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The moving process can feel like a whirlwind from finding your dream home to selling your home quickly and then getting excited for your life's next chapter. And that’s just the beginning. Once you finally get the wheels in motion, you need to start thinking about packing, and no one likes packing. 

Or, most people don’t anyway, but that's because they don’t know how to pack efficiently to make their move as stress-free and affordable as possible. If you have a big move on the horizon and want to make it more seamless and satisfying than ever, consider these crucial tips to transform your approach to packing and moving. 

Declutter First

Decluttering is vital for moving, but you must start as early as possible to ensure you can pack your entire life away without carrying a bunch of random stuff. Every home has stuff you’ve never gotten around to throwing out, yet your new start should be the chance to get rid of it now. 

Start by going through your attic and other rooms and picking out items you don’t even recognize as this is a great place to start. You don’t need to get rid of everything, but you can slowly whittle down your junk throughout the year so you have a more manageable moving process. 

Make Your Plan 

Every household should have a plan for their move. You should know the day you’re leaving as well as how long it will take to get there. If you’re not moving too far, this isn’t so stressful as you know the distance and the traffic conditions. However, if you’re taking a cross country move, you may need to consider other options. 

Your plan will be crucial for ensuring a smooth and stress-free experience. It also gives you the time to arrange all the essentials you’d otherwise leave until the last minute. It might seem like you are doing too much, but there’s nothing wrong with being as prepared as possible to avoid any delays or mistakes that could cause significant problems. 

Find Product and Assembly Instructions

Many people don’t think about taking things apart and putting them back together. Ideally, you shouldn’t have to do this, but there’s always the chance that it could happen depending on the size of your new home. Search for the instructions for everything to make it easier for you to take things apart and put them back together or set up electronics. 

You might have thrown them out a long time again, but that’s okay since you should be able to find instructions online. It’s also worth taking photographs so you know how things are supposed to look once you have put them back together. 

Upcycle Boxes and Bags for Moving

Moving boxes should be spacious and sturdy but it can also take time and money to source them. You should have given yourself plenty of time, but if not, you can always upcycle boxes and bags for moving to get started as quickly as possible. 

Take a look around your house and identify any containers you could use to pack your life into. There may be old boxes of toys and other items that you’re planning on selling or donating, so use these once they are clear. Likewise, shopping bags, garbage bags, suitcases, and other large bags will be incredibly useful for transporting awkwardly shaped items.

Label Everything 

While you think you will remember what you have packed where you’ll have done so much over the next few weeks and months that it can be impossible to recall where certain things are. The best way to get around this is by knowing what to pack first and labeling the box.

It’s best to pack things by type, such as plates and cutlery, books, and winter clothes. If you have enough space, write down what else is in there if it doesn’t match the rest of the contents as this can prevent confusion and frustration once you start unpacking. 

Start Packing Early 

What is the best time to start packing? Ideally, you need to give yourself plenty of time before your move-out/move-in date. Therefore, the best time to start packing is the day you get the go-ahead, but you can start even earlier if you like. If you have a spare room, you can store packed boxes full of things you definitely won’t need. If you don’t have a spare room, storage units can come in handy while you make space in the house. 

You might dread packing early, especially considering how long you have before the move, but it will make the last few weeks at home much easier to deal with. You immediately eliminate hours of work, meaning you can focus on other vital elements of moving. 

Sell or Donate What You Can’t Take 

If you’re downsizing, you may be able to leave furniture behind, but this is unlikely unless the buying party is taking over the property to rent out. If not, you can sell or donate everything you cannot keep or need at your new home, such as sofas or appliances. There are always people in need (or even just friends and family) who would love to take these items off your hands, and many will be happy to pay you, too. 

Still, you don’t need to sell anything. You can also donate to your local thrift store if you’re struggling to find buyers, as this is a much better and more sustainable approach than taking it to the dump. 

Write A List of Address Changes 

Nowadays, everyone has an account or subscription somewhere, whether for the internet, phones, charities, deliveries, or all of the above. Trying to keep track of all of this can be a nightmare, so writing a list of essential address changes can solve plenty of problems. 

You already have an idea of some changes, such as your bank and internet provider, but there could also be a few places you’ve forgotten about. Check your emails for recent updates from certain companies where you have accounts and change your address to your new property to prevent you from coming back to your current property. 

Get Help 

Hopefully, your entire family is excited about your move and they are getting involved with everything, but life can get in the way and you might need to handle some parts of the move yourself. If this sounds like something that’s bound to happen, try calling on friends and family to drop by and help out on the day, especially if you are not using a moving company. 

Your friends and relatives don’t always need to help you move, either, but they can take things off your hands to store them for the time being, which ticks off a few stressful issues you were worried about when planning your move. 

Go Room By Room

Packing can be overwhelming sometimes, but it will be more manageable if you go room by room. Start with the areas you use least often and focus on purely decorative items. You may also want to go through drawers and other spaces to find things that you’ll need in your new home to save you from rebuying them when you arrive. 

This is also a great way to tick things off your checklist. If you know what is in every room, you’ll find packing is more straightforward and you can organize everything with more confidence for better results so you don’t feel frazzled as moving day inches closer. 

Hire Professional Services 

There are a few areas where you’ll benefit from hiring professional services, such as a reliable moving firm. However, you can also think about companies that will make your life easier while still at home. 

A professional cleaning service can take care of the daunting task of cleaning every inch of your home to make sure it is acceptable for the new owner. Deep cleaning the house can take forever, and there’s no point in cleaning areas early because they will collect dust by the time you leave anyway. Professional cleaning can be more affordable than you expect and gets the complicated tasks out of the way so you can focus on other things like packing and arranging other items on your list. 

Pack Your First Night Bag 

Everyone should have a first-night bag when moving. There should be a bag for all your must-haves, like toothbrushes, chargers, and a change of clothes. It’s also worth getting everyone to put their own bag together for anything they know they will need.

This can save plenty of time and means you won’t need to worry about looking through boxes when you arrive at the new property. Instead, you can get whatever you need out of your bag or backpack and settle in for the evening, thankful that the stressful part is over until you have to unpack tomorrow, that is. 

Stress-Free 

Everyone dreams of a stress-free move, but that is rarely the case, especially if you don’t approach it correctly. These tips can make your move much more straightforward, and you’ll wonder what you were so worried about as you settle into your new property on the first night, probably with a pizza and something fun on TV.