Packing Tips To Make Your Move Easier + A Free Moving Checklist

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It’s fair to say that Jan and I have moved more times than most and, as much as we love living in our current home, we know that a move will happen in the not too distant future.

We’re just not ones for staying in the same place for too long, as is clearly evident by the contents of our cellar which, along with way too many DIY supplies, is full of boxes and packing material that I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of when we moved in.

As much as a move is always exciting and opens up loads of possibilities, the actual moving process isn’t exactly the most fun thing to do and it can be really stressful for even the most organised person like me.

Luckily, there are lots of things you can do to take the stress out of a move. Planning meticulously so you know exactly what will happen when, being super organised and starting the whole process early to give you as much time as possible to prepare for the move all help to make sure a house move runs smoothly.

Here are our top packing tips to make your move easier!

These are our tried and tested moving tips that have helped us with every move. It’s often the little things that will save you a lot of stress and we’re sharing exactly what we’ve learned after 8 moves together.

Declutter you home

And when I say declutter, I really mean it! Be radical, be ruthless! Use this chance to have a thorough clear-out and get rid of everything you no longer need or want.

Do you really want to keep those jeans you’ve not been able to fit into for 5 years? Do your children still play with all of their toys? Do you really want to keep every paperback book you’ve ever read? And, is your wobbly coffee table really going to survive another move?

Divide everything into 4 different stacks – Keep, Sell, Donate and Bin

Every time you pick up something to pack think about when you last used it and which stack you really want to sort it into.

Don’t just think about the time it’ll take you to pack everything but also remember that anything you pack now will have to be unpacked after your move, too! Less stuff means less packing, less unpacking, less carrying, fewer boxes, less packaging, less work and ultimately less cost!

Start packing earlier than you think

Packing takes time, especially when you are sorting through your most valuable possessions which need to be carefully wrapped and protected for a move. Think about the things you won’t need again until you are in your new home and start to pack early! One of our biggest packing tips when moving house is to start as soon as you know you’ll be moving – at least 6 weeks before your move date is ideal.

To keep on top of all of your tasks, make yourself a long list of things that need to be completed for your move. To make things as easy as possible, we’ve made a free printable moving checklist for you. Just download and print it to keep track of what you need to do!

Make space for your packed boxes

If you can, completely clear one room and use it to store all packed boxes. And, if you don’t have the space to store dozens of packed boxes think about packing your belongings up and moving them into a storage facility. This will help speed things up during the moving process – plus you will limit the risk of accidental damage to items like scuffs and scratches, too!

Being able to move into your home without falling over dozens of boxes will make your life so much easier! Big Yellow offers a flexible way to store your belongings. The space is yours for how long (or short) a time you need – because we all know that the moving process can take longer than expected.

Storing your possessions somewhere clean and safe for a while is also a great idea if you have some renovations to carry out. You don’t want all of your things to be in the way or be covered in dust and dirt while you’re sanding your floors, laying carpets or painting your new home.

Organise and colour code your boxes

Planning and organising your move in detail will save you so much stress not only in the immediate run-up to and on the day of the move but also when it comes to unpacking everything in your new home, too.

One of our biggest packing tips to make your move easier is to label every box. And by that, I don’t just mean scribbling the name of the designated room onto it. Assign each room in your new home a colour and colour code each box accordingly.

Don’t just name them bedroom 1 / bedroom 2 as it’s likely that no one will know which room is which. Give each room a colour so that everyone knows exactly where the boxes should go. This will make staying organised so much easier when all of your boxes are being moved into your new home.

And to make things even easier, you can download the labels for the boxes and rooms that we use here!

It’s also a good idea to number the boxes and (at least roughly) list the contents of each of them. Knowing exactly what is in each box will make things so much easier when it comes to unpacking and organising things in your new home. After all, you probably don’t want to have to rummage through 25 kitchen boxes just to find your kettle!

If you’re moving a long distance, it’s also a good idea to write your name on every box in case something gets lost in transit.

When packing up everything, don’t forget to take what you’re packing into consideration, too. If you’re packing lots of books you’ll have to use a smaller box so that it doesn’t end up being too heavy to carry.

Big Yellow offers different types of packaging, such as boxes designed specifically for TVs, to ensure your belongings are kept in the best condition during the move.

Something we discovered during our last move is wardrobe boxes. They are genius and make packing your clothes so much easier as you can just take all of your clothes that are on hangers and move them straight to your wardrobe box and then back to your wardrobe after your move without the need to fold and pack everything away.

Pack your boxes cleverly

I know that this sounds bad and yes, it’s probably a total generalisation, but at the end of the day, you’re probably the only person that really cares about your stuff.

Pack like your life stuff depends on it.

• Pack so that nothing in the boxes can move.
• Wrap Bottle tops with cling film to keep them sealed.
• Movers will ignore any “warning glass” signs.
• Movers will throw the boxes around.
• Movers will stack the boxes how they want to save space and ignore “this way up” labels.
• Pack any plates vertically. They are much less likely to break if stacked on their sides than if they are stacked on top of each other.

Keep your toolbox close by and collect all screws and fixings in one box!

I know that this sounds like a super obvious thing to do but you’d be surprised how easy it is to forget things like this when your head is spinning with about a million things that need tackling.

When you first start to take your furniture to pieces, dedicate one box to keeping any screws and fixings in it. There’s nothing more annoying than being in your new home and wanting to unpack but can’t find the screws to get your cupboards or shelves assembled!

Moving home doesn’t have to be stressful and these tips will hopefully help you stay on top of planning a house move and make moving day a bit less stressful!

How do you keep organised when you’re planning a big event like a move? Are you an organised kind of person or do you often descend into chaos? Do you have any packing tips to make a move easier? We’d love to hear them!