Moving house has a reputation for being stressful and sometimes this reputation is well deserved. There’s nothing quite as stress inducing as the sight of a horde of boxes, papers and items of furniture, together with the knowledge that somehow you need to get them to your new home in one piece. Luckily, you can remove some of the stress and hassle of moving house if you prepare and get organised. In essence, this means have a plan, stick to it and don’t leave anything to the last minute.
Planning
To get organised, it’s often helpful to make a list of what needs doing, who you need to contact, such as an Michigan moving company and what will be taken and what could be thrown out. This list should also cover items such as marking pens that you’ll want to have with you so you can organise a basic system for sorting your possessions. This system could involve numbering or colour coding things you want to keep, such as your house signs, for example and those you don’t mind getting rid of.
Packing
Packing itself needs prior planning, because it’s a big job. Allocate a sufficient period of time to packing and leave yourself time to panic, get confused and so on, because this will likely happen at some point. Before you can pack anything, you need carriers and containers, such as bin bags, sturdy boxes and wrapping paper. You’ll want to name or otherwise record each container you use so that you can integrate that piece of packing into your moving-day system. Ensure the containers you get are suitable for their purpose – don’t go for boxes that are might fall apart or that are too small, for example. Make sure you can actually lift the containers after you’ve packed them, too.
As you pack, note what you have dealt with and move it away so you’re not constantly standing amid the chaos. Keeping your work space clear of already packed boxes will help to minimise stress as you pack. It also helps to establish what bits of packing you’ll do first. For example, work clockwise through the rooms in your house and pack the contents of each in turn, so you can store boxes in rooms you’ve cleared out already.
Unwanted Possessions
One way to cut down the packing process is to simply pack less. This may be difficult, though, unless you actively seek to clear out possessions you no longer want to keep. So ensure you take the time to perform a mass clear out before the packing process begins. If you do this a month or so before you plan to move, it will give you time to attend a car boot sale or else sell those unwanted goods over the internet. You’ll then have less to pack and the clearout will help you in organising your possessions prior to the packing process. You can always buy new versions of old goods later.
On a final note, remember that moving out of your home will mean updating many people and organisations on your change of address. Get in touch with those contacts so that your post can be redirected and your transition to your new home will be even smoother.
Zoe is an avid blogger and experienced freelance writer, and loves to share her knowledge through content on the internet. Zoe is currently writing on behalf of house sign company House Name Plate.