14 Packing Tips to Make Your Move Less Stressful

Let’s admit it, packing for a move is stressful. Whether you’re moving out of a 5,000 square foot home or a downtown studio apartment, knowing where to begin is overwhelming. There are two types of people when it comes to moving: Stressed-Out Sammy or Calm and Collected Cassie.

Unfortunately, the majority fall into the Stressed-Out Sammy category. Sammy skips purging, waits to pack until the last minute, and throws everything in random boxes. The move usually gets dragged out and results in early mornings and late nights. Once moved in, the new space never quite feels like home because unpacking is just as stressful as the packing was. Things stay disorganized, and some boxes never get unpacked.

I’ve got great news for you, you DON’T have to be Stressed-Out Sammy!

If you purge ahead of time, line up movers (or friends and family to help), get your packing supplies ready, and implement these 14 packing tips, you’ll be well on your way to being Calm and Collected Cassie.

14 Tips to Pack Your Home for a Move

Gather your moving supplies ahead of time (boxes or tubs), packing tape, X-Acto knives, sharpies, and packing paper.
- Check out Used Cardboard Boxes to save some $$
- Reach out to your local newspaper and ask for end rolls (really affordable packing paper without the dirty newsprint)
Walk around your home with a pad of sticky notes and tag furniture, decor, wall art, and plants you want to rehome, sell, or donate (use a different color sticky note for each category).
- Make a plan to rehome, sell, or donate these items.
- A word of caution – selling items online may earn you some extra $, but sask yourself if it’s worth the investment of time. You’ll need to take measurements and photos, handle communication, and coordinate pick-ups.
Make a plan to pack rooms each day, starting with the less used rooms first.
Label boxes as soon as you’ve packed them.
Group similar things together and try to get specific with categories. For example, instead of labeling a box as “Bathroom,” get specific.
- Bathroom // Towels
- Bathroom // Medicines
- Bathroom // Extra toiletries, soap, shampoo, etc.
Use wine boxes to pack wine and spirits. Ask friends, local liquor/wine stores for extra boxes.
Stack packed boxes (heaviest on bottom) along the edges of a room, so you can easily walk and access other areas,
Invest in the wardrobe moving boxes for hung clothing. This is a huge time saver (both on the unpacking and packing side).
- If the garment moving boxes are out of your price range, use trash bags to keep clothing contained and protected. Take a picture of the back of your TV and any other electronic system, so you know how to reconnect everything post move.
Put hardware in labeled baggies for easy furniture reassembly.
Rubber band items together so they don’t spill all over the place (cooking utensils, pens, etc.)
If you use drawer dividers, rather than emptying all of the contents, use plastic wrap to encase the drawer divider and items.
Use towels, clothes, etc. to wrap up fragile items. I ONLY recommend this if you are moving from a studio or 1 bedroom apartment. This isn’t practical if you’re moving from a larger space – use bubble or paper wrap instead
Pack your tv in the tv box it came in (the only box I recommend you keep). This is the safest and easiest way to move a television.