Moving Tips: Four Ways to Make the Day Easier

Preparing for a move is a big task no matter what, but there are ways to simplify the effort. Here are four tips designed to help alleviate anxiety on moving day.

1. Use the Right Supplies

Consider what Real Simple calls "the professional mover's secret weapon"—regular ol' packing paper, specifically unprinted newsprint. Its benefits are threefold: it's recyclable (unlike newsprint), won't smear ink on your belongings (unlike regular newspaper), and can be crumpled up to pad almost anything (unlike bread). Professional movers also recommend taping boxes up with brown packing tape—masking tape and duct tape don’t stick to cardboard as well. Masking tape is useful, however, for framed pictures. Tape an 'X' over the glass to lend it extra strength and prevent it from shattering if it does happen to break. Liquor stores are a good source for divided inserts, which can make transporting a variety of fragile objects easier.

2. Follow a Method

Be methodical about the way you pack and label your boxes with the room where they belong. Packing kitchen items in a separate box from bedroom items will speed up the process on both sides of the move. Experts also suggest marking boxes—on at least two sides—with a list of contents and a box number. As you pack, you can keep track of all your boxes by logging their box numbers in a spreadsheet, recording them in a notebook, or writing them on postcards and mailing them to the new house. That way, you can confirm as soon as you arrive that every box made it there, too.

3. Keep It Light

Some moving companies suggest keeping each box at a maximum of 50 pounds, but if your bathroom scale doesn’t go up that high, just make sure you can lift every box with ease. To distribute the weight of each box evenly, place heavy items at the bottom and lighter ones on top—much like the way you should pack a grocery bag.

4. Hold on to the Essentials

At the end of the day, you’ll be sitting on the floor of your living room, hungry and exhausted. The last thing you’ll want to do is open Box #138 to get the forks. Put anything you think you’ll need on that first night into a box or suitcase and carry it along with you. These must-haves could include paper plates, plastic cutlery, and napkins; pajamas and changes of clothes for the next day; or towels, bed linens, and toiletries. With all the essentials close at hand, you’ll be sure to have freshly brushed teeth when your new neighbor stops by to bring you an apple pie and conduct the neighborhood halitosis inspection.