Packing Tips for Moving

Are you ready for some Packing Tips for Moving with your Family? When You’re in the Middle of Moving Home is where your heart is, but it is nice to feel comfortable in a space. We moved our family last summer right around this time and it was mayhem and constant chaos (literally). I’m not going to lie or sugar coat it for you, it was really, really difficult for me. The good news is that we moved to a town that we love and into a house that we love, so that did make it easier for (me) us.

Packing Tips for Moving

Packing Tips for Moving

I had never moved house to house before, only apartment to house. Our apartments were always pretty small so we never collected lots of stuff. Not to mention when we moved from NYC to RI back in 2005, William and Alex were babies. They didn’t have a ton of stuff and in all honesty – it was pretty easy to have my parents watch them while we moved and did what we needed to do to get everything done. When we moved last year we were moving with 5 kids and tons (and tons) of stuff. I couldn’t believe the amount of stuff we acquired throughout the years! Moving into this new home was one of the best things we could’ve done because it really made me look and assess everything we had in our old home before we packed it up! When we moved here we definitely moved a bit lighter!

I’m seeing so many of my friends in my Facebook feed going through the same thing right now. Everyone is moving! It seems like every time I turn around someone is talking about packing everything up. The summer is such a great time to move for families because you have the summer to get used to your new surroundings and your kids have time to make some new friends and get comfortable in their new home before the start of school.

I just felt that by creating this “master” helpful list of Packing Tips for Moving it would make someone else’s journey a little easier!

Packing Tips for Moving

I wanted to share some Packing Tips for Moving for families when they’re in the middle of the moving madness! When you start the process it never seems like it’s going to be as “bad” or overwhelming, but it gets there quick. You’re packing your entire life up and moving it, it’s bound to get stressful for anyone. I was really stressed last summer, so much so that I ended up just shelving boxes and not revisiting them until this past spring! I just had to stop because it was getting to be too much. I was also working full time and traveling for work during our move, so that really added to the stress for me.

8 Tips for Families When You're in the Middle of Moving

Packing Tips for Moving – 8 Tips for Families When You’re in the Middle of Moving:

1. TAKE TIME OFF WORK – If you’re able to do so, take some time off of work. This is anything but a vacation, but this is a time that really does require you heads down and concentrating. It’s not the kind of thing you can easily just pull off during a weekend or on the weekends. If you’re able to take 3-5 days off to just work on the moving and the packing and the unpacking, do that! It will be so beneficial for you. I wasn’t really able to do this and it’s something I wish I had done last summer.

2. LABEL VERY SPECIFICALLY – I started to do this 1/2 way through our moving. Do not just label a box,”KITCHEN.” When you’re packing, make sure you’re super specific, “KITCHEN – PLATES, UTENSILS, CUPS.” Make it specific like that so you know exactly what’s inside each box. This will make it easy on your once you’re unpacking.

3. PACK LIKE YOU’RE GOING ON VACATION – When you’re about to head off to your new place, my advice is to pack a suitcase for yourself and your family like you’re going away on a vacation. This will be the suitcase you can live out of for a week or more. I got this advice after we moved, so I wasn’t able to do this but I thought it was a great tip to remember. You can always buy some paper plates and cups and plastic silverware to get you through those first few days, too!

4. RENT A DUMPSTER – This saved our life during our move! We actually should’ve rented one at our new house, too! As we were packing, anything that we couldn’t salvage or donate or sell – we dumped! We didn’t want to hold onto things that we didn’t need or couldn’t use. Don’t be afraid to let go of things. Purging this way was one of the best things we ever did! I also literally could’ve rented one again once we were unpacking, too! It would’ve been a good idea to purge one more time after we moved, too!

5. ACCEPT HELP – If your parents, friends, neighbors, siblings, aunts/uncles ask if you need help, take it! Even if it’s just watching your kids while you pack, take the help. We took the help every time someone offered and it did help us a ton! As long as you can tell someone what to do, the help will be really useful!

6. CLEAR PLASTIC BINS – If you know there are certain things you’re going to need first in your move, purchase some clear plastic bins that you can see-through and pack everything in those bins. I wish I had done this with my work stuff. I would’ve been able to put my hands on this stuff immediately! I love this idea and really wish I had utilized it for our move.

7. CLEAN YOUR NEW HOUSE BEFORE YOU MOVE IN – If you have the chance to get into your house before you officially move in, head there and do a once over on the cleaning front… or hire a service to do this for you! Our house that we moved into was professionally cleaned before we moved in, but I still went over with my husband the day before we moved and did a quick additional clean. It probably didn’t need it, but even just doing a once over on the kitchen and the bathrooms made me feel good!

8. GIVE YOURSELF A BREATHER – Moving can be very stressful. Make sure you’re giving yourself a breather! I’m not even going to say try not to stress because you will and that’s normal. Do what you can to give yourself some breathing space to de-stress. Everything will eventually get unpacked. Your house will sell (if it hasn’t already!). You will eventually feel at home in your new home. Just know this to the core!

*When I was in the middle of moving I also relied on Staples for all my essentials – packing tape, boxes, labels! They were my go-to and the prices were GREAT! Little extra side tip!

I’m telling you – moving wasn’t easy! I wrote my true feelings about the experience here without holding anything back!

 

About Audrey

Audrey McClelland has been a digital influencer since 2005. She’s a mom of 5 and shares tips on her three favorite things: parenting, fashion and beauty. She’s also a Contemporary Romance Author.

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