5 Tips to Help Make Your Move Stress-Free & Simple

This is a sponsored post by Moving Solutions. All opinions are my own.

As some of y’all know, we moved from Chicago to Nashville this past November. While we lived in Chicago we moved quite a few times so we felt pretty prepared for this cross-country move, but things didn’t work out that way. 

While we did everything we could from a preparation standpoint, the movers we ended up working with were not the best choice. Choosing a moving service and a company to trust with your belongings is a big decision and one that we did not take lightly. We moved to Nashville for a lifestyle change and to find a home. With the pandemic and housing market changes, we are still looking for our next home, but I know when the time comes we will be checking out Moving Solutions.

In the meantime, I thought I would put together 5 tips you can use if you’re moving soon that were helpful for us! 

1. Purge & Sort Before Packing

I’m amazed at how much stuff was in our Chicago condo when looking to get everything packed. Moving can be expensive and you don’t want to pay for items that you’re going to get rid of or donate later. Make sure to purge anything you don’t need before packing. This will save on space, expenses, and overall time of moving. Fewer boxes = less time!

One of my favorite rules of thumb is to base it off the year rule. If you haven’t worn, used, or thought about it in a year then it is time to go. Of course, this is outside of sentimental items or something that can’t be ‘used’ again such as a family heirloom. 

2. Start Packing Early

Nothing makes me feel more stressed than feeling behind or not having a plan. Before our move, I set up a little schedule of dates that I wanted to have certain things packed. We first started with clothes that were in the opposite season that wouldn’t be worn for a while and bedrooms or closets that weren’t used often. Having the miscellaneous items out of the way before the big time crunch of moving hits helps avoid the decisions of ‘I don’t know about this, let’s just bring it’ from happening. 

By the time you get to items that are ready to be packed right before the move like the kitchen, you’re already ahead of schedule! 

3. Invest in Good materials

Moving in and of itself is expensive, but what is more expensive is replacing items that were broken due to improper packing or flimsy boxes. If your movers are packing for you, make sure to let them know how you’d like certain things packed or wrapped. If packing yourself, head to Home Depot or another home improvement store for sturdy boxes, and be sure to double tape everything. One of my favorite things to do to make sure I know what the boxes are and where they go once they arrive to color-code them. You can buy a pack of Post-It notes and assign each room a color. Take the corresponding Post-It color and tape to the boxes that go in that room. On move-in day you can help coordinate the movers just by the colors on the boxes and speed up unpacking. 

4. hire movers

I’ve moved both with and without movers and I can tell you it is worth the investment to hire movers. Not only do you save your own time and effort, but it’s a big undertaking to move yourself, let alone a family. Movers help coordinate every detail and help you feel stress-free. When we are ready to move again I will definitely be checking out Moving Solutions. No matter your moving needs, Moving Solutions can help out. From packing, residential or commercial moves, or just hired labor, they’ve got you covered. Looking into long-distance moving in Nashville ?!, then be sure to check them out!

5. grab a glass and relax

I’ve not had a move that didn’t have some sort of issue (maybe Moving Solutions will be the one!), but I know that keeping calm and trusting that everyone will work out helps keep stress levels down. If you do hire movers, there is some downtime during unloaded or packing. Take this time to relax and enjoy a glass of Prosecco (or your drink of choice) to congratulate yourself on a big step! Moving is not easy, but it is such an accomplishment. Whether it is to a new home, a son or daughter off to college, or moving into your new business space, congratulations are in order. Take a moment to be proud of all your hard work! 

Thanks so much for reading!