Moving to a different home is a daunting task. It is a complicated process that requires a lot of proper planning, effort, money, and free time. Many people simply have no idea how to handle this difficult task. It makes sense. Without having any kind of previous experience with moving, how could a person know what to do in this type of situation? Well, anyone that is looking to settle into a new home, should do a little bit of research to create a moving checklist and to decide what to pack first.
However, during this period, it is normal for things to be very hectic and to be without a plan. But, if you do find yourself in such a situation, you should slow down, take a breather and then start planning and creating a checklist. By doing this, you will be a lot more efficient when packing your stuff.
To make things easier for everyone that is in this kind of situation, I wrote this article that people can use as a checklist. In it, you will find all the things you will need to pack first when moving.
Get some packaging materials
Source: CPM Trading
Naturally, the first thing you will want to do is to acquire some packaging materials where you will be able to store all of your items safely. The most important part of all those materials is the boxes. You will need a lot of them. Even when you think that you have enough, you should still get a lot more. It will never hurt to have an extra few lying around your house. Even if you do end up with a lot of extra boxes, you can always keep them in your attic/basement, recycle it or give it to your friends.
You also need something that will protect all of your fragile items. Most of the time, I prefer using bubble wrap. This is best used for anything that is made out of glass, ceramic, or any other material that is fragile can shatter or easily break.
Your plates, jewelry, your computer, laptop, TV, and anything else that you can think of.
However, bubble wrap is not always the best option. It is great to wrap your TV around or other larger objects, but it is not exactly the best ones trying to pack your plates for example. You would have to wrap every single plate apart. That is simply too much work and too much packaging material.
What you should do is get packaging peanuts. These are cheap, they are light, and will protect all of your items once you put them in the box.
Start with the essentials
Source: Boston Magazine
Once you have your boxes and you are ready to work, it is best to first start with the essentials. I am talking specifically about the things you would first need when you enter your new home. What do you think will be the first thing you want to do when you open the door of your new home? Do you want to go to the bathroom and take a shower? Do you want to go to your room and sleep? Do you need to work?
Once you ask yourself these types of questions, you will start to understand what your essentials actually are.
Usually, those essentials come from the kitchen, the bathroom, and the bedroom. You will need to take a shower, wash your teeth, and wash your hands after the first day in your new house. So, that is why you should first start packing your toothbrush, your shampoos, and other important items that you usually use in your bathroom.
Then, you will need to continue with your bedroom. The bed is a must. The bed will also require its mattress on which you will sleep on. The mattress will need sheets and you will also need a blanket or something else that will cover you while sleeping.
Once all of these things are put in a box, you can send them via a truck or take them by yourself to your new home. Although, I think it is always best to hire a company that will handle the moving and shipping process for you. According to JLuggage, using a shipping or moving services are not as expensive as they used to be, and moving from Japan to the UK has never been easier – read more here.
When you finally bring all of your stuff, your essentials will be ready and waiting for you. You will not have to sort through dozens of boxes just to find your toothbrush or your favorite blanket.
Pack some entertainment
Source: Moving Feedback
While it is very important to have all of the essentials packed first, you should also consider the fact that your empty new house will be boring. Boredom can have a huge impact on your efficiency of unpacking and cleaning.
You probably have been working so hard, so you should probably reward yourself with a bit of rest and a little entertainment. This is why I believe it is important to pack some entertainment things. This can be anything from board games to all kinds of gadgets or technology.
The focal point of your living room, the TV is a great source of entertainment. If you do not enjoy watching TV too much, you should probably pack your tablet. You could also take your computer, all the peripherals, and set it up in your new room. Play some video games and get some rest.
Once you do that, you will feel a lot more energetic and focused to finalize this entire process.
Valuables
Source: Medium
During this entire moving process, people will constantly be going in and out of your old home. You take one box outside, you come back and you take another one out. You will be doing this at least 100 times. Since you will be doing this so much, it does not make sense to lock the door behind you or even close it. This will expose all of your valuable stuff at home.
Instead of leaving all those valuable things lying around your home, you should consider putting all those things in a box and sending it to your new home as soon as possible.
It is true that moving is scary, but with proper planning and a checklist like this, I am sure that you will not have any kind of complications or problems.
