I’m personally not a fan of moving. It’s a huge, thankless job that is very stressful, expensive and difficult, even in the best of situations. I do have some tips to make the job a bit easier, though.

Think Before You Move It!

Moving is the easiest way to cull items that you no longer need. Do you truly need all those cool whip or butter containers? Those clothes you haven’t worn in years? That item that you keep thinking you will use someday, but that day hasn’t arrived in five years? If the items are still in good shape, you may want to donate them or have a yard sale. Otherwise, toss them!

I had a couple of furniture pieces that I no longer needed, but I couldn’t find a buyer for them. I called a local charity that runs a thrift shop, and they picked them up! Plus, I got a tax write-off.

Color Code by Room

As you pack each room, color code each box! It can be as simple as using a different colored marker, tape or a tag of some sort to denote a particular room. When at the new location, put that same color on the door frame, so that the movers (whether its professionals, your family or friends) can easily put those boxes in the appropriate room.

Packing Materials

You have lots of packing materials already in your home – think towels and sheets. They work great to wrap breakable items, and it saves packing them in separate boxes. They are also good filler for boxes with extra room at the top.

Another item that works wonders is stretch wrap. It’s basically plastic wrap that comes in big rolls with a handle, and it’s available in different sizes. You can literally wrap items with their contents intact – dresser drawers, desk/drawer organizers, utensil holders, you name it. Using stretch wrap saved me a ton of time on my last two moves. I highly recommend it.

If you’re just moving a short distance away, plastic totes can really work well. During our last move, we were moving from a rental property into the house we were building. I had some leeway with getting out of our rental property, so instead of truly packing all of my kitchen items, I just put things in plastic totes and drove it over to the new house. The tote was also easier for me to handle alone versus using a box.

Do you own lots of coolers? Pack your stuff in the coolers! Any type of container that you already own and want to keep can replace boxes, plus they are more sturdy. You’ve got to move them anyway, so make that space work!