Although a very happy period in your life, moving can tend to be a bit overwhelming. We made a big move in 2018, and we just dug in with no real plan (yeah, not such a good idea). We made it through but we can’t say it was a smooth move, at all.
It’s best to have some kind of moving plan, before you get started. Even if it stays in your mind and never makes it to paper. Having a plan can help you move efficiently and reduce your anxiety enough to get the JOB DONE!
When moving there are a ton of decisions to make, big and small. With the immense amount of decisions to be made on moving day. It is often challenging to find answers to even the simplest questions. In this article, well break down the moving process and help you decide, what to move first!
Before You Begin Packing
First, lets get rid of the things you do not need. The less you pack, the better, as more of boxes mean more time and more money. Moving is a great time to sort through old clothing and donate any unused items. If you have kids, get them involved to help create so feel good vibes before your big move.
Once you’ve reduced some of the clutter, lets make a mini checklist. Think of the busiest rooms in your home and order them from most to least. This will help us get an idea of what may take the most time and manpower. We can start on the least busiest rooms first and then end with the rooms we use the most. This prevents you and others in your home from packing, unpacking and then unpacking rooms before you move.
Now, that we have a plan, lets get started ! Keep reading for what we recommend packing up first, for a super efficient move!
What to Pack First
Pack Rooms and Things Used the Least First
Moving is a mess, but life moves on. During this haste, you still have to go to work, kids go to school, you have to eat, sleep, and tie up loose ends. Thus, functionality and keeping the ship afloat is your top priority.
Rooms that you do not use as often would not disable you if you pack them right away. So, by packing up these rooms even a week in advance; you’ll be able to make a dent in your packing without interrupting your current life.
Storage (FIRST)
A good place to start is with already stored and boxed items. It’s most likely the case, you don’t need many of these items at the moment. Think of your garage or basement and all those small things you have even forgotten you have. It sounds like a lot of work, but chances are most of the items are already sorted in boxes or jars, so it should be simple.
Paintings and Home Décor Items
Paintings and Home Décor items should also be packed away first. Miniature figures, porcelain, vases, or expensive artwork- should be handled with special care and labeled fragile. By placing these things up and out the way, you’ll at least have peace of mind. Kids artwork and trophies should also be packed up with these items. By taking pictures and other things off the wall, it will help your household mentally prepare for the big moving day. This is especially good for pets and children; who may be anxious about moving.
Pack Nonessential Items
Now that you have packed up a room or two, you can move on to non-essential items.
When you do not know where to start, go with things you would not need until after moving. When you have 10 boxes set to go, you would feel much more accomplished, so it would be easier to move on to the next step.
Towels and Linens
Towels and Linens are good items to pack first because they are pretty easy to get packed up. If the items aren’t packed up, they can’t end up in the washer! Perfect, your family will naturally learn to live on less of your stuff if half of it is packed up.
Clothing
When it comes to clothing, you should set aside items to wear for a week or so. But, the principal of unnecessary items first, still applies to clothing. For example, out of season items or unnecessary pairs of shoes take up too much space and count for the ‘’though-to-move’’ category.
This will also free up space to store boxes, that have been packed up and ready for movers. If you haven’t decluttered before hand or had some resistant’s from family; this is good place to incorporate some purging.
The Hard Stuff
Do not get yourself into wasting precious energy, moving requires a lot of it. Complete though parts first, while you still have enough motivation. All the hard items, should be left for last, this is to not only save time but keep you from burning out. This especially important, if you are packing yourself or with little help.
The Bedroom and Living Room (LAST)
This is where most of your home to large furniture pieces and expensive TVs, computers, etc. Leave these rooms for the last couple of days. It’s a good idea to rearrange this furniture before moving day, to clean up debris and find missing items that may have been hiding out.
The Other Stuff (VERY LAST)
We like saving sorting books, toys, and kitchen items leading up to your move for the last step. This can typically be energy draining.
These principals can be used in many areas of your life and for future moves. Take a deep breath, and let’s get ready for a new beginning.
