My wife and I are getting ready to move. When we try to formulate a strategy or even think about where to start, we feel overwhelmed. We have reached out to many friends and family to get their advice on the best way to approach the process. We received really good and practical advice that we are excited to implement. Because moving into a custom home in St. George home can sometimes be the hardest step in the entire process, I thought it would be a good idea to share the things we have learned.
The first piece of advice we received was to stick to small and medium-sized boxes. Intuitively, it would make sense to fit as many things in large-sized boxes to be efficient in the number of boxes used and the number of trips from the trailer into the house. However, for those doing the hauling, it’s much easier to move more small boxes with fewer things in them than fewer heavy boxes, even if it means more trips. Plus, when you organize the trailer, it’s much more convenient to have smaller boxes that you can twist and turn more than large boxes that take up a bunch of space.
This leads to our next point.
For the sake of organization, it is wise to keep your brand of boxes uniform. Whether you get boxes from Home Depot, Lowe’s, or somewhere else, do your best to have them all be from the same place. The different brands have slightly different sizing, making staking and organizing tricky. Keeping the boxes uniform will make stacking much more simple and sturdy.
It’s easy to underestimate the amount of items that you have stuffed in the nooks and crannies of your home. When you go to move into your new custom home, you’ll be amazed how quickly the trailer or moving truck will fill up. Whether you rent a moving vehicle, borrow from a friend, or use your own, make sure you play it safe and overestimate the capacity you’ll need to get all of your belongings from one destination to the other.
One of the hardest parts about moving is keeping all of your boxes straight and making sure they are put in the right rooms at your custom home. In the chaos of moving, and with many people asking, “Where does this one go?” it is easy to get flustered. Having a labeling strategy makes all of the difference
We recommend writing on the top of the boxes for your own personal reference. For example, “Sally’s Shoes” or “Billy’s Books”. However, don’t stop the labeling there. Those labels alone will surely have people asking you the question we mentioned above. Instead, we recommend getting colored tape that you slap on the sides of your boxes that are coordinated with each room in the house. Red goes in the kitchen, green goes in the master bedroom, and so forth. That way, you tell people the color code once, and everyone can help each other remember what color goes where.
Furthermore, putting the tape on the sides of the boxes will make it more visible for individuals taking the stacked boxes from the moving trailers.
In the moving process, it is easy for fragile items to be damaged or even destroyed. No one wants that to happen. Protective moving materials become essential. Plan a few weeks ahead by getting free newspapers from grocery stores every time you go. Newspaper is great for protecting dishes and stuffing in glasses. Price shop for bubble wrap. Bubble wrap is great for wrapping family portraits and timeless keepsakes. Also, make sure you have plenty of moving blankets to protect furniture from getting scuffs and scratches.
By Far, the best advice we received was to warm up by playing the classic game of Tetris. After all, getting all of those odd shapes to fit snugly into a moving truck is a talent in and of itself. What better way to practice packing than playing Tetris with family and friends?
As always, it’s important to remember to have fun. As stressful as moving can be, remember that the moving process is the culmination of your dreams of having a custom home coming to reality. Order some pizza, make up different contests for the movers, and create a memory. There is no better time to start making memories in your new home than move-in day.
