12 Lessons I Learned Moving That Will Help You If You Think About Doing The Same

During the last year, I’ve moved three times, one of which was to a completely new city. Whenever I needed to pack my things and prepare for the move, I discovered that some processes could be simplified, that lists would serve to help me save time and that some methods are capable of making our lives easier in the midst of the chaos generated during a move of House.

Especially for readers of awesome.club, I want to share 12 lessons I learned from my moves. They are all very useful and easy to apply in your life.

Although it seems obvious, we often ignore the time it takes to pack a lifetime. At least a month before the move, start putting everything in order, check your belongings and everything that can be stored little by little, without having to completely change your routine in the first few days for this purpose.

You can find pages on the web that help you budget for your move before you even start packing. Often, companies want to know the approximate number of boxes, furniture, appliances and luggage that will be transported. Thus, it is possible to estimate the size of the vehicle that will be needed and the amount that will be spent. Not only does this allow for financial planning, but it also makes you rethink about things that might be unnecessary and could be thrown away.

Not that you need to become an expert in the moving business, but if you’re going to buy boxes, it’s good to know that they are sold in standard sizes. In addition, there are options with a single layer of cardboard and others with two (which are a little more expensive, but resistant). You can find square, rectangular, low and tall boxes, so before buying your boxes, check what fits in them and if they are easy to handle. Don’t forget that, as the boxing process progresses, you’ll need to stack the boxes so they don’t take up as much space.

After having an idea of ​​how much will be spent on the move, it’s time to ask yourself if it’s really worth keeping everything you thought of taking with you in the move. In my case, the six-month rule works: if I haven’t used a certain object within that period of time, it’s because I probably don’t need it, so I can give it up without any problems. You’ll be amazed at all the things that could be piling up in your home, gathering dust in closets. I’m not just talking about clothes, but also papers, magazines and other items that you might not even know were in your house.

At the same time that you are going through your home to check your belongings, you can start sorting through everything that goes into the new home. This will allow you to pack everything neatly, not just throwing things into boxes (something I did the first time I moved). What I learned about this is that you can make a list of what’s in the box and then give it a number. If something happens and you notice that you have things missing, it will be easy to know which objects were lost and in which box they were.

The idea of ​​lifting a box that you’ve just closed and seeing things fall out the bottom is not fun. Even less when it comes to fragile objects. So, before you start packing your stuff, make sure the boxes are assembled correctly, and that the tape has been placed at the crucial points. For not-so-heavy boxes, just form an “H” shape at the base, that is, place tape on the central joints of the flaps, and also on the edges.

However, for heavier objects, you need to add an “X” through the “H”. With this technique, you won’t have any problems lifting the boxes and taking them from one place to another. Another good idea is to label all the boxes, as discussed in the previous topic.

It’s not just about knowing what fits and doesn’t fit in the new house (which is also important), but also about starting to imagine where your things can be positioned. If you are a creative person, you can even make illustrations with your ideas. The strategy allows you not to be so tense when the moving truck arrives at its destination: the process of organizing your objects will be less stressful, and you won’t need to move anything later.

Maybe you think it’s better to put all your books in big boxes, thus taking up less volumes. However, don’t forget that at some point you or someone else will have to move the box. And the heavier it is, the more difficult the process will be. This is one of those cases where you need to make sure the bottom of the box is well sealed, as books will be among the heaviest objects you will have to carry.

Something that happened to me that I regret to this day was that, in the rush and stress of packing everything, I didn’t protect the glass items as I should have, and some of my glassware arrived at my new home in little pieces. When I opened the box, one of the men who worked on the move explained to me what needs to be done to prevent this from happening again.

Firstly, you need to choose a medium-sized box to transport parts of this type of object, because, although glass is light, it is not a good idea to put all the pieces in a single box.

It is necessary to line the inner walls of the box with bubble wrap and wrap each glass, plate, cup and bowl individually, either with the same material or with a newspaper. Once this is done, place a row of plates that is even and cover it with bubble wrap. On this base, place the next row of plates, and so on, until the box is full.

Do the same with glasses, cups and bowls. Yes, the work is a little tedious, but it’s better than having to buy new pieces or being left with an incomplete set of dinnerware.

Unlike glass, clothing is not at risk of tearing even if handled somewhat roughly. Since they wrinkle at best, you can afford not to spend as much time packing them. The most practical thing is to place the pieces on a sheet that can get dirty during the change and tie the ends, making a bundle. That way your clothes can go in the moving truck on top of the boxes. When arriving at the new house, if you have packed the clothes already folded, you will not need to iron the pieces again. If they’re a little dented, you’ll be able to fix the problem in no time.

Before they take everything, check the furniture in detail and look for old stains or imperfections that may exist. If you prefer, you can even take pictures. When they start to load the freight vehicle, stay close by and make sure there is no damage to the furniture, as in many cases, the desire to make a quick change leads employees of the contracted company to cause malfunctions that remain unresolved.

Once, when they put my favorite red chair in the truck, they wrapped it in a blue sheet to protect it. But it rained during the journey, and the sheet got wet. When I was already home, I took the blanket off and saw that the sofa had acquired blue stains that have not gone away until now. At the time, between wanting to start tidying everything up and being tired, I ended up paying all the employees of the company I had hired, leaving my frustration. But later, I understood that the correct thing would be to call the customer service and make a complaint even before the employees. So, suddenly, I could try financial compensation.

Such an attitude is especially important before signing any document from the company attesting that there was no damage to your belongings during the move, which would make subsequent claims impossible.

Moving house is never a simple process. What other tip would you give someone who is about to make a change? Comment!