First of all, congratulations on your new home! You must be very excited! But we imagine you're feeling a lot less excited about having to pack everything up and move there. People generally don't realize how many things they have until they have to move to another apartment or house.
Since you'll inevitably have a hundred different things to do and remember, it's best do go through this article and write at least a broad list of the stages. Then you'll take them one by one and go into more detail.
Start Early
Naturally, you'll tend to put off things that are unpleasant but it's a lot less stressful to pack little by little than try to do it all in a couple of days. You can start as early as a couple of months before moving day by decluttering your belongings. There's no point going through the trouble of moving things you're not using. You can try selling some of the items and make some extra money to bring down the cost.
Then you can pack away all the decorative items. They can be quite fragile and need to be packed with extra cushion plus you're not "using" them per se. Sure, your walls will look a bit stark but you'll be glad you don't have to do it later.
Next stage is to go through the rooms you use the least like the spare bedroom, the attic or garage and pack everything.
Inventory and Labeling
Now that you've started packing some of your belongings, don't forget to make an inventory of what goes where. Don't underestimate the importance of labelling boxes. You'll want to use two system: colors and numbers. You assign a color to each room and then mark all the boxes with numbers as well. For example: Boxes 1 to 4 are for the spare bedroom, 5 to 7 for the garage and so on. You write down the items that go into each box, doesn't have to be very specific, you don't write down each individual screwdriver, you write screwdrivers.
You can put this inventory in an Excel sheet or even a Word document and then you can use the search function when you need to find something before you've had a chance to unpack all the boxes.
Being organized will pay off once you're in your new home because you'll be able to unpack the boxes room by room. Don't give in to the temptation of just pack the boxes quickly to get it out of the way.
Some of the boxes will contain fragile items, you need to adda fragile label to those. In case you'll be using a moving company they'll know not to stack boxes over them but even if you're doing it all with help from friends and family, this will be very useful.
Put Suitcases and Storage Bins to Good Use
You probably have a few suitcases, laundry baskets, bins and other such items which we imagine you're not going to leave behind. If you're taking them, there's no point leaving them empty. You can pack shoes, books or heavier items in the sturdy suitcases and leave the lighter items for the bins and baskets.
Fragile Items
A lot of the things in your kitchen will be fragile so you need to pack them with extra care. For plates, you can stack them with polystyrene plates in between. Don't just wrap them in newspaper as that doesn't do much. At the bottom of the box, you'll want to create a cushion from bubble wrap or towels, then place the plates over that. Any empty spaces you can fill with bubble wrap, crumbled tissue or newspaper as they need to packed tight. You don't want any sort of movement in transit.
Over the plates, you can place some of the glasses and mugs. If possible, put them in polystyrene cups and add bubble wrap. Don't put anything on top of them, just towels or bubble wrap for extra cushion. Also don't overload the boxes. As your packing, lift the box from time to time to check if it's getting too heavy. For these items it's better to have several smaller boxes.
Books
Many people will put all their books in one big box. Don't do that. Books are heavy. Use several smaller boxes as this will decrease the risk of damage. You can line the bottom of the box with tissue paper and pack the books flat with protective materials in the empty spaces.
Add some packs of silica gel to absorb the moisture since books probably won't be the first to be unpacked. On top of the boxes you can add some clothes for cushion and tape the box shut.
Plants
Plats are tricky. Many moving companies won't accept plats so you'll need to carry them by car or send them by special carrier. If you choose the second option, you might have to take them out of the pot, wrap them in newspaper and put them in a box marked fragile, but you still risk damage.
In case you take them by car, then you can repot them in plastic and tape some carboard over the soil so it doesn't spill over.
Take Photos
When you dismantle furniture or electronics, take photos of the stages so you can put them back together again. For example, you can take photos of the wires in the back of your computer, tv set or any electronic set up. Bulkier pieces of furniture will need to be taken apart, you can take pictures of the stages and pack all the screws and bolts separately and label them.
Set Aside Essential Items and Cleaning Supplies
Chances are you're going to have to do a bit of cleaning once you arrive so we suggest you pack cleaning supplies in a separate box. As for the essential items, you can ask each family member to pack an overnight bag and then make a separate box or two with toiletries, medicine, some items for the kitchen (like dishes and cutlery), some clothes and underwear. Just the bare minimum to last for a couple of days until you get around to unpacking.
Book a Moving Company
Once you have a rough idea of the amount of things that need to be transported, you can search for a moving company and book a date. Don't wait too long though as this will limit your choices. Call at least one month in advance. If you call earlier, when you start, you can get some advice from them and they'll supply you with the boxes and other necessary materials.
