Stress-Free Packing
The excitement of moving house comes with the huge task of packing up everything you own. This can be heavily overwhelming and tiresome during an already busy time. The best way to counter elevated stress levels during your transition is to be organised. Here is a plan we created to make packing easy.
Step 1: Create a Label System.
Write a list of the specific labels you will use, then colour code them with what room they belong to. For example, ‘Kitchen: Daily Plates and Bowls’ on orange paper. Everything for the kitchen would be orange and you can easily find your daily plates and bowls without opening the other boxes first. This will make unpacking easier too.
Step 2: Put together urgent items.
These describe anything you may need during the move. Pack a bag with everything you will need on the first night (clothes, bedding, towels, chargers, laptop, medication, toiletries, etc), cleaning supplies to wipe down the new house before you put anything new into it, and hardware for putting furniture together when you arrive. Having these items in easy access, resealable boxes or bags mean all the important things in moving are ready for your use.
Step 3: Have a Donation Box.
Before you start packing your possessions for the move, build and label a box named ‘donations’. If you find anything you no longer use or want to sell while you are packing, put it in this box. Once you have packed everything, this box (or perhaps boxes) can be sealed and taken to the local op shop or charity bin.
Step 4: Pack unused items.
Pack all items that you won’t need in the next few months. These items are easy to pack and leave in their boxes until you have time to unpack them. For example, Christmas decorations, photo albums and camp gear.
Step 5: Pack room by room.
Pack one room at a time (e.g. garage, laundry, living room, bedrooms, office, kitchen then bathrooms). This will eliminate the potential to forget to pack something and make it easier to unpack room by room.
Step 6: Use What You Have.
Use what you already have. Instead of using moving boxes to move book which could break the base of the box, put them in a suitcase (they are easier to transport on wheels and better supported). Wrap clothes that are on hangers using bin bags. You won’t need to fold any of them and unpacking them is extremely quick.
Step 7: Moving Day
Pack final items into a box. Pack up the pantry and the fridge items into an esky with ice bricks. When you arrive at the new house, clean all surfaces and put boxes in their designated rooms. This makes unpacking easier and less stressful by creating an order to unpack in. Not everything needs to be unpacked right away. Give yourself an early night and know you can keep going tomorrow.
References:
94 Moving Hacks for Faster, Easier, Less Stressful Moves’ by Laura Mueller (moving.com).
‘Moving House Packing Tips’ by Kent Removals & Storage.
’50 Packing Tips for Moving House’ by The Organised Housewife.
’18 Moving and Packing Tips for Your Smoothest Move Yet’ by Lauren Phillips and Lisa Milbrand (Real Simple).
