We should be closing on our new home tomorrow (March 31). The ‘big move’ with the big truck is scheduled for this Saturday. Woo-hoo! We are extremely excited.
= )
If you use a moving company to do everything for you, including packing all of your stuff into boxes and putting everything back where it supposed to go (hopefully), then you can disregard the rest of this message.
If you’re like many people who do it themselves or pack their stuff themselves into boxes before the movers show up, then listen up.
Whether you’re moving your home or an office, these simple tips can help make the move go much smoother.
The main tip I recommend you consider is to pack and label your boxes intelligently. Notice I didn’t just say, “Pack and label your boxes.” I said pack and label the boxes intelligently.
That means you should think about categories like rooms, and sub-categories like activities that take place within those rooms when packing and labeling your boxes.
For example, when packing printer supplies, only put things related to printing in the printing supplies box(es), i.e., printer ink or toner cartridges, copy paper, envelopes, labels, USB and/or CAT5 cables, etc. Do not put any unrelated item(s) in the box(s) even if the box isn’t completely full. This keeps everything organized and ‘in control’ so you can find what you need when you need it.
Packing unrelated things throughout multiple boxes makes moving very frustrating and highly inefficient to find things later on.
I can’t tell you how many people I know who still have boxes in their garage from a move that happened years ago that still hasn’t been opened! I wonder how many people buy things because they don’t know if they have one/it or not. Maybe they think they have one, but don’t have a clue where it might be.
Being organized is the key to a smooth move and efficient use of your resources.
Call me anal or left-brained (I like to think of myself as WHOLE-brained, creative and analytical), but I created color-coded labels to make it totally idiot proof for movers to put the correct box in the correct room. On some boxes I may write the contents sub-category on the label.
I have a few (2-3) large letters in a specific color that represents each room like so:
-
DO = David’s Office (cyan)
-
KIT = Kitchen (yellow w/green outline/border)
-
BR = Bedroom (magenta)
-
UT = Utility closet/room (green)
-
GAR = Garage (orange)
Example sub-categories:
-
Things to hang (pictures, awards, etc.)
-
Printing supplies
-
Stationary supplies
-
Shipping supplies
-
Kitchen – open first
-
Kitchen – pots/pans
-
Kitchen – spices
-
Kitchen – food
-
etc.
You can use just about any sized labels, but I wouldn’t go smaller than an address label. Microsoft Word has built-in templates for just about every Avery label on the market and/or you can customize labels in Word. You can get blank labels from any stationary store or you can order them online.
Tip: Use at least three labels on each box: one on the top and one on opposite sides (front and back or left and right sides). That way you’ll be able to see the label even when they’re stacked.