Are you thinking about relocating soon? There is a lot to think about during this process, and moving day is one of the most stressful parts. Read these tips and tricks to find some ways to ease the pain of moving.

1) Get rid of extra things

It’s inevitable that if you live in a house for a couple years, stuff starts to pile up. Especially stuff that you don’t need. If you’re moving, now is the perfect time to start decluttering and getting rid of the things you don’t want! Otherwise you will end up with more stuff to pack and not enough space to put things when you get to your new place. You can start by going through your closet and donating old clothes or clothes that you don’t wear anymore. Plan meals out to get through as much of your food in the refrigerator as possible so you don’t risk it going bad in the move. You will be amazed at how much space there is!

Image from Sunset Magazine

2) Work smarter, not harder

You would be surprised how much work and time you can save if you use a few of these tips. First, leave clothes on their hangers. It may seem more efficient to take all the clothes out of the closet and fold them in a box, but you use twice the space to do this AND carry your hangers in another box. If you leave your clothes hung up, they are easy to transport and you save yourself some time. If you’re worried about clothes getting dirty, wrap a bag around them. Another thing that will save you time is by not emptying out all the drawers of dressers and desks. Simply take out drawers, wrap them in some sort of wrap so the things inside don’t get lost, and move them along with all the other boxes!

Image from Realty Times

3) Take a picture of what’s in the boxes

Many people will write the words “kitchen” or “living room” on their boxes so they know where to put the boxes when moving in. Take this to the next level by numbering and taking pictures of the boxes before closing them. If you move into your kitchen and there are 15 boxes labeled “kitchen,” it’s going to take you awhile to find the box that has that one pan you need. If you take pictures with each numbered box, you save the trouble of opening and looking through a lot of boxes to look for one item. In addition, if you have movers helping you, having pictures of your important belongings can help you make sure nothing gets stolen or damaged.

Image from Shleppers

4) Pack water bottles and small snacks for the day of

This is an especially helpful tip if you have people or kids helping you move. It’s easy to forget water when moving because there is already so much you’re keeping track of, but staying hydrated is important. Drinking enough water will maintain your energy and keep you going through this big day. Snacks also don’t hurt! This is a great way to motivate kids if they need some nudging throughout the moving day.

Image from 123RF

5) Unpack the kitchen first

When you get into your new place, it’s hard to know where to start. The piles of boxes can start to get overwhelming. Our advice is, start with the kitchen! People say that the kitchen is the heart of the home, so if you unpack it first, you can feel like you’re starting to get your life back together. Once this is done, it’s easy to make food and have a gathering place again. The rest of the rooms will seem simple once the kitchen is unpacked and squared away.

Image from Element Moving and Storage

Moving doesn’t have to be super stressful! It’s already quite the life adjustment to go from one place to another, but the actual process can become smoother with the right system in place. Reach out to one of our real estate agents if you want tips for how to sell your home, or if you are looking for a new home! We would love to help make this process as seamless for you as possible. Happy Monday!

Header image from OZ