Moving is, by far, one of the biggest stressors in our lives. When it comes to an apartment, moving would seem to be relatively easy. There’s usually no garage to clean out or decades worth of items to sort. However, moving from any size home adds a complicated task to our already busy lives. Are you an apartment dweller planning on moving into new digs? Here are some tips to make the process as painless as possible.
Get rid of it
As soon as you know you are moving, start decreasing your inventory of items. The less you own, the less there is to pack. According to The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying-up, hold, or touch, each thing you own and ask yourself if that item brings joy. If it doesn’t, or if you’re not sure, don’t keep it. As you work through this process, you’ll realize how ambivalent you feel about many of your things. Often, we tell ourselves that we should keep something, and it just ends up in a drawer or closet.
When it comes to clothes, if you haven’t worn something in a year, give it to charity. If you’re saving some of your clothes until you lose weight, give them away. When you lose weight, you can buy new clothes.
What should you do with all the items that don’t bring you happiness? If you’re intent on making some cash, eBay or Craigslist may be the best places to list them for sale. However, don’t be afraid to throw things away and give things away. You’ll be surprised at how liberating it is only to keep what you truly love.
Planning to Pack
Before our world became so highly digitized, there was plenty of newspaper around to wrap our breakables. Now, the newspaper may be a little harder to come by, but you can buy cheap packing paper at your local mass retailer (more tips from this article). And, when you go to pick up that packing paper, also grab some bubble wrap. Per Cheap Houston Movers, wrapping your ultra-fragile items in bubble wrap will give you peace of mind and keep your valuables protected during transit.
Boxes
Boxes are still easy to find. Ask your local grocery stores, retailers, or fast food restaurants if they can save you a few boxes each day. If you’d rather have less hassle, but don’t mind spending the money, most apartment moving companies and self-storage facilities are happy to sell you boxes.
Start Early
If there is something you don’t use every day, pack it. If you pack a few boxes each week, you won’t have to ramp up your packing process until a couple of days before moving.
A word about cleaning
Moving usually involves deep cleaning. Make it easy: clean as you go, or hire a cleaning company to do a move-out clean.
Overall, only keeping the things you love and starting early will be your biggest allies. Put on some music, pour yourself your favorite beverage, and relax. Packing your apartment can be both easy and enjoyable.