Prepare to Pack
Moving is the absolute worst. Sure, settling in a new city, part of town or a new home is fantastic and exciting. But preparing your entire home for the transfer of things and stuffs to another location is THE 👏🏾 WORST👏🏾. I'm sure you're probably wondering why an event planner would be writing about moving--in short, it's because moving IS an event. It takes careful planning and seamless execution to move with little frustration (notice I said little, I've yet to have a glitch free move or know anyone who has moved that hasn't had a few hiccups).
Just like any event, moving requires a little backward thinking & planning (we covered backward planning in a previous post, right?--Something about elephants🤔?) Anywhoo, some folks may be tempted to start packing up by rooms and take a guess at whether they'll use an item. That's great for organization but can get tricky when it comes to function. The only thing worse than packing is digging through packed items and repacking because you need something.
Here are FIVE freebie hacks I use (or have learned to use!) when I'm moving:
Put post-it notes/flags on items you use everyday (I usually just have a ton of post it notes tucked away so I can easily smack one on after using something--). These items should be packed together, be the last things you pack up and the first things you unpack. I promise you will thank yourself for doing this.
If you're getting a storage unit, think about if you're going to be visiting often for forgotten items. If not, store all the smaller items in the back and the bigger stuff in the front. This way when you move out of the unit, all the heavy stuff can go to the BACK of your moving truck.
If you have amazing friends that enthusiastically volunteer to help you move or pack up for a move (cherish these beautiful souls) make some lists of instructions for what you'd like to them to do. This way, you're not overwhelmed answering all the questions and they actually feel helpful.
LABEL ALL THE STUFFS! --and yes, the all caps were necessary. Don't get lazy here. "Kitchen" is great if just want to know where boxes go, BUT if you want to what's in the box, get some clear portfolio sleeves and type up a quick itemized list then tape it to the box that goes into the kitchen. No more opening a dozen boxes to find your special heat proof spatula.
On the day of, pack and emergency snack & first aid kit (don't forget water too!) in your car/moving truck. Moving is hard work, accidents happen and being hangry will make it even worse.
The last piece of advice is learn from your previous moving mistakes--practice makes for progress.
If you have a big move coming up and aren't sure where to begin, FancyPants Party can help ease the stress of having to figure it all out.