Moving? Don’t start packing yet! Here are a few steps that will save you time and lots of money…
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Manage your time properly – Start organizing and packing at least one month before the moving day. Start with things that you don’t use daily. Your ski suit, snow boots, winter clothes, most of the books, CD’s and computer games and other things you can do without for a few weeks. Start slowly and dedicate an hour or two every day for packing. The most important step is to go through your stuff and sort it.
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Be sure to have recycling bins and donation bags and garbage bags – Before you start packing, you need to get rid of things that you don’t need. A good example are clothes that you haven’t worn for the last two years and that are taking up space you could use for new clothing. This applies to books, toys and home decorations. Find out here where/how to recycle a certain material: http://rcbc.bc.ca/ Recycling BC can help you find a donation centre by your house.
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Throw out the fridge – or at least a lot of it – Food and vitamins are not like good wine. They don’t get better with age! Go through your pantry, medicine cabinet and vitamins; throw away anything that has expired.
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The “Maybe Box” – Sometimes it’s hard to let go. If you feel conflicted, put it in a “MAYBE box” that you have prepared especially for tough decisions. After a few days, go check in with your “maybe box”. Your clarity will increase and you may see things differently.
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Use existing containers, suitcases, etc for packing – Take a look at your home. You probably have some plastic containers, suitcases and camping bags that can be used for packing. Sometimes these bags are stored in the attic and they are full of dust; clean them and use them for your move
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Rent Plastic Moving Boxes – If you are going to unpack most of the boxes in your new home (i.e., not store them indefinitely), I would highly recommend renting plastic moving boxes (like FrogBoxes!). They are easy to work with. Your belongings won’t get wet while loading/unloading in the rain. They are not only eco-friendly, they are family friendly too- if you by accident have packed your child’s most important stuffed toy… all you have to do is open the lid, take it out and close it back up. (You'd be surprised how often this happens.)
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Soft Items – Do not pack all your towels in one big box. Use the towels to pad the bottom of each box when packing dishes and other fragile items. Use another towel on top and seal the box.
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Label Every Box – Don’t label the top – always on the side, so when you stack them on each other you can tell what’s inside.
Thanks to Limor Friedman at Vancouver In The Box. Contact her at 778.228.6976 or info@vancouverinthebox.com
