It is about that time of year when people begin to think about moving. I wanted to share with you several tips that helped me in my recent move to stay organized and stress-free!
The first thing I did when we accepted the offer on our house was put out an email request to all of our friends asking for boxes. Some people would suggest going somewhere and buying all new boxes so they are the same size and that is fine. However, if you are like me, I wanted to have my move be as cheap as possible. I priced everything out and we saved $150 or so by using recycled boxes from friends instead of buying new and I felt just as organized with different size boxes than having them all the same.
Next I gathered all of my supplies and got a little storage bin to keep them in so I always knew where everything was. Besides the basics of tape and sharpies, I had these two items that were crucial in keeping organized. The first was a little notebook. This is where I wrote everything down in regards to the move. We had to store our stuff until we find a new house, so I wrote down all of my price quotes on storage facilities in this notebook. This is also where I wrote down utility shut off info and any info regarding forwarding mail and who I had contacted with address updates.
I came up with a color coded cataloging system that will help if we need to get into any of the boxes at any time. I went to OnlineLabels.com and got about 10 sheets each of their OL150 labels in several different colors. I picked one color for each room in the house. As I packed a box I put one label on it with a number starting with one. Then I would write down the basic contents of box in my handy notebook. This system was a life saver. Not only did it save me a ton of time but I know exactly where everything is. Make sure when you are done packing to save one label from each color so you can stick it on the doors in your new place. This will help those moving know which room each box goes in.
I started packing the bedrooms first only packing a few boxes a night. I had each kid pick out about two weeks worth of clothing and gave them each a bin for the few toys they wanted to keep out. Then everything else got packed up. Make sure you take this time while packing to go through all of your stuff and get rid of things you no longer need. You don't want to take junk to your new house and if you don't do it now chances are you won't do it while you are unpacking. I stored the packed boxes in closets or in a corner of the room so that it would not get cluttered since we still had to live in the house for the next thirty days.
Next, I packed up the bathrooms, leaving out only what we would need to use or take with us. Last, I finished with the kitchen. I packed up almost everything leaving out a few things to cook with. I also made sure to try and use up as much stuff as I could out of the pantry so I wouldn't have to pack it. It was amazing how creative meal times became. The night before the big move I packed up all the remaining kitchen items and last little straggler items.
Oh, thank you, Shannon! Keep in mind that Shannon is about 8 1/2 months pregnant now, too, and did a great job keeping organized for their move! I moved about seven years ago and I labeled EVERYTHING! It was a lot of work moving everything - and we only moved 12 miles away - but boy, it was so worth organizing it all and not rushing. Are you planning a move soon? Have you moved recently and want to share some of your tips that helped you keep organized?
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