Moving is not fun, let’s be clear about that. Going after each and every thing around the house, packing all the stuff you have collected over years, unpacking and reorganizing everything in the new house, that’s no one’s favorite activity. And that’s where smart moving hacks come into play.
Moving can often time be a waste of energy and time just because you are not doing it right. It is important to have a well defined strategy at hand to keep it as easy, clean, and stress-free as possible.
So, how to make your next move much easier than your previous one? How to pack like a pro and move like a genius? Here are our best kept moving hacks to help you do just that.
Getting reading to move
Before we start with our genius moving hacks, let’s make the case for moving. This initial preparation process includes a couple of mandatory tasks including decluttering for moving.
A. Once you know you are moving
As soon as you know your new address, there are a couple of important things you need to do even before you pack your first box. There is a great probability that once you get super busy in packing, you may neglect these important tasks.
Cancel and setup utilities: Call the utility companies and cancel all your utilities at the place you are vacating and set them up in the new place.
Allocate your budget: When you have moving parts and turning wheels, you really need to keep an eye on the expense. If not properly thought about, moving can get unexpectedly expensive. Allocate an estimated budget to work for you as a reference. Try a free online tool like this moving cost calculator to estimate your budget.
Start looking for the best mover: Searching for and deciding on the best mover may take some time. Talk to different companies and take quotes from at least 3. Check consumer reviews online about the companies on your list before deciding on one.
Start eating up: Moving food items can be really messy. Stop buying additional food items and focus on what you already have in your fridge, pantry and freezer. If that is even too much, consider donating unopened and unexpired food to the nearest food bank.
B. Keep, donate, trash
A clean move starts with a clutter-free house. And don’t be overwhelmed by the word ‘clutter-free’. Decluttering for moving is different and much simpler than it use to be. Just pick a pencil and a notebook, go around the house and enlist everything under the following 3 categories.
- Keep
- Donate
- Trash
Want to do this in one step? Just take two large plastic bags or cardboard boxes tagged as ‘Donate‘ and ‘Trash‘. Go around the house filling them up.
All the clothes, shoes and boots that never saw the light of the day for a long time, all the cups and mugs that mostly remained dry, books anyone rarely read, all the unwanted storage bags, bins, and buckets, and anything that sticks with you for no obvious reason goes into one of the two boxes.
Brave tip: Slide anything with less than 30% chance of being used in the new house into the trash box, be generous and slide all the just-in-case things into the donate box. Less is more!
C. Pack like a pro
Packing, no doubt, is the most strenuous task of all. This is where our best moving hacks jump in. Let’s crack packing for you and make it far more simpler.
How to pack your kitchen?
Kitchen is the heart of any home. It’s the place where most of your complex stuff lies, large, small, Heavy, fragile, sharp, everything. Here is what you should do to streamline the process:
1. Don’t empty your drawers
Instead of emptying your drawers and bringing everything out in the open, fill them to their full capacity and wrap cleanly with plastic.
2. Fill your pots with spices
Fill smaller pots and crock-pots with spices to save space and reduce clutter. Put smaller pots into larger ones to make a real difference.
3. Use oven mitts for knives
Put your knives into potholders and oven mitts and secure them with rubber bands. This will make them safe to transport.
4. Clothing for breakables
Layer-pack your plates and other flat dishes with clothing or other soft materials. If your move is going to be really long and bumpy, you may replace clothing with bubble wrap (encapsulated-air plastic) to provide better cushioning.
5. Socks for stemware & glasses
Put your crystal glasses and stemware inside socks for a perfect out of the box cushioning.
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