Moving is an exciting and stressful time. You’ll be getting a new beginning, which gives you endless opportunities, but before that can happen, you’ll pack up your old home for the actual move. When it comes to packing, many people may stress because there’s so much to do and it’s difficult to decide where you should start. Do you start by packing up your bedroom? Or maybe you start in the living room? We’re sure these, and many other questions, are going through your mind. If you need help getting started, just remember that at first, you don’t need to pack by room. Instead, pack unused or unessential items. Here are 10 of the first things you should pack when you move.
One of the easiest places to start is any items that you have tucked away in storage. Whether you keep them in a storage unit, your garage, crawl space, or attic, they are likely already in containers and boxes that are labeled and ready to go. All you’ll need to do is pull them out of storage.
Start packing up any out-of-season clothing that you know you won’t be wearing. If you want to save room while packing, you can set aside any clothes you know you don’t wear anymore to donate. The rest you can pack up and label for your move.
Decorative boxes, baskets, art, centerpieces, and any other decorative pieces you can think of aren’t a necessity. You’ll be able to pack them up and go a few weeks without missing them while they’re in boxes.
If you own a lot of books, magazines, CDs, or records, the chances of you using more than a couple over the next few weeks isn’t very likely. This makes it a great place to start packing. If you do want to set aside a book to read or a CD or two to listen to as you pack, this is fine—just be sure you don’t forget to pack them later.
Unless you plan on hosting a party in the weeks leading up to your move, you probably won’t be needing or using any fine china. Be sure to pack your china carefully with plenty of packing supplies to keep them cushioned during the move. When you label these boxes, make sure you also label them as fragile.
We all have junk drawers, and you may not even know what’s in yours. Moving gives you a great opportunity to go through any junk drawers in your house. Clear out anything in them that you don’t need, then pack the rest up.
Similar to decorative pieces, trinkets may be small items you have around your home that hold emotional value to you and your family. These are items you’ll want to be sure you don’t forget when you move. Since they likely don’t have any purpose other than decoration or memories, packing them early on can help make sure you don’t forget them.
With your move being close, you probably won’t be changing bed sheets until after you arrive at your new home. This means you can pack up any extra linens, and even towels, to get started with your packing. Set aside some towels for your family to use, but the rest can go in boxes with your sheets.
If you or any member of your household owns a shoe collection, now is the time to go through and pick out a couple of practical pairs that you will be wearing during the move. Then the rest of your shoes can be packed up and ready to go.
You may think that you need more kitchen supplies in the weeks leading up to your move than you actually do. You might even be surprised by how few kitchen supplies you use daily. Now is the time to go through your kitchen and pack up most of it. Keep some plates, bowls, silverware, and maybe a spatula, pot, and pan set aside for you and your household to use over the next couple of weeks.
Now that you have an idea of where to start packing, your move should be easier and less stressful. Besides trinkets, books, shoes, clothes, and these other items, you can also start packing with any items you don’t want to forget to pack. This will help to make sure you don’t forget them and that they will make it to your new home. Sometimes while packing, you may realize you have more stuff than you need to take to your new home. If this is the case, renting a storage unit at Airtight Storage is a great option if you don’t want to get rid of any of your belongings. Our storage containers are also portable and make moving easy for you!
