Last Updated on February 28, 2023 by Luke Feldbrugge
After months of searching, you’ve finally found your dream home. Wherever it is, there’s no question about it. Moving into a new house or apartment is exciting! But packing up your entire life in boxes, deep cleaning and hauling heavy furniture is rarely anyone’s idea of a good time. We want to make things a little easier on you and your family. These eleven moving tips are some of the best ways to pack for moving and they will save you some money in the process.
1. Use Our Moving Checklist
The first moving tip, and arguably the most important, is you need a game plan. There are too many things to juggle before you move. To help you get organized and accomplish your to-dos, Homes for Heroes created the Ultimate Moving Checklist. It’s a thorough laundry list of moving tips and to-dos. It’s a PDF one-sheeter you can download and print anytime for easy reference. It also provides a two-month timeline to help you prioritize each item given your personal situation.
2. Move Less Stuff
As moving tips go, this may be the most obvious. The best way to make your move easier is to simply move less stuff. Throw a garage sale, donate items, give things to friends and family, recycle or throw things out. Take advantage of this time in your life to minimize your belongings. No matter how you do it, the less you have means the less you move.
3. Use Clothing as Packing Material
Wrapping dishes and other fragile items in t-shirts and socks is the best way to pack for moving and you can kill two birds with one stone. Your breakables will be protected from damage, plus you’ll have fewer clothes to pack. It also saves you money on packing materials. That’s a triple-win moving tip!
4. Know Measurements of Stuff
If you have large furniture it’s a good idea to measure it before moving day. Knowing if you need to take something apart to get it into your new place before moving day will save you last minute stress. Moving tip bonus: Remember if you take something apart to put all the pieces in a labeled baggy.
5. Local Deals Save You Money
This may be our favorite moving tip. That’s because at Homes for Heroes, we’re all about saving you money. U-Pack is one of our national Local Deals specialists and they offer a discount of $10 off any $100 in moving boxes and supplies. They also offer a $50 discount on moving services specifically for military members. For a complete list of hero discounts in your area, check out the Local Deals on our website and select your state from the dropdown menu to learn more about what’s available in your area.
6. Take Photos of Electronics Connections
Does the back of your TV look like a tangled ball of snakes, with wires going here and there and everywhere? Before you disconnect everything to pack it up, pull out your cell phone and take a few pictures of your current set up. Some of you may be well-versed in how to hook things up. For the rest of us, having a photo to reference saves us trial-and-error time when connecting everything up in our new home. Moving tip bonus: Tape all components and cables to the appropriate electronics so they do not get lost or in the way on moving day.
7. Label Boxes
Labels matter. Using a good labeling system will make your life a lot easier when you need to unpack. If an unlabeled box ends up on the top floor and it should have gone to the basement, then you’re moving it twice. There is no need to move things twice. Remember to label the sides of boxes so you can tell what’s in them even if they’re stacked on top of each other. Also, label boxes by room AND contents so you can quickly figure out where everything needs to go.
8. Ditch Hazardous Chemicals
Some stuff should not be moved. Before moving day, be sure to properly dispose of any toxic, flammable or explosive hazardous materials. This includes things like old paint cans, motor oil, gasoline, charcoal, lighter fluid and fertilizers. Chances are you don’t have a serious need for these things anyway, and holding on to them simply isn’t worth the risk.
9. Pack Essentials Separately
After spending the day moving you will be tired. The last thing you will want to do is hunt through boxes to find your phone charger or toothbrush. Pack what you’ll need for the first 24 hours in your new home separately. Think of this as your overnight bag, or all the items you’ll need when you first get to your new house. This might include personal electronics, toiletries, a towel and toilet paper.
10. Clean Your New Home
As part of your closing process, you probably had a final walk-through to make sure the home was in the agreed-upon condition. But, that doesn’t mean you want to jump right into the tub! Your new kitchen and bathroom(s) are two areas of your new home you will want to give a quick scrub down.
11. Try to Enjoy the Process
These moving tips will help you through the moving process. Moving can be challenging and frustrating at times. But remember, you’re about to embark on a new chapter of your life in a new home. That’s really worth celebrating. Moving just happens to be part of the process.
Ready to buy a home and take on your own moving challenge? Register with Homes for Heroes and you’ll be automatically matched with a real estate and/or mortgage specialist in your area. There’s no obligation, and heroes who use our specialists save an average of $3,000 when they buy a house.
