the process.  And, if you’re like me, stress exacerbates my scatter-brain tendencies.  Being able to narrow my focus into segments like this helps to keep me moving forward and cuts down on how much I flit from task to task.

I hope the packing tips I’ve shared in this post help you with your next move, as much as they’ve helped us with many of ours.