People Break Down Their Best Packing And Moving Life Hacks

Marie Kondo Would Be Proud

Take the opportunity to throw out garbage or stuff you don't need. Don't move useless stuff

Just_Look_Around_You

And if possible start this process a few months before moving day. If you try to do it as you pack in the few days before the move, you'll run out of time.

WebsterPack

Pack Those Tools Daddy Yas

Last thing packed and first thing unpacked should be tools, because something is gonna need to be disassembled or assembled and it helps if you know exactly where those implements are.

Hititwitharock

Tools. SCISSORS. Toliet paper. Paper towels. Small towel. Hand soap. Paper plates. Lightbulbs/flashlight. Some granola bars. Cleaning supplies. Backup chargers. Pen and paper (write out important numbers eg electric, gas, water, landlord, internet - assume your phone dies and you can't find charger or elec not on, what would you need).

Especially for a longer distance move, make and label the "OPEN FIRST" box as if you needed to live off it. Then if move has delays or other issues you can open that one and collapse.

Reader01234567

Don't Be Keepin It All

Get rid of stuff.

Like, lots of stuff. If you have to wonder if you really want to keep it--you probably don't.

Give stuff away, take it to thrift shops, put it on give-away message boards...or just throw it away if you have to.

I move about every three years, and it's crazy how much unessential junk collects in my home.

There's nothing worse than unpacking in your new place and finding something you wish you hadn't just paid someone to protect and transport for you.

GingerMau

These tips and tricks will most definitely come in handy for you the next time you need to move.

Plastique

Get a large trash bag and rip a hole in the bottom (about the size of your fist). Then take any clothes that you have on hangers and put them in the bag with the hooks of the hangers going through the hole you made. Put as many as the bag allows and then tie the bottom with the trash bag's drawstrings. Super easy way to transport hanging clothes, keeps them clean, and makes it super easy to re-hang them.

brazdaz21

Makes A Difference

Hire movers if you can afford it

It seriously takes soooo much stress out of the whole process

Moved every year for about 7 years...only did movers the last few times

Wouldn't have it any other way now

CakeAccomplice12

New Digs, New Look, New Me

Most people are talking about the sh*t you physically pack here. For me the problem is address changes.

Whenever I have someone save my address information (e.g. Chewy, my dog's microchip manager, Work), I add them to like... OneDrive or Google sheets, and save the information there. When it comes time to change my address, I change it with my bank first, then go through and change it with the various services. I have a marker for whether it's no longer in use (to track things that had my address in the past), the login URL for the site and whether it uses my credit card information.

It doesn't necessarily have to be places that you do financial transactions with either. It sounds like a pain in the butt, and it is somewhat, but I have 55 different places I need to update my information with, and I move roughly once a year.

hunter006

People Share The 'Dirty Secrets' That Their Bosses Don't Want Customers To Know

To Stabilize

If you have a physical library add a couple of layers of books to each box rather than lumping them all together

Not only does this distribute the weight evenly making sure no boxes are overly cumbersome, but it also makes your boxes bottom heavy meaning they are less likely to tip over

_manicpixie

You've definitely hassled with these before, but it can be really hard to actually know how to solve moving problems. That's why these tips are here.

Spread It Out Like BUTTAH

If you can afford to, always schedule an overlap of at least a week between when you can move into your new place, and when you have to be out of your old one, as opposed to trying to fit the whole move into 1-2 days. Packing, sorting, moving, and esp. cleaning the old place...makes the whole process *so* much less stressful.

Morgentaake

To Settle Faster

Pack a first day box. Include the usual and... soap, toilet paper, shower curtain, snacks, good alcohol, paper towels, regular towels, a few change of clothes, blanket, pillow, few utensils etc.

myhydrogendioxide

Yeah, this is a great tip.

I extend this beyond the first day, to the last couple days before the move and the first couple days after the move. In other words, don't assume that you can pack and unpack everything in just a day or so. Give yourself time to start packing and preparing in advance, by separating the minimum set of stuff you need to keep living vs. the stuff that can you can pack in advance. I literally pack that minimum set of stuff into a duffel bag like I'm packing for a trip for a few days, and pack everything else up for the move.

JamminOnTheOne

No Throwing Backs Out Today Mama

Put heavier things in smaller boxes. A small box of books is easier to move than a large box. Don't just think of what fits in something, consider how heavy you can carry and try not to pack heavier than you can move

PearlsandScotch