Super Simple Tips to Make Moving Easier
Moving is fun – said no one ever.
The fact of the matter is that moving – much like job loss, divorce and the death of a loved one – is one of the most stressful situations in a person’s life.
Even if you’re moving from a small apartment to your very first home, the process is still a hassle. From dishing out money for a moving truck to packing up all of our belongings, moving interferes with our normal routine. And any break from our usual routine causes stress.
But moving doesn’t have to be a complete pain in the neck. Here are 10 moving tips and tricks to make your life easier.
10 Stress-Free Moving Ideas You Should Box Up and Take With You
#1 Purge Your Stuff
Moving is as good a time as ever to sort through all of your belongings. If you haven’t used it in the past year, chances are you’ll never use it again, so there’s no sense in bringing it with you to your new place. Decide which items can be donated or thrown out altogether.
Time Before Moving Day: 2 weeks.
#2 Pack Seasonal Items in Storage Bins
If you don’t already have your seasonal and holiday items packed away in plastic storage bins, now’s the time to do so. Once you’re moved in, you can simply put your bins in an attic, basement or closet.
Time Before Moving Day: 1 to 2 weeks.
#3 Hire Movers
One of the obvious ways to make moving easier is to hire people to do the heavy lifting for you. Just make sure everything is completely packed before your help arrives. Also, book them weeks in advance and read the fine print to see if they have any special instructions for you to follow.
Time Before Moving Day: 1 to 2 months.
#4 Change Your Address
There’s a couple ways you can do this. You can visit USPS.com/move and change your address online or stop by your local post office and request a Movers Guide.
Time Before Moving Day: 2 weeks.
#5 Place Hanging Clothes in Garbage Bags
Clothes are a pain to pack and unpack. Make it easy on yourself by keeping your clothes on their hangers and putting them in garbage bags. This will keep your clothes wrinkle-free and makes for faster unpacking.
Time Before Moving Day: 1 day.
#6 Keep Sandwich Bags Handy
Place loose bolts, screws, curtain rods, nails and other small parts of items you have to take apart into sandwich bags and label them accordingly. The last thing you want when you’re settling into your new home is to go put something together and realize you don’t have all the necessary pieces to do so.
Time Before Moving Day: 1 day.
#7 Pre-Clean the Bathroom and Kitchen
Prior to moving day, show up to your new place and pre-clean the bathroom and kitchen. Set up your shower curtain, set out bath towels and wipe down counters and cupboards. This will save you tons of time when unpacking the rest of your bathroom essentials and kitchenware.
Time Before Moving Day: 2 to 3 days.
#8 Defrost and Clean Your Refrigerator
Taking your refrigerator with you? You’ll want to defrost and clean it at least a day before moving and use towels to wipe up any water that may drip. By doing this you’ll avoid a smelly, wet mess on moving day.
Time Before Moving Day: 1 day.
#9 Get Creative With Your Packing
Cut down on boxes by turning all of your baskets, laundry bins and other items into quick storage. Put cleaning supplies into a clean, empty trash bin, use wine cases for your glassware or egg cartons to pack jewelry.
Time Before Moving Day: 1 week.
#10 Establish a Color-Coding System
Labeling boxes and storage bins is an important step in the moving process. To make it even easier on yourself, color-code your labels and assign each room in your house a color. When it comes time to unpack, you can simply place each box and bin into the room it’s associated with.
Time Before Moving Day: 1 week.
Moving doesn’t have to be a hassle. Minimize the stress with these helpful moving tips. Have an idea of your own to make moving easier? Let us know in the comments below!