1. Scope out Your New Neighborhood 🌇

A new neighborhood can feel overwhelming. You don’t have a level of comfort with your new neighborhood like you do with your old one. But you can soon feel at home if you take time to scope out your new neighborhood. Take time to familiarize yourself with it before your actual moving day. Learn where the post office, grocery store, drugstore and coffee shop are so you feel a little more settled in your surroundings.

2. Don’t Put off Packing until the Last Minute

Some things have to be packed last minute. There’s no way around that. But other than those last few items like toiletries, medications 💊 and food items, start packing several weeks before your move. You’ll feel less stressed and be more prepared. Additionally, you’ll have time to organize as you pack so that unpacking is a dream.

3. Assign Each Box to a Room

Unpacking is going to be much easier if your boxes are assigned to a room. Ask your movers to put them in the rooms they’re labeled to go in. This saves you a lot of steps later. There’s less sorting out to do when you unpack because you did it all when you were packing. Since unpacking is even less fun than packing, whatever you can do to make the process fasster is a good idea.

4. Leave Your Clothes on the Hangers

This may sound like a bad idea at first but give it some thought. The old fashioned method of taking your clothes off your hangers to pack them is actually more time consuming and messy. You have to take them off the hangers, fold them, pack them then unpack them and rehang them when you reach your destination. Plus, clothes always pick up tons of wrinkles this way which no one loves. Leave them on the hanger and stash them in a garment bag or even rubber band the hangers together then put a garbage bag over they’re being transported. You can uncover them and hang them directly into your new closet.

5. Transport Your Most Precious Keepsakes Yourself

Moving companies or even friends and family can be a wonderful help when you’re moving. But there’re just some items that’re better off being transported by you. Whatever your most precious keepsakes are, you’ll feel better knowing they’re closeby. It could be pictures, your grandma’s pearls or even an old teddy bear. Whatever it is, save yourself the worry and assign yourself the task of getting it from here to there.

6. Go for Take-out on Moving Day

Home cooked meals are a wonderful thing. They’re healthier and more economical. But moving day is not the day for cooking one. You don’t need the stress of preparing a meal when you’re trying to settle in your new home. Splurge for pizza, deluxe salads or whatever your favorite takeout is.

7. Follow the if You Don’t Use It, Lose It Rule

Moving is the perfect time to sort through things and decide if something needs to stay or go. It’s easier to do this when you’re packing. After all, why not make your load for your new home lighter? But if that didn’t work out, you can always sort as you unpack. If you haven’t used something in a year then there’s a good chance you don’t need it.

These’re some tips to help make your moving day a little less maddening. What tips do you have for moving? Your comments are always welcome!