7 Quick Tips for Moving Cross-Country

So you're moving? That's fun!

Oh wait, or is it overwhelming? stressful?

Yes, all transitions can be both hard and exciting, but I am here to tell you that you do not have to allow the chaos of moving to turn your entire life upside down.

Here are a few tips to make your relocation just a little bit easier! Enjoy!

1. Declutter!

Be ruthless with how much you get rid of. You do not want to take anything to your new home that you don't absolutely need or you don’t absolutely love.

No reason for you to pay a moving company money to move your trash from one house to another! These things are going to cost you money in moving cost and time in packing, unpacking and organizing. Ask yourself; is it really worth it?

Bonus: Throw away all of the emotional and spiritual trash too!

No need to bring shame, guilt, bad memories, and regrets into your new home where you are excited to make new, beautiful memories! Quick actionable way to do this; write down all of the things you are letting go of and throw away or burn the paper at the old house. When you leave, the emotional trash won’t go with you.

2. Measure out your space!

Are you limited on how much you can move? Maybe you’re downsizing or using a smaller, less expensive truck, or like us, maybe you challenged yourself to only take what can fit in your car?

Whatever the reason, give yourself some limits and make it a game for your family. Tape off a space in the garage or use a room in the house to measure the approximate square footage of how much you can keep.

It is so much easier to plan ahead of time and make the hard decisions now than to be frazzled and stressed out on your moving day when you realize that there is no way everything will fit!

Bonus: Start with things that are easiest to say yes to; the thing you absolutely love and can’t let go of!

Then, get rid of things that you know for sure can go. The “maybe” pile will take the longest so why not make it easier for yourself and make your decisions easier by first getting rid of the trash and keeping the gold.

3. Use vacuum seal bags!

These bags are life savers; especially when you are tight on space.

You can use them for any textiles; clothes, blankets, stuffed animals, etc. You are welcome to get creative!

Bonus: After you are done using them, store all of the vacuum seal bags inside one of the smaller vacuum seal bags. Make sure it’s zipped tight and stored in a closet. When it comes time to move again, you will be ready to get packing!

4. Use suitcases!

You are going to have to move them to the new place anyways, so use them!

They are great for storing clothes, books, shoes, etc. I like using my suitcases to store odd-shaped and fragile items because I feel like the natural padding of a suitcase gives them extra protection.

Bonus: Make sure to write down what is in the suitcase on a piece of paper and either tie it to the handle or store it in one of the outside pockets. Later, when you are looking for something specific, you can quickly remind yourself what is inside without having to open it.

5. Label everything!

I know this task seems tedious, but it is so important!

Make sure you label every box, bag and basket. You think that you will remember what you put where, but you will be surprised how quickly you will forget!

Also, most likely, you are not the only one moving. This makes it easier for your family members to find what they are looking for and for your movers to know in which room to place the different boxes in. At the very least, write on the sticky note which room the box or appliance needs to go in and secure it with tape.

Bonus: Write the room the box goes into AND what is inside.

For example: kitchen (pots, pans, utensils, etc.) Again, this will make your life so much easier! Extra bonus? Use different colored sticky notes for different rooms, but here you will need to make sure that you have the key for the colors so others can be aware of how your super elaborate, organized system actually works.

6. Pack a separate “welcome home” box!

This box or bag will contain all of the necessities that you will need when you first get to your house!

Believe me, after packing, loading the truck, and unloading at the new house, you are going to be too tired and too frustrated to look for your bed sheets or toothpaste.

Make sure it’s all in one place and ready to go for when you are ready to crash for the night!

You can go here to see a quick visual checklist and download a PDF copy of the checklist for a “welcome home” box.

Bonus: You can make a “new home cleaning” box too!

Instead of packing all of your cleaning supplies, have a box or a caddy full of your favorite, grab-n-go cleaning supplies as well as your vacuum and mop handy. If you can’t imagine moving into your home before you do at least minimal cleaning, this is the bonus tip for you.

7. Keep important documents together!

We all have those super important papers; the passports, social security cards, birth certificates, diplomas, etc.

You do not want these to go missing accidentally or get misplaced. This is especially important if using a moving company (especially if they are moving multiple people at once and boxes can get mixed up or forgotten) or when traveling by air. Please do not keep your most important documents in your suitcase as those can go missing too.

I suggest using an accordion folder to keep them all safe, organized and contained.

During this move, I had the documents with me on my flight, in my carry-on. If we were all traveling by car together, I would just make sure to bring the folder with me when we stayed somewhere over night.

Bonus: are you afraid of loosing your most precious family pictures or letters?

I get it, we all have those prized possession. I suggest you limit yourself to an accordion folder of your most important memorabilia and photos so you are not dragging along boxes of things.

I hope these tips are helpful and informative for you and I wish you the best of luck in your next move or relocation!

Also, definitely check out this blog detailing everything that needs to go in the "welcome home" box.

If you still feel like you need extra help or professional expertise, you can contact me here!

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