Last year, Travis and I moved for the 7th time in our 7 year marriage and to celebrate not moving this year, I wanted to share my moving tips with you. Sadly, I have not minimized our stuff to the point I wish we would have after so many moves, but I can tell you what I have learned along the way and probably the hard way.
- Before packing a thing clean out your cabinets, donating and throwing away. Start as early as you can, make trips to the thrift store and make donations.
- Get a variety of box sizes, if all your boxes are the same size it gets tough when playing real life Tetris in you uhaul or pods trailer, plus you will always find small boxes of books are easier to lift.
- Put together a moving binder, keep to do lists and tasks to accomplish at certain intervals there, as well as a copy of your old lease, new lease, moving company info/uhaul order, pet information (everything), as well as any other important documentation you don’t want should the haul drive it’s self off a cliff or the moving company loose the truck your stuff is on. I kept my binder in a low lip tub with tape, a stack of sharpies and post it notes. When I would go to pack a room or closet I took my tub in with me. I never lost my sharpies this way and I knew where my tape was at all times.
- Keep a tub of must have items for living. Items for the kitchen, sheets for air mattress or bed and towels to take a shower, as a rug or to help clean up. Have this tub, your overnight essentials in yourcarsoitdoesn’taccidently make it on the truck. Items that make life survivable until the moving company shows up with your stuff…
- Here is what I keep in my must have tub: measuring cups that double as bowls, bottle opener, camp kitchenware (cups, plates and silverware), paper towels, TP, bath towel, wash cloth, can opener, pizza slicer, 2 mugs, batteries, 1st aid kit, oven mitt, a dish towel, spatula, small pot, small skillet, detergent + dish soap.
Check out my Pinterest Board full of all the packing and moving tips and articles I have read and tried!
Stylishly Shelby 
This is awesome! I’m a leasing manager for an apartment community & will pass these tips along. I’ll also be moving this summer. I like the idea of keeping a tub of living essentials handy.
when we moved from Texas to Colorado we decided to go with a POD well, it takes at least a week for it to arrive, so we had to get creative and this was an amazing option! Thank for sharing and commenting!
Hello! Fellow Let Your Blog Shine member here. 🙂
Great post! I wish I would have be able to read this last January! 😉
Great tips! I’m hoping not to have to use them in a while…I HATE moving. Really good idea about the binder and about the tub with stuff you need to live. Thanks!
Thanks Shann! They tips made our last move survivable! I had to send my husband to California a month before I could move last year and packed his tub full of things to survive, he only had to buy a few things while on his own!
Excellent tips, though I’m hoping I personally never have to do so again, lol. However I am moving two teenagers into my house this weekend so… yeah. Very helpful even if the moving company is me, lol.
I’m hoping I don’t have to move again anytime soon since I’m still trying to get organized from last year’s move! But these tips are super helpful
I am usually settled a month after moving, with functional tweaking through out the year
I cleared out as I packed, so there was a packing pile, rubbish pile and charity shop pile. We’ve been married for eight years and we moved 4 times in about 5 years of marriage. I keep saying to Chris that if we move again, I’m going on holiday and coming back when we’ve moved.
We keep saying the next move we will hire movers but it never happens. I agree go on holiday and then go to your new home after the ‘move’!