If you have just closed a deal on a home or apartment you may be keen to move in.
Finding a new place to call home is always exciting, however, the work begins as soon as you need to start packing.
Packing can and often does take so much time to do so when should you make a start? Should you begin packing the moment you know you’ve got your new place or a few weeks before you move? Pack too soon and you could find yourself surrounded by boxes for months. Pack too late and you could find you have too much to do the week before your move.
Don’t worry, below you will find a plan that will help you know when to pack and what to pack.
Six to Eight Weeks Before you Move
Approximately six to eight weeks before you move you should start to sort out your garage, basement, attic, and your closets. Think about what you’re going to keep and donate or dispose of anything you don’t want or need.
Start looking for moving companies that you may want to hire to help you move. Be sure to read some reviews and testimonials and don’t forget to compare rates. You may also want to think about asking for quotes too. Quotes are usually a good indicator as to how much you’ll end up paying.
“Don’t forget to ask the moving companies you’re considering to show you proof of insurance. An uninsured moving company will not pay up if they damage any of your belongings,” – says Dan Miller, CEO of EmpireMoversPaloAlto.’
Four to six Weeks Before you Move
You now need to think about donating, discarding or selling anything you don’t want to move with. Sorting all of this out now will give you plenty of time to get rid of everything you don’t want.
Now is the time for you to choose a moving company that you want to work with. You should also confirm the date of your move so you can get the ball rolling. If your moving company is not providing the packing supplies now is a good time to order them. Fingers crossed, selling, donating, or discarding those unwanted items will mean you need fewer boxes.
One Month Before you Move
You now need to start packing your things. Think about using a labeling system so you can keep everything organized. You may want to make a list of the items that are in each of the boxes or simply label them. An easy way to label the boxes is to use phrases such as ‘Kitchen – baking ingredients’ ‘Bedroom 2 – Closet’
You could consider labeling your boxes as ‘Garage 2’, for example. You could then add a brief description of its contents to project management site such as Trello or Asana.
You may also want to think about packing things that you don’t use very often. Pack the contents of storage room, decorations, and anything else you know you won’t use.
Two Weeks Before you Move
Now is the time to pack anything that you don’t need to use every day. This could be anything from books, winter or summer clothes, and files. Make sure you organize all of your important documents. Ensure they are all packed safe and secure in a box so you know where to find them.
One Week Before you Move
A week before you move you need to finish packing all of your non-essential belongings. You will also need to consider what you’re going to put in your “Essentials box”. This box should contain everything you will need until you move and immediately after you have moved. You may want to put cutlery, toilet paper, cleaning items, a change of clothes, and medication in this box. You should also make sure that everyone knows what this box is for so those much-needed items don’t get packed.
One Day Before you Move
Now it’s time to defrost your freezer and clean out your refrigerator. Discard any food that may perish or give it to a friend or neighbor. Label everything (Such as appliances and furniture) that won’t be moving with you. Make sure you have your “Essentials box” with you and ensure you have any cash, credit cards, and jewelry somewhere safe.
Moving can be quite stressful but it doesn’t have to be if you have everything organized. Use the above schedule to help you make your move an easier one.
