Pack and move like a pro – the ultimate guide
The number of challenges standing before any person who potentially wishes to relocate can often be overwhelming. It makes us wonder about how professionals are handling it with such ease. In order to unravel the difficulty, we can reach for various resources available for us online. We can ask people we know for advice, or we can go learn from our own experience. The truth is, no matter how well we can inform ourselves, such a detailed endeavor will always leave some space for improvement. Fortunately, by using some of the fundamental guidelines, we can start learning how to pack and move like a pro.
How to pack and move like a pro?
No matter how big or small your moving plans are, they are never exactly like a walk in a park. This is especially applicable for first-time movers. Whether you are moving out for the first time or not, it’s always a special blend of excitement and anxiety. Without a genuine plan to set things on the right tracks, every relocation would utterly confuse the person attempting to deal with ongoing arrangements. So, take some advice for an easy move, and feel free to continuously develop the next few steps:
- Planning is the key to a successful move
- Prepare your household for the transition
- Gather the right packing necessities
- Be strategical about packing
1. Planning is the key to a successful move
The moment you decide to move, you don’t have much time to lose. Eliminate any delays by immediately starting to make plans. Not only you will increase efficiency but you will get rid of any additional chance for unnecessary stress.
Make lists of all relevant things
As a starting point, this means to take some time to compose various checklists, schedules, inventories, and such. Organize your entire timeline in a similar manner. With the right concept, every single task will be easily executable then. If something seems too perplexing, break it into smaller tasks. Also, this includes, but is not limited to, managing your paperwork and handling diverse inventories.
Try to predict and calculate the costs
Before you proceed, establish your moving budget. Without mitigation, account for whatever expenses you think are waiting for you. You need to know the exact amount of money you have at your disposal. With all the packing supplies and fees, you may come along some hidden costs like:
- Moving insurance
- Traveling expenses
- Expenses regarding children
- Storage units
- Pet-related expenses
Consider hiring professional service
It is evident that while relocation, in some cases, can be accomplished without professionals, they are essential for large households. They can save you a lot of time and spare you from hard work. And quite often, they are a very cost-effective solution, especially in the long term.
Ask for help
When trying to pack and move like a pro, don’t forget that professionals come as a team. So call your friends and family members and make your own team. It will soon become obvious how packing is not so hard as it looks.
Update… almost everything
Don’t forget to:
- update your address
- cancel or transfer subscriptions
- deal with utilities
- cancel trash pickups
- notify your landlord
- notify your child’s school
- copy medical records
- digitize any redundant documentation
2. Prepare your household for the transition
One of the major challenges is to prepare your entire household for the transition. Mainly because there is simply too much stuff accumulated over the years. To pack and move like a pro also means you have to make decisions like a pro.
Declutter
Make an inventory of belongings to make sure you know what you own. Meanwhile, try to split it into two distinct groups. The first group with all the necessary items you will take with you. The second group with all the items you will get rid of. There is no strong enough way to point out how necessary this is.
Sell or donate what you don’t need
A perfect way to dispose of unwanted belongings is to organize a garage sale. Or a yard sale, depending on how you look at it. You might even cover some of the moving costs with it. While purging, you can always ask your friends or family to come to take something if they need it. For everything else, you can easily find a charity organization to pick it up.
Consider renting storage
You can find many affordable storage solutions for items you need to take with you, but don’t have enough room to place it. Check with your movers if they provide special storage options for precious items like instruments and artworks.
3. Gather the right packing necessities
For any kind of packing, you will need the essential packing supplies like:
- Boxes of all size and sturdiness
- Packing tape or duct tape
- Different kind of bags
- Markers, scissors, and cutters
- Protective gloves
As for boxes, it’s possible to get some for free from local supermarkets, but they are usually not too sturdy. You can also ask if someone have some boxes left from his own move.
4. Be strategical about packing
Before all, inform about what items you can transport regarding regulation. Hazardous materials and substances are not allowed. Also, perishable food is out of the question. Check the interstate regulations as well.
Pack one room at a time
While doing this, don’t forget to take disassemble large furniture. Any removable parts should be taken off. This is also a good strategy to break packing into smaller tasks.
Learn how to handle delicate items
Fragile items and exceptional items like plants demand special care. They are tricky to protect and make safe for transport. This is also a good situation to call your movers to see if they can pack it for you. Don’t risk breaking something or injuring yourself. Until you get more experienced, you can practice packing with glasses and dishes. Generally, there should be no space left in boxes to prevent them from shifting. In addition, valuables like jewelry and such, should be taken with you, don’t place them in moving truck.
Label everything when learning to pack and move like a pro
There should be no single box without the label on it. Besides room labels, you should write down the content of each box. Nothing too descriptive. Color codes are also a good way to quickly distinguish boxes. Among others, stickers and numbers can be helpful as well.
In the end, all that remains is to pack a box or a backpack of essentials and double-check everything just in case. Following these suggestions, you are on a good track to learn to pack and move like a pro. To complete an otherwise hard project like moving is quite an accomplishment.