There was a method to my madness. And by “madness,” I mean the fact that I suggested you pack the two toughest rooms of your home first: the kitchen and the master suite. Yes, I know it was daunting and labor intensive and time consuming – those rooms are the most used and tend to hold a lot of “stuff.” But, here’s the good news… packing and moving the rest of your home will be a snap! It’s all downhill from here!
Now, I’m not going to itemize your “to-do” list for each and every room remaining in your home. If you’ve conquered kitchen clutter and master-suite madness, you are officially a relocation expert. You’re simply going to apply the same principles of pre-planning, preparing packing materials and making inventory lists for the rest of the rooms in your home. Easy-peasy, right? Work from least used rooms, like formal dining rooms, to most-used rooms like family rooms and play rooms. Depending on your time-table, plan to pack one room a day. That way, you’ll have some down-time and be able to maintain a bit of sanity while moving every single thing you own from one location to another.
Speaking of sanity – and maintaining it… well, that’s the last big thing I want to talk about in this “stress-free” moving series of posts. Obviously, I use the term “stress-free” with my tongue planted firmly in cheek. Unless you’re the Dalai Lama I know it’s not possible to move without a bit of anxiety, but I do believe that a bit of pre-planning goes a long, long way to reducing that stress and strain. And, it’s not just planning the actual move. You need to plan (really commit to!) time when you’re not engaged in the process of moving. Here are a few tips to help you do that:
Print a blank calendar of your moving time table and note when you’ll pack each room. I really like the idea of packing a room per day, but know that’s not always possible. Whether you’re able to do that or not, DO plan at least an hour a day to walk away from the mayhem. Plan a lunch out with your BFF. Take your kids to a movie. Spend an hour in a bath with a glass of wine and a good book. Head to your favorite hiking spot and commune with nature. This whole moving experience is a marathon, not a sprint. Every hour you spend unwinding is worth a day’s worth of work!
Pack a moving day survival kit – I suggest purchasing a big Rubbermaid tub and packing it with items that will make moving day a bit more palatable… water bottles, phone chargers, healthy snacks, and toiletries (seriously, a roll of toilet paper and some paper towels can be the difference between a smooth move and a disastrous one). Here’s a fun survival kit checklist… some of the items on this list should have been packed in your “last to pack” kitchen and master bedroom box, but you get the idea.
Plan a nice – I mean really nice dinner out with your spouse or family the night before you move. Enjoy the ambiance, some candlelight and DO NOT discuss the move. I know that sometimes “scheduling” down-time can seem like adding to the overall stress, but here’s the thing… on this important night, when you’re exactly half-way through this move, you’re not going to be able to cook anyway. You’ll have already packed your kitchen, so there’s really no choice but to enjoy an evening out.
Hire a professional cleaning company to clean your old home after the movers have pulled out of the driveway. Many clients hit their breaking point when they realize they have to mop, dust, and deep-clean a home that doesn’t really belong to them anymore. Yes, you want to leave a nice and tidy abode for the new owners, but hiring professionals will be some of the best money you’ll spend in this entire process.
And finally… splurge on a nice hotel with complimentary room service or breakfast buffet for that night when your furniture – and your life – are loaded onto a moving van!
