Moving is probably not on anyone’s list of favorite activities but probably all of us have to go through a move or two throughout our lives. During this stressful time, there is just so much on your plate from transporting all your stuff through transferring all your utilities to cleaning and preparing your new home to start living there comfortably. And in the meantime, you’re even supposed to keep your sanity! If your moving day is coming up, you have no time to waste. Here are a few things you need to know about organizing before moving into a new place!

Declutter before packing

You don’t want your brand new place to be a disorganized mess as soon as you move in because you just have so much stuff you don’t know what to do with. If you are guilty of hoarding unnecessary items, a move is a perfect time to get rid of them and have a fresh start. Sell the things that are still in good condition, or organize your yard sale. Ask your friends and family members whether they happen to need some of the things you don’t. Ultimately, you can also donate a lot of things.

Make an inventory

As you are sorting out your belongings, it would be a good idea to make an inventory of everything that’s going into those boxes. Not only will this make things easier to find once you arrive at your new home, but this will also make sure nothing is misplaced or lost. If you are hiring movers, it is also a great idea to note the condition of your furniture before sending it off, therefore you can be sure whether any damage was made or not. Doing this step can save you from a lot of headaches.

Prepare your new home

You should also start preparing your new home well before the moving day. Some renovations and fixes might take long and you don’t want your plans to be delayed because you didn’t deal with them on time. There’s a lot of cleaning involved with moving, so make sure you devote ample time to this or hire cleaning experts to do it for you. If there is any painting job that needs to be done, such as gutters painting, make sure you get that done before moving in to avoid chaos. You should also measure the doors and rooms in case you have bulky furniture just to make sure everything will fit without a problem.

A change of address

Moving, of course, comes with a change of address, and it is essential that you let everyone relevant know about your new address. Starting from the post through the bank, your employers, the government, all the way to any subscriptions you might have, you want everyone to be updated. You should also contact utility companies and have your old utilities shut off and the new ones turned on at the appropriate time. 

Time to pack

Packing is everyone’s most dreaded part of moving simply because it’s incredibly tedious. However, the sooner you start the better, and you also need to be systematic here. Pack things that you don’t use often first so that you can already start transporting some boxes while still living at your old property. It’s also worth keeping the organization of your new home in mind and packing according to rooms – that way, everything can be put in the room it belongs to even before unpacking the boxes. Make sure you know what you mustn’t pack in case you’re hiring a moving company. Pack your valuable items separately and take care of them yourself to avoid theft or damage.

Have a survival box

When all is packed and done, you might find yourself needing something already in one of the boxes. To avoid mental breakdown, leave the absolute necessities for last and put them in a separate box. This will be your “survival box” that you will pack last and unpack first. It should have your toothbrushes, a towel, toilet paper, soap, a change of clothes, toys for your kids if you have any, your chargers, medications, some food, and of course your valuables. Basically, anything that you need in a day should be in here so that you don’t have to start unpacking right as you arrive, dead tired.

Unpacking 

Once all your stuff is moved into your new home, you might feel like you’re done. While the hard part is over, you are still far from done; you need to unpack. Start with the things that you use the most frequently and you’ll be alright. You don’t have to do everything at once, just make sure you have a system to avoid chaos.

Moving is a very tedious task, so it’s essential that you start organizing everything on time. Good luck!