Moving is always a painful experience for me. I’m currently smack in the middle of moving between two different apartments, have moved five times in the last five years, and I’m always on the lookout for strategies to make my moving experience go more smoothly. Maybe it’s because I have zero muscle mass, so physically moving a box is actually a huge issue for me - I don’t know - but I dread moving like the plague! I’ve tried just about every tactic: labeling all my boxes neatly, trying to balance heavy and light objects so I can actually carry things, playing real life tetris with my car - the works. Not everything has worked for me, but after moving so often, I’ve figured out some personal moving strategies that make life just a teensy bit easier when I’m on the move!
Overlapping leases (if possible!)
This time, David and I were lucky enough to find an apartment that we loved and conveniently overlapped our current lease. This gave us an extra month to plan out our move and take a look at the layout of the apartment before we arrived. Since I'm someone who doesn't have a ton of upper body strength and therefore can't help out as much on moving day, it has been easier for me to help coordinate the move by taking smaller loads intermittently throughout our overlapping month. Although this might not be possible in every situation and is a little more expensive because you are paying double rent for that one month, I think the amount of stress it eliminates is worth it!
Make pre-moving agreements with your roommates
While I absolutely hate physically moving boxes between apartments, I don't mind packing and unloading boxes at all - in fact I kind of enjoy it! David, on the other hand, hates packing boxes but doesn't mind moving them, so during this move, we decided to make an agreement that I would pack all of the boxes and stack them in a place where he could take them and load them in his car on his way to work. This worked perfectly for us because we both love and hate different things and it made our moving lives more enjoyable. This may only apply when you are living with a significant other, but I think if you have a good enough relationship with your roommate then you could also make a similar agreement.
You need more boxes than you think!
I always always always under estimate the number of boxes that I think I'm going to need in order to move. Believe me when I say that you probably have more stuff than you think you do! If anything, it's always safe to have more boxes than you need since they can easily break down and store other things in your apartment once you are moved or they can go straight to recycling when you are finished moving. Repeat after me: you can never have enough boxes!
Utilize bags as well - not just boxes!
When it comes to moving, we always talk about using boxes to move, but I have found that bags are just as useful when it comes to moving, especially when you don't have a ton of upper body strength. When I decide to pack things in bags as well as boxes, I find that I am able to be more efficient as I load things because I can carry a box in my hands as well as carry 2 to 3 bags on my shoulders at the same time!
Plan your new apartment set-up in advance
This may not always be possible, but I think that being able to plan the set up of your new apartment ahead of time can be a huge help! Then, when you move there, you know exactly where to put each piece of furniture and do not have to go through the hassle of moving things around after your initial move. On top of that, if you have a planned set-up, then there is already a place for everything which makes unpacking easier. Being the crazy organized and colorful decorator that I am, I love being able to make my space exactly the way I want it to be because it is actually an enjoyable process for me!
Leave a cleaning essentials box in your old apartment
My favorite tip of all is to start a “packing and cleaning essentials” box! I like to put things like Windex, packing tape, paper towels, rags, etc in this box (A peek at my current in progress box is below!) Typically, I start this cleaning essentials box as soon as I start packing up my old apartment. A lot of times, while I am packing up my old apartment, I'll run across things that I might need while cleaning my old apartment and it's nice to be able to have a place where I can throw everything that I might need and not have to think about it later. Then, when the time comes for me to actually clean, I already have everything in a box ready to go - which makes my life so much easier!
I can't wait to make our big move soon and get to the fun part - binge shopping at IKEA so I can decorate!!!! I hope these tips have been helpful and make your move go smoother! Thanks for reading♥
