Moving from one place to another can be one of the most stressful things you experience. Having to pack up your entire life, driving all of it somewhere else, and then unpacking it can overwhelm anyone. However, there are plenty of hacks you can use to speed up the process. Here are five of them to get you pointed in the right direction.
Declutter
You might feel the urge to pack up everything that is nailed down before you leave for your new home, but try to resist the urge. Take the time to analyze your possessions. If something isn’t going to be useful in any way in the future, it might be time to get rid of it for good. You can always arrange to donate anything you don’t want anymore, or try selling unwanted things that are still in good condition online.
Color-Coding
Once you start filling up boxes, label them with different colors and find a way to organize them, such as labeling items for specific rooms of your house. These could include kitchenware, bathroom and bedroom objects, as well as things designated for any storage in attic or basement spaces. This will help you save tons of time when you’re packing. It’s easy for things to get lost during a move. Color-coding your things help prevent that. Even if you’re just letting a moving company do all the heavy lifting, they’ll appreciate the gesture too.
Take Pictures
After you’ve labeled everything, but before you start actually packing up, snap some photos of everything. That way, even if something gets lost or misplaced out of the box where it belonged, you’ll be able to refer to the pictures you took when you were sure about where everything was. That will help anything that’s missing stand out. You’ll most likely have too much stuff to be able to document absolutely everything by taking pictures, but it will definitely help.
Liquids
Pack all of your liquids together. Keeping them all isolated from the rest of your stuff will make it less likely that anything will get soaked or damaged as your belongings are being transferred. Liquids could include juices and water, laundry and household detergents, and shower gels you’re taking with you.
Cover Your Bases
There are a few more things you might eventually want to take pictures of. The first is your utilities. Before you leave for your new home, take photographs of your gas and water meters. Sometimes the last bill you get sent for an address can be inaccurate. For similar reasons, take pictures of your entire home inside and out, to protect against erroneous claims made by your landlord.
Moving can be complicated, but it doesn’t have to be if you’re thinking smart and thinking twice over everything. Whether it’s hiring movers, or hiring a truck if you want to pull the move off yourself, or even shelling out for temporary storage, think twice about every decision you make. Doing so will save you time and money.
