Packing is a nightmare; one that you can’t wake up from. But you can make it a bit less nightmare-ish by following some expert tips!
Believe it or not, moving is the most stressful event in life - well, according to several polls, that is. It might not be, for you - but for the majority of Americans, moving is more stressful than getting divorced, getting married, or having children.
And I'm probably one of those people because I am supposed to move in one year, but I'm already researching everything that could go wrong. Just recently, I googled "items that break most often during a move" and, let's just say, the results were both worrying and hilarious. Along with glassware and mirrors, as you'd expect, I also found "yourself".
And having moved twice in 2020 (during the pandemic!), I can confirm: yourself is at a high risk of getting broken during a move. While there's no amount of bubble wrap and padding that will help with that, there are ways to make sure that, at least, your belongings make it to your new home unbroken.
I know... there's a lot to pack. You're probably cursing yourself for not jumping aboard the minimalist trend when all the hipster YouTubers were raving about it. Now you're stressed when you look at all the stuff that will need to be packed, loaded, unloaded, unpacked, and arranged - it's a lot!
But don't worry, during my research I found an excellent resource with all the moving and packing tips you'll ever need - just click here to check it out.
And I'll start with an easy one: the dining room.
Did you know that in 2019 only 48% of Americans said they actually used their dining room? And that number is likely even lower now. The once-famous American dining room is dying. Which is fine, times change, people change, trends change. In fact, the death of the dining room might be a good thing for you, as you now know which room to pack first.
Let's face it, you're not gonna miss it and you'll have more space for all the boxes that will soon start piling up.
... Ok, that's a bit dramatic. Please put down the axe - unless you're planning to use your dining set as firewood. You will need to get your toolbox though so you can carefully disassemble your table and chairs. Pro tip: Snap a photo before you do - to make sure you can put it back together.
Once you disassemble your set, you'll need to pack everything properly. If you have a glass tabletop, don't put bubble wrap directly on it, unless you think mysterious patterns would be a nice touch. For wooden tabletops, and other wood surfaces, it's important to use furniture pads or moving blankets before the plastic wrap to protect the wood finish from damage.
You can find more tips in the full guide - including how to properly load stuff onto the truck.
If all that sounds exhausting and you'd rather just pay someone to do the whole thing for you - from packing to unpacking - you can always hire a professional moving company. You can also hire professional movers just for the actual moving - and do the packing yourself.
The point is, you have options. And you can compare your options easily with Movers.com - the guys who wrote the guide I mentioned, and a bunch of other moving resources. By filling out a short form, you can get up to seven estimates from local moving professionals, for free.
I'm not saying that hiring professional movers, or following advice guides will make the moving process 100% stress-free - but it sure can't hurt. At the very least you can make it more pleasant than divorce!
