Packing up your home and moving can very easily become the bane of your existence, but it doesn’t have to be.
The excitement of starting a fresh chapter and creating a new home does not need to be dampened by the hassles of the actual move. Here are some ideas on how to organise your belongings in order to make moving as painless as possible.
1. Make sure you reduce your possessions
You only realize how many possessions you have hoarded when you start packing it up. To try and simplify your move we suggest to ‘Marie Kondo your life’ (and if you don’t know who Marie Kondo is, her documentary may make for some great pre-move Netflix viewing).
The simple summary of her philosophy is to only keep things which bring happiness and meaning to your life. Purge your wardrobe and make separate piles for donations, reselling (apps like Depop can be great for this) and throwing away. The less you have, the less you must move. Furniture, valuables, paintings, and electronic equipment can follow a similar process to clothing, keep what is essential and resell, gift, or dispose of what you no longer need. The more cutthroat you are the better, especially if you are moving into a furnished place.
2. Don’t skimp on the packing supplies
The last thing you want (or need) is to be mid-pack and suddenly need more boxes, tape or bubble wrap. Stock up on the essentials and be sure to avoid an unnecessary fight when you inevitably have more things to pack than boxes to fill them with. A fun trick that has been making the rounds on social media is to keep all your clothes on their hangers, place them in plastic laundry bags and make a hole in the top for the hangers to pop through. Voila no need for overpriced wardrobe boxes.
3. Quick top packing tips
- Fill up your empty pill cases with jewelry such as rings and earrings
- Use items such as linens, blankets, carpets etc. as makeshift padding for other items in the moving vehicle
- Avoid breaking your back by using rolling suitcases for heavier things such as books, textbooks and perhaps cases of alcohol
- Wrap your glasses in socks to avoid breakage
- Don’t empty your desk draws – keep them as they are and wrap them in plastic wrap in order to save time and space
- Keep all of your important documents close by and make an effort not to lose them
- Keep an essentials bag with you, with items such as food, screw drivers, scissors, toothbrush, toilet paper – you get the idea – there is nothing worse than arriving and not having the basics readily available
- Lastly, label your boxes for maximum efficiency when unpacking or trying to frantically find something stuffed at the bottom of a box
Moving to a new home can be so exciting, we have seen it time and time again with our London Shared tenants, so don’t let the celebration be ruined by something as simple as not buying enough boxes.
Follow these easy steps and be well prepared for your move. Good luck!