Tips For Moving From Someone Who's Moved 13+ Times

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I have lost count of how many times I’ve moved. I just know it’s more than 13.

It’s impossible to move over 13 times, live in three different states, and not have some tips on how to make the process easier.

Here are my top tips for moving.

Don’t Get Attached

If you’re not a frequent mover like myself, this might be a little hard. Even if you can’t help but get attached to the home you’re leaving if you’ve been there a long time, you can force yourself to find things about the house you don’t like, or belongings you can get rid of.

Declutter

Like I mentioned above, if you find belongings you don’t need, get rid of them. It can be small, like a book you will never read, or a shirt you wore once. Or, it can be something bigger, like a half-finished building project you store in the garage or attic.

Focus on the Positive

You’re moving to a new house! You can redecorate, you can find a new favorite restaurant, the kitchen might be bigger, or you might have a walk-in closet. You can say good-bye to the carpet your dog peed on a few too many times, or the broken doorknob you never bothered to fix.

Mark Your Boxes

This is a commonly known one. Mark your boxes so you’re not stuck without a fork for your take-out fried rice the first night there. Put “Bedroom” boxes in the bedroom, “Kitchen” boxes in the kitchen, and so on. You can even make them more specific like “Pots,” “Pans” “Blankets.”

Organize

The one goes hand in hand with the above. Make sure you have everything well organized and put together to avoid confusion, both before and after they’re packed and unpacked.

The Fewer Trips, the Better

You know how when you get home from the grocery store you load all the bags on your arms so you don’t have to make multiple trips? The same principle applies here. Load up your car/truck/trailer and get your friends to help out. The fewer trips you have to take, the less miserable you’ll be.

Find Boxes

You can buy them online, but why spend the money? You can get free boxes at grocery stores, liquor stores, and, as I just learned, Starbucks. Go in and ask if they have any spare boxes for you, and if they don’t just ask if they’ll hold some for you. You’ll want to check these out early, because if they happen to be all out you dont‘ want to be stuck waiting if you have to be out before a deadline.

Explore

Spend some time driving around your new town. Go to the grocery stores, sign up for a couple classes at the YMCA, try out the new restaurants. Visit the parks, walk your dog downtown, do a little shopping. It’s fun and you’ll get to know your way around.

If you’re a normal, lucky person, you’ll never have to move 13 times. Still, everyone at some point does have to move at least once, and probably closer to four or five times. Hopefully, my list of top tips helps you out next time you have to find a new home.