What to Do Before You Move :

Moving can be a difficult experience, and hopefully this post can help you, make your move stress-free and enjoyable as possible. Before packing, the most important aspect to consider is to provide yourself with enough time to do the job right. Start to pack at least a month in advance. Remember, everything always takes longer than anticipated.

Before you start, you will need the following :
Moving boxes having different sizes.
Padding supplies such as bubble wrap and foam peanuts.
Newspapers in addition to blank newsprint paper
Wide packing tape in a tape dispenser…..there’s nothing worse than trying to find the end of a thin see-through tape, these dispensers prevent that frustration.
Scissors
Felt marking pens
Labeling stickers
Different colour tape – you can purchase these at hardware stores or some dollar stores.

Now for the packing.

Why coloured Tape ?

The most important aspect is to pack your belongings in an organized fashion. Pack one room at a time. Do not mix bathroom items with kitchenware, or clothing. Label your different boxes with unique coloured tape, or with coloured felt pen. For example, use yellow tape on bathroom items, blue tape on kitchenware, red on clothing, green for living room and so on. This way when it comes to either storing, or moving into your new residence, it is far easier recognizing what boxes must go into its designated room. You can tell the movers “Just put the boxes with the blue tape into the kitchen, yellow goes into the bathroom, and red master bedroom”

Why should I close the boxes ?

When packing, do not over pack the box so it cannot be closed. An unclosed box with items sticking out cannot be stacked. Make sure the boxes are properly closed with taped lids to facilitate stacking. This way the movers can stack five or six boxes on top of another and move them easily with two wheeled dollies, as opposed to carrying one box with flaps hanging out. Furthermore, all closed boxes facilitate storage within the truck, and the storage locker. You will save money with properly closed boxes because the move will be faster, and you will require less storage space because you can stack the boxes to the ceiling of your storage unit.

Why should I label the boxes ?

There is nothing worse that trying to find an item in a mountain of boxes. I realize it takes time to label the boxes with the various items, but believe me it is not fun trying to find your $250 coffee maker in a wall of boxes. From personal experience, it’s usually in the bottom box right in the corner.

For the serious organizer who is storing their belongings in a storage facility, consider just numbering the boxes, and make a list of the items on a computer file instead of marking up the boxes. During my last move, I made a list of the boxes that were kept in storage within a searchable computer text file such as Word. This allowed me to search for an item on my laptop, get the box number, and then go and find the item with ease. Believe me it is far easier doing the search on a computer file than trying to remove and open half of your boxes from a storage locker before you find that special item. Once you do find the item, now you have to move all of the boxes back into your storage locker. Ouch….I am getting a sore back just thinking about it.

Create an Open First moving box :

This box should be your last box to pack, and the first box to unpack. It should contain items such as instant coffee, a pan, pot, plates, bowls, and cups for each family member. Include cereal for breakfast, and granola bars for a quick snack. Pack “must have” items such as plastic eating utensils, dish soap, sponge, bottle opener, iPod chargers, Kleenex, paper towels, toilet paper, scissors, tape and felt pen, a sharp knife etc. Throw in a sweet treat and couple bottles of Gatorade to keep the blood sugar and electrolyte levels up during the move. Keep in mind that the family will need to wash, eat, during the move, so these items within the “Open First” box must sustain them until all the boxes are unpacked.

Pack a Personal Box for each family member :

Pack these boxes at least a week in advance of your normal move. Include personal items such as toothbrush and toothpaste, towels, facecloth, shampoo, soap, shaving cream and disposable razors. Pack at least two changes of clothes with a focus on loose and comfortable clothes such as t-shirts and sweat pants. Include any other personal items such as the toddlers favourite Teddy Bear, or the magnifying glass for the over 50 crowd.

Honey, where are the keys to the car?

These are words you don’t want to hear or speak. Pack all of your important documents and items such as house & car keys, passports, mortgage, financial papers, pets’ medical records, wills, marriage license etc., into one briefcase. This briefcase is your life, so keep it in a safe and secure area. Include it with the Open First box and the Personal boxes. During the move, do not let the movers touch these boxes, but move them yourself in your car. If anything should happen during the move such as a sick pet, you have immediate access to all of your documents.

Remember a move can either be a very stressful, or enjoyable experience, depending on how it is handled. Rest assured, if you implement these suggestions, and you hear the words “Honey, where are the keys to the boat trailer padlock? ” you will have just a content smile on your face and a thankful thought that you took the time to organize your move and made this new chapter in your life as pleasant and stress-free as possible.