There are so many stresses accompanying a move from one home to another that one that you can definitely do without is the stress of packing.
Nobody likes it but it must get done nonetheless. There are however, a few simple things that can be done to make packing quicker and easier.
The first thing to do is to make sure that you have all the proper tools that you will need. What you will need are: an exacta-knife, notebook, black permanent marker, boxes of varying sizes, packing tape, bubble wrap, and Styrofoam peanuts.
All of these materials can be found at local stationery stores, in post offices, or moving stores. Retailers can also be a big help when looking for boxes. These stores receive shipments nearly every day and most of the time, they'd be happy to give them to you for free rather than clog up their own recycling.
If you're also looking to save a little money, pillows and blankets make great cushioning material for breakables and you need to pack them anyway! If you still need padding, wadded up newspapers should do the trick.
It's best to pack one entire room before moving on to the next. This will help keep you organized while you are packing and also while you are unpacking in your new residence.
Label each box which room it should be moved into in the new home and be sure to mark boxes that contain glass or other breakables "Fragile." With your notebook, write down every item that is packed into every box for quick reference later.
There are some things that just can not be packed. These include anything that is flammable or is sensitive to heat. Things such as candles, records, audio or video tapes, computer discs, propane tanks, aerosol cans, certain types of paint, and some cleaning fluids.
If you must take them with you, don't pack them but place them in the car and take them right over to the new place.
Each item that is to be packed should be wrapped on its own and not be paired with anything else. These items can be laid on newspaper or other cushioning material at the bottom of the box.
Then place wadded up newspapers to fill the box and provide more padding. And of course, don't place heavy objects on anything that they can crush during the move. If you have a lot of heavy items, place them in multiple small boxes to make carrying them easier.
Keep storage in mind when you are packing. If you think there are certain things that will stay in boxes in storage at the new home, keep all of these items in the same box and clearly indicate on the box that this is for storage and what the box contains.
Make a list of things you will need the day of your move and the day after your move. This will help keep things organized and you will have them on-hand. Also try to move during the week.
Professional offices will be open if you need anything and you won't need to leave an urgent item over the weekend.
