Don’t dread your next move! Moving can actually be fun. Here are some tips for packing that will make your move as stress-free and as enjoyable as possible.
- Pick the perfect house.
The average person buys three homes in their lifetime. Since this is something that you don’t do very often, you may not have developed a knack for it. The key to buying a perfect house is to do plenty of research. Search online for “St Albert real estate” or “homes for sale in Calgary.” Get to know the neighborhoods and schools. Create a “must-have” list for your new home. Moving isn’t quite so painful if you are relocating to a house you adore.
- Start packing as soon as you decide to move.
Are you searching for homes online? Do you have your financing in order? Have you started going to open houses? Then what are you waiting for? Start packing now.
Box up out-of-season items. Carefully pack photo albums, childhood mementos, and treasured pieces that you want to keep, but you don’t use every day. Pack up the china you received as a wedding present and never used. Make sure your holiday decor is efficiently boxed and labeled. As you go through your current home room by room, you may be amazed at how little you actually need.
- Rent a storage unit.
If you are planning to sell your current home, you may want to move some of those packed boxes to a storage unit. Your closets and storage spaces will look larger if they aren’t packed to the hilt. Your home will look larger if it is free from clutter. Plus, it will be easier to clean and ready for your house for sale if you don’t have to move boxes out of the way to dust and mop.
- Create detailed box labels.
If you have been through a move before, you know how important it is to label your boxes. Nothing is more frustrating than not knowing which box you packed your corkscrew in when you arrive at your new home.
Tell which room the box should belong in after the move. Also, do a quick inventory of what items are in each box. Labeling may take a little extra time, but your future self will appreciate it.
- Don’t move unwanted items.
Moving is an excellent time to get rid of unwanted items.
Don’t pack up those old phone books for your move. Recycle them. Get rid of all those clothes that don’t fit. Donate all the craft projects you will never finish. Shred you ten-year-old canceled checks and bank statements. Throw away the photo frames with broken glass.
- Don’t wait until the last minute to pack.
At the risk of sounding repetitive, don’t wait until the night before your move to pack. When people wait until the last minute to pack, they start throwing items in boxes without labels. Items become broken because they are not carefully wrapped. You live in chaos for weeks in your new home because you can’t find anything.
Good luck with your move!