Moving—like getting a tooth pulled or driving a very long distance through uninteresting landscapes—is one of those trials almost everyone must face. It’s sometimes unpleasant, it’s never exactly fun, but it usually leads to a positive outcome. Fortunately, and likely because almost everyone does end up moving at some point, there are plenty of tried-and-true moving tips out there to make the whole process easier. Following a moving checklist can help you make sure everything’s in order before, during, and after the move; another good moving tip is to commit to having a good attitude about all the change to come.
The most important moving tips, though, may relate to the physical move itself.
A lot can go wrong during a move. With all the details and moving parts, there’s no one-size-fits-all guide with moving tips for every single scenario that could come up during the moving process.
Pack your boxes into the truck. Choose boxes of similar size and strength so you can stack them on top of each other. Place the heaviest and largest boxes on the bottom, medium-weight boxes in the middle, and lighter items on top. You will be creating three layers of weight.
- Make sure you have labeled the boxes to say which room they should go in.
- Pack a layer of heavy, medium-sized, and light boxes, and repeat the process until the truck is mostly full.
- Try to create tiers that have a similar height, so you can pack the boxes to create an even surface.
- Move from the front to the back of the truck.
- As you go along, place in items that are hard to stack in between crevices to save space. Items like cushions and strollers are great for this.
Put in any remaining items. Your goal should be to pack the truck as tightly as possible without squeezing the items together too tightly. Squeeze in any unwieldy items where you can, and place fragile items on top so they don’t get crushed.
- Try to fit together the remaining parts as if you were working on a jigsaw puzzle. Everything will be able to fit together if you arrange it the right way.
- Place items that don’t fit anywhere else in the front of the truck, such as grills.
- If you rent a truck that is larger than you need and you do not fill the truck completely, you can minimize moving and jostling by leaving the empty space at the back of the truck and keeping the height of your packing low and even.