New Beginnings

New Beginnings

Each time you move from one home to another you have an opportunity to begin again. Your new beginnings could involve a lifestyle change, the creation of new habits, the discovery of new hobbies and interests, a new job or a variety of other new adventures and experiences. If you’re not an organizer, preparing for a move is a good time to develop organizational skills. By taking extra time to prepare and pack for the move, you’ll end up saving time and eliminating a lot of moving day stress.

The Beginning Stages of Packing

One of the first steps to take before you begin packing is to toss out or donate everything you don’t need to take with you. You’re wasting time and possibly money by taking things you don’t need to your new home. Closets are a good place to start paring down your possessions, but de-cluttering involves more than giving away a few articles of clothing. An easy way to undertake the sorting out process is to tackle one room at a time.

In the bedroom, sorting through the items in the closet is just one part of the de-cluttering process. Go through dresser drawers, storage trunks, toy chests and any under-the-bed storage boxes you have. If it’s not something you need, give it up.

Assessing the items in your bathroom cabinet may reveal a collection of outdated medicine that needs to be thrown away rather than packed up for the move. Scrutinize the items in your kitchen cabinets and donate the things you haven’t used in years. Be sure to continue the sorting out process in the basement, the garage, the attic and any storage buildings you have.

Identification

With fewer things to pack, you’ve already simplified your moving preparations and lessened the time it will take you to unpack. Even with fewer boxes, moving day can be stressful if you don’t label the boxes. This step of the moving process is a good place to get a hands-on lesson in organization. What you learn here can help you in other areas of your life.

You don’t want to procrastinate with moving preparations, especially the packing. You can start early and pack up items that you know you won’t need prior to moving day. Attach a content list to the box and write on the label the location that the box should be placed in once you arrive at your new home. While labels are extremely helpful, color coding can simplify the moving process even more. You can use colored tape or colored markers to indicate which room a box goes to.

Make a list of the rooms in your new house and write the color code for that room on your moving day check off list. You can save money and space by packing items in baskets, laundry hampers, suitcases and any other items you have that have storage space inside of them. Be sure to label everything that has items packed in it.

Lists

An organizational plan of any kind typically involves the creation of lists. As a way to stay organized before, during and after the move, you’ll need to prepare several different lists to help you. You’ll need a list that includes things to do prior to the move such as contact all services that need to be cancelled, change mailing address, pick up veterinarian records and various other pre-moving tasks.

A check off list for the packing process can help you manage your time so that there’s not a last minute rush to get things packed up. Since organization is a goal for your new life in your new home, you should prepare a list of things to do immediately after arriving at your new home.

Moving Day

Anytime you set a goal or embark on an adventure such as moving to a new home, you should take steps to help assure that you have a successful start toward the achievement of that goal. Even if you have meticulously packed, labeled and organized everything, moving day can be physically and emotionally tiring. Arriving at your new home with survival boxes is a great way to make the first day or first couple of days in your new home less stressful.

It’s best to pack a survival box for each child. The box can include some of their favorite toys and maybe even a new toy, snack food and their favorite blanket or whatever they consider a comfort item. Also, pack a box for your pet. Your personal survival box should include “very important items” such as a coffee maker, coffee and mugs or whatever you need to make your first morning in your new home comfortable and pleasurable.