4 Tips For An Organized Move
Moving is almost always a complicated process, and the more items you are moving, the more difficult it will be to keep everything organized. Fortunately, a bit of careful planning before your move can help you avoid much of the headache. Here are four tips that can help you keep your belongings organized during a move.
Keep a Moving Planner
When you move to a new home, you will need to keep track of more information than you may realize. A business planner can come in handy in the earliest stages of moving, as you can use it to keep notes on every house you tour and the contact information of every realtor you talk to. That will help you make a decision about the best home to meet the needs of your household with all of the facts in front of you.
When you have chosen the perfect home, your moving planner will begin to show its true usefulness. You can use it to keep track of contact information for different moving companies, any stops you will need to take along the way such as hotels or storage units, and even your moving receipts so you are better prepared for tax time.
Pack the Items You Will Need First Separately
One of the biggest frustrations of moving can come after you have already made the move and are staying your first night in your new home. If you are like many people, you may not get all of your belongings unpacked on the first night. If you don't have the belongings you will need on the first night separated from the rest of your boxes and bags, you may have a hard time finding them.
The solution to this problem is to take note of what you will need first after you move and pack these items separately so they are easily accessible. This includes items such as sheets, blankets, pillows, and personal hygiene products. Pack these items in duffel bags that you keep with you or a clear plastic container so they are easy to locate after you unpack.
Label Each Box by Room
With all the things that are on your mind before and during a move, it is easy to forget to plan for the unpacking process after the move is over. Opening boxes one-by-one to examine their contents and determine where they belong in your new home can significantly slow down the moving process.
The first step to organized unpacking after a move is to box all of your items by room. Once you have all of the boxes for a single room done, label them all and write the name of the room they came from or use color-coded stickers for each room. This way, you will know at a glance where every box should go in your new home.
Separate Belongings Into What Stays and What Goes
Whether you hire a moving company or rent your own moving truck, the more you have to take with you, the more your move will cost. Moving is the perfect time to pare down your belongings. Have a few containers that are dedicated to the items you wish to get rid of, and separate them from the boxes that you will be taking with you.
Once you've separated everything that didn't make the "keep" list, there is the problem of deciding what to do with it. Whether you sell your belongings, give them away to friends and family, or donate them to charity, there are several creative ways you can get rid of the things you no longer need before a move.
Staying organized is a task that many first-time movers may find more difficult than they anticipated. Use these tips so you can make your move as easy as possible. You might also want to consider hiring packing services to make your move even easier on you. If you're interested in packing services, check out a site like http://www.bekins.com.