The Ultimate Guide for Making Your Move
Packing and unpacking is the last thing anyone wants to do after finding a new place to live — whether you’re moving with children, pets, or alone. We have the ultimate guide to help make the process go more smoothly in any scenario.
Prepare for your move ahead of time.
Ever felt like you’re so not prepared when it comes to the big moving day? If you don’t plan, you may end up throwing everything in whatever box, and then when it comes time to unpack, you can’t find anything you’re looking for — and getting frustrated in the process! Try these tips for prepping for your move ahead of time, getting the supplies you need, and organizing as you pack to save time and energy when it comes time to unpack everything.
Declutter your space: Donate, sell, or throw away anything that doesn’t serve you anymore before packing. Handling the little things now is better than waiting to handle them later.
Find the right box for your items: Consider using clear plastic storage bins to make it easier to tell what’s inside. For clothing, get the boxes with built-in hangers. For those heavy items like books and dishes, get a heavy-duty durable cardboard box.
Stock up on supplies: You will need bubble wrap, tape, and various color tags and labels to mark on the boxes to show where they go in the new place. It can help to color organize each box by the rooms they will go in — yellow for kitchen, green for office, blue for office, and so on!
Stay organized: This one might be overkill for our Type B personalities but make a list on your phone with the contents of each box, then number the box, and then bam — you know exactly where your dog’s favorite toy is.
Tip for cost-efficiency: Just because you can buy something for the move, doesn’t mean you have to. Try tying your clothing hangers together and putting a plastic bag over them, with the opening of the garbage bag tied around the hangers. This way, it keeps the clothes together, and when you’re unpacking, all you have to do is take the bag and tie off and hang them up in your new closet.
You’ll thank yourself when you arrive at your new home, spending less time tearing open boxes looking for things and more time relaxing and turning a house into a home.
Tips on moving with young kids.
Let’s face it, raising kids is difficult on a typical day, let alone trying to plan, organize and execute moving while keeping their day-to-day schedules running smoothly. So we came up with these tips to help make the process less stressful for the whole family.
Donate to reduce clutter: This is the perfect time to go through your kids’ clothes, figure out what they don’t wear, fit into, or like anymore, and make a donation bag. If clothes or toys are in disrepair, it’s also a great time to throw them out.
Pack an overnight bag: Pack a bag with things they will need for the first day in the new house. You’ll want to include items like their toothbrush, pajamas, clothes, and snacks. Also, don’t forget to pack their favorite toy, blanket, or tablet — basically anything they use daily, and you know they can’t live without!
Set up their room first: Set up the basic items of your kids’ room first. Young kids will be more likely to stay calm in the chaos with all their comforts and things to do while the rest of the family unpacks and gets organized.
The goal is to create a landing pad for the kids to preemptively tackle the questions around where their favorite blanket is or their toy, book, blanket, fuzzy, snack — you name it! Believe us; it will be easier to unpack the rest of the house if your kids are happy.
Tips on moving with pets.
Your pets are basically your kids too. Think about how you would go about moving your kids; some of those steps will be similar for your pets. You can talk your kids through a move, but your animals won’t understand what is happening, which could stress them out. Here are some tips for you to help your furry family transition smoothly.
Pack an overnight kit: Pack all of the immediate things you’ll need access to, like their food, favorite toy or blanket, litter, puppy pads, leash, bed and any medications they might have.
Pick a quiet space: Once you’re at the new house, put them in the quietest area that doesn’t have much action. If possible, set that room up with some familiar items from your home like furniture, toys, and bedding. They’ll come to wander out at their own pace. Don’t forget to keep the doors shut as you track boxes in and out in case they venture off!
Stay consistent and maintain their schedule: Try to feed and walk your pet at their regularly scheduled time if you have one. Don’t forget, it’s a new home for him too! Also, take some time away from moving to comfort and play when you can.
Pets are creatures of habit, so the trick is to keep as much familiarity and less chaos around them. Take time to ease them into the new home by showing them love and attention.
