ICYMI, we are moving this summer! And with how quickly May flew by, I know July will be here before I know it. Needless to say, we’ve been getting a head start on moving since we’ve had a lot of downtime over the past few months.
I wouldn’t consider myself a moving expert by any means, but I have moved four times over the past four years so I’ve definitely picked up some tricks that I want to share with y’all!
1. Purge
I can’t stress this enough! Purging before you move will make a world of a difference. It honestly will probably help even more if you purge multiple times before moving. I purge my closet about every other month because I am always realizing how little I use a specific item that there is no use in keeping. Plus if you purge early, some pieces may be worth selling and you’ll have time to do that. We’ve been selling stuff like furniture and decor on Facebook Marketplace and it has been more than successful! Most of the items we were just going to donate, but it is always nice to have some extra cash to cover moving costs or to put toward new furniture.
2. Don’t Procrastinate
I know… the President & CEO of procrastination is preaching not to procrastinate! But don’t do it! I promise you’ll thank me later. I can’t explain how many times we’ve waited too long to start packing and everything becomes that much more stressful. I know it isn’t realistic to pack up a lot of stuff so early but if you don’t plan to use it, pack it now instead of later! We packed up all of our winter clothes as well as our Disney memorabilia. This is also a great time to get new storage pieces for Christmas decor and other pieces if necessary.
3. Don’t Empty Dresser Drawers
Unless your piece of furniture isn’t coming with you – don’t empty out your drawers! Conserve space in the moving truck by keeping the drawers as is. When you carry the piece of furniture into/out of the truck, make it lighter by removing the drawers, then put them back in once the dresser is on the truck or in the new location. Use plastic wrap or bungees to secure the drawers properly while on the move.
4. Keep Clothing On Hangers
Don’t waste your time folding clothes into boxes. Take a bundle of clothing that are on hangers and put a trash bag over it. You’ll want to make a hole in the middle of the bottom of the trash bag to put the hanger hooks through. Then pull the trash bag over the clothing, tuck the clothing into the trash bag, and tie the top of the trash bag at the bottom of the clothing pieces. Does that make sense? lol
5. Label, Label, Label
This is the most important part of moving! And depending on how much you’re moving you may want to be more specific with your labels. Of course you want to label anything that might be fragile, but also label boxes by room. This will save a lot of time and trouble for you and others helping you move.
6. The Heavier The Item, The Smaller The Box
Please learn from my mistakes! We often don’t think about how much a box weighs until we have to carry it up/down 3 flights of stairs… Be conscious of what you’re putting inside of boxes and if it is something heavy (such as kitchen items or books), opt for multiple smaller boxes over a larger one. Your back will thank you later!
6. FREE Boxes!
Every time we’ve moved we have gone to our local liquor store to get boxes – for free! I recommend calling ahead of time if you can because they can tell you if they have any, how many you’re allowed to take (some liquor stores limit this number), and/or they can have an employee ready to load your car. Keep in mind, most of these boxes may be smaller than a typical moving box, but it’s definitely usable for most items.
7. Don’t Forget Moving Blankets
These will come in handy for a variety of reasons. If you or someone you know doesn’t own any, most moving truck companies have them to rent for a small fee. If you hired movers they will probably have them for you. If you’re in a pinch you can always use old comforters and blankets.
8. Utilize Luggage
In our case, we’ll be using our luggage to pack a week’s worth of clothes since we are moving 1,000 miles away. But if you are moving locally – or just have a lot of luggage – utilize this space to pack items in. It can be used for anything and everything, just pretend it is a box!
9. Make Sure Cleaning Products Are Easily Accessible
This will most likely only apply if you’re renting a space, but make sure you do a good cleaning of both the old place you’re moving out of as well as your new place. If you clean your old place you should easily be able to get your security deposit back. And as for the new place, while is was probably cleaned after the last person moved out it is good to clean it to your standard before moving everything in.
10. Shop Around
It is so important to shop around for moving trucks – especially when you’ll have to rent for multiple days and travel a long distance. You can estimates online with many moving companies, so it’s definitely easy and worth your time. Spoiler alert: for long distance, Budget Truck Rental is usually cheaper than U-Haul by a few hundred dollars. It will also save you a ton of money if you book 2+ months out. We booked ours last month for under $250; the same truck is now over $500 and we didn’t even have to pay a deposit. That same truck from U-Haul would be over $800.
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I hope y’all found this post useful! Moving can be super stressful and time consuming, making us lose our minds a bit haha. So if you have a move in the future I hope some of these tips can help you out!
Cheers!
xoxo
Jayme
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