Managing Your Move

Moving is not unlike a trip to the dentist—necessary, but unwelcome. You can save yourself some of the stress of this life-changing process by following a few tips from moving experts. In the end, moving can help make your whole life better and less cluttered.

What to Take

Moving presents the opportunity and the challenge to go through everything you own. Apply some of the basic rules of reducing clutter to your move. If you own multiples of certain items, keep just one. Who needs two blenders or toasters? If you find items you have not used in over a year, why pack and take them with you? Are parts for unfinished projects boxed away or lying about? Maybe the move represents the opportunity for a fresh start—by leaving those projects behind. Are your files getting larger and less manageable? Instead of sitting around and just watching TV, bring your file box with you and shred the unnecessary papers and keep the essentials.

The bonus to this cleansing process is making some cash to finance the move. A moving sale makes parting with things much easier. The resulting pocket money sweetens any nostalgic goodbyes. Load up the leftovers and take them to a donation center—not to your new home.

How to Take It

If moving yourself, consider renting a truck large enough to do the whole move in one trip. It saves time in the end and could be a motivator in cutting back on your possessions. If you are moving long distance, consider hiring a container company which drops off shipping crates for packing and transporting your goods to your new doorstep. If you are simply recruiting friends with pickups for the move, make sure you are prepared for possible foul weather with tarps and coverings (no one likes sleeping in their new home on a wet mattress).

Moving dollies, handcarts and multiple helpers should be enlisted to prevent injuries. The latest moving technology includes the Shoulder Dolly, a strap device for two people that enables them to use their legs to lift heavy furniture instead of just their arms. Loads that might normally be too much for weaker folk are easily dealt with when the strength of two sets of legs is combined.

How to Pack it

Get plenty of boxes ahead of time, as well as packing materials. You need bubble wrap and paper for fragile items, wide-tip markers for labeling and plenty of packing tape to secure your boxes. Straps will be needed to tie-down heavy items and blankets to keep things from getting damaged en route.

Pack by rooms and label all boxes clearly on all four sides so that you can then unpack by rooms. Labels should include the room and the contents. Boxes you need first should be noted accordingly. For large rooms, like the kitchen, pack by zones within the room to make unpacking easier.

Pack cleaning supplies separately. You will need them to clean up the old home and deal with messes in the new one.

Do not over pack a box. Busted backs and boxes significantly delay a move and increase the pain, both physical and otherwise.

Put one person with a good mind for spatial geometry in charge of loading the moving trucks or containers. This will maximize your hauling capabilities and leave you with one person who has a good idea where certain things are located. It helps if they will be unloading too and are gifted with a excellent memory.

Even in a good neighborhood, you should consider having one person keep an eye on your moving items while they are waiting to be loaded or unloaded. One more box is seldom missed and easily carried away.

With sufficient preparation and cooperation, moving can be made much easier. First, cut back on what you take with you. Second, get the right equipment for the job. Third, organized packing makes for organized unpacking. Find the time to do things right and you will manage during your next move.