This last weekend, I moved to a new apartment. I haven’t moved in three years and I truely forgot how hard it was. Chelsea is a moving expert and taught me some great tips. Lucky for you, I’m going to share them.

  • Start Early

    Start your move early. Not like a week or two early, a whole month early! After the hapyness wears off from signing the least, geting going. It is important to start gathering materials and making reservations. I live in an apartment building in Washington, DC where you need to reserve the elevator just to get out of the building! This needs to be done and locked in before even starting. Cramming it all into one week is near impossible, and you will be stresed.

  • Build a List

    This sounds like a no brainer, but you must build a list. Do this first! It will make the rest of your move easier because you have nothing to remember. Here are some items in my list:

    1. Reserve the elevator in the building I’m moving out of
    2. Reserve the elevator of the building I’m moving into.
    3. Rent the truck
    4. Send the calendar invite to your friends who will help you move
    5. Get boxs
    6. Purchase Packing Tape
    7. Sell old furniture
    8. Start ordering new furniture needed

  • Gather Materials

    Moving is expensive or can be if you don’t do it right. Moving boxes aren’t cheap and considering you need at least 15, it adds up quick. When you are prepping, go on Craigslist and search from some free boxes. Chelsea picked all our boxes from somone who just finished their move. Not only is it free but also it is recycling.

    Before you start packing, go to Amazon and order a bulk set of packing tape. You will need about double of what you expect. No reason to be stingy on the amount of tape used, make sure to keep your stuff safe.

    Also to keep your stuff safe, start collecting lots of newspaper! For the entire month, start collecting your local newspaper. If you don’t subscrbie to one, you should probably start. It’s just as cheap as buying packing paper, and you get to read a paper every morning!

  • Rent a Truck

    Simple rule of thumb, get a truck one bedroom more than you are moving. Uhaul rates the trucks if you pack like a professional. If you want to make your life easy and only do one move, just get a larger truck.

  • Start Packing

    This is worst part. There is on getting around it, just hard and tiring. To make your life a little easier set accomplishable goals and do it over a few weeks. For example, first pack up the hanging items on day, then all the decorative goods another, then continue with your electronics. Don’t forget to label the boxes with what is inside. Keep it small.

    One cool trick for hanging clothes: While the clothes are hanging, put all the clothes in a garbage bag. Then take the drawstrings of the garbage bag, and wrap them around the hangers. Now you have a easy to move and better yet an easy to unpack clothes set.

    The day before you move, label all your boxes with what room they are going in and if they are breakable. This will make unloading the truck way easier! Here is our sticky note system:

  • Moving Day

    The day has come and it is time to move. If you have packed up all your stuff already, the moving process should be the easiest you ever had.

So next time you move, follow the tips above. It will really help. Hope you have your move feel like this: