Today I have 6 inexpensive ideas to make moving easier.
In the past three years I have helped move my parents and both of my brothers…and…I have moved my family twice!
So with 5 recent moves I have learned a few things that make moving easier…it still is SO MUCH WORK…but if there are ways to simplify the process I want to share what I know!
When you purchase that home everything is so clean and spacious and perfect.
I remember walking into our new home the day before the move and thinking that it was only a matter of time before this:
Looked like this:
And so I sat down and made myself a list of everything I had thought about during the 4 previous moves and started putting a few cheap and simple plans into action.
#1. I labeled EVERY SINGLE ONE of my boxes with a name tag.
That is right a name tag. (You can get them at the Dollar Store.) Because all of the boxes we used last month had been used in a plethora of other moves they had writing all over them. So in an effort to make sure each box was moved to the appropriate location in the new house I wrote the name of the room at the top and then to make my unpaking life easier I wrote what was in each box in the white zone.
(NOTE: We didn’t buy a single box…we asked on Facebook and people around us were super willing to give us any extra boxes they had…plus our family had a lot from the various moves. But before you buy I would suggest asking…it doesn’t hurt and can save you a lot of money.)
This….came in SO SO SO handy…especially during that first week when you need something right then and aren’t sure even where to begin looking for it.
Plus it made it easier for those who helped to know exactly where the box should be delivered to…they just looked for the tag! And speaking of know where to deliver boxes to…
#2. Label the door to each room with a tag.
For example if we had a box that said “Grace’s Room” on it there was a sign on her bedroom door that also read “Grace’s Room”.
It wasn’t anything fancy just a piece of masking tape written on with marker but it labeled each room so that boxes could be distributed correctly and without confusion.
#3. Pack and overnight bag.
I packed everyone an overnight bag that contained toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, soap, hand towel, toilet paper, water bottle, pajamas, a pair of clean clothes, clean sheets, a blanket, and a pillow. Everything they would need for their first night and morning at the new house.
That first night is crazy enough without having to send someone searching for things like toilet paper and hand soap!
#4. Use garbage sacks whenever possible!
Garbage sacks are perfect for lighter bulkier items like quilts, pillows, fabric, coats, etc. They are cheap, have handles, and keep everything inside clean.
They are also good for….
#5. If you can, move your closet on their hangers.
Working from the bottom to the top slide an open garbage sack up and over a set of hanging shirts or dresses. (I did bundles of about 15-20 items per bag.) When you have pulled the bag up far enough to cover all the clothing tie the handles of the garbage bag around the base of the hanger. This will hold the hangers together, keep your shirts on the hangers, and keep your clothing clean.
Plus…if clothing does slide off the hanger it will still be inside the bag and kept clean!
Once you arrive at the new home simply hang the bundle up in your closet, untie the ties, and slip the sack off of your clothes!
#6. Don’t move empty laundry baskets!
Laundry baskets were made for carrying items…so let them do their job. My favorite way to use them in a move is to fill them with shoes. They hold all the shoes and can easily be rinsed out at the new house.
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There’s more…and I wish there was a fairy godmother to do all the work for me…but since there hasn’t been these 6 cheap tricks have been life savers for me…especially #1 and #3…if I hadn’t done those two simple things last month I might have gone crazy!
