Packing for your move?
Excited about moving? Dreading the packing? These top tips will help you fly through it.
Moving is stressful. Packing everything that you own into boxes and then unpacking it again is a very daunting prospect. Putting some careful planning into your packing before you start though, can save you time and money.
Plan
First things first. Plan. Don’t wait until the last week to start packing. Once you’ve decided on your moving date, immediately create a schedule based on the time that is left and stick to it.
Divide and conquer. Keep the items you own in groups depending on the room they’re located in, material they’re made of and how often you use them.
As you pack make sure your first box contains everything you’ll need right away. Toiletries, towels, first-aid kit and a flashlight or some candles in case of any problems.
Start with items that you don’t use that much and don’t mix items from different rooms or items of different types such as liquids and clothes. Accidents in this case can prove stressful and expensive.
While packing, take the opportunity to donate to charity anything that you don’t need. It’s important to remember that you may have more or less space depending on where you are moving, but also whether you will use this item in the future. A balance between emotion and logic is key to making the right decisions here.
For large and expensive items consider a professional moving company. The cost may be offset by any accidents that could occur if you package that expensive ornament incorrectly or your new painting won’t fit snugly in the boot.
Save money – use what you have at hand
Packing materials can be expensive. You probably have lots of things you can use for this in your home already.
Cling Film. Keep necklaces and bracelets from tangling. Lay some jewellery on the cling film and fold over. This will keep the jewellery separate and avoid the annoying task of having to untangle them.
Garbage Bags. Keep your clothes on their hangars. Make a hole at the bottom of the garbage bag and pull the bag down over the clothes to make sure your clothes stay neat and clean.
Sandwich bags. Keep all screws and bolts in sandwich bags along with any keys for desk drawers. This will help you avoid losing anything important.
Put pillows and blankets in Garbage bags. Then use them as padding between furniture or between things that may break easily.
TV’s/Computers
Take a photo of the back of your TV or computer on your phone. Then carefully take each lead and store it in a separate plastic bag to avoid tangling them. When you unpack, pull up your photo and easily reassemble your TV/Computer.
Labels
Make sure you label everything correctly.
It might seem like a chore to start with but the benefits of easily finding the box that contains something you really need far outweighs the hassle of writing the label.
Pace yourself
It will take time. Make sure you take on one room at-a-time and don’t try and do too much too quickly. Rushing can lead to misplaced items and poor packaging.
Instead make sure you plan ahead and allow enough time to pack your items.
