Moving can be a very stressful.  Packing, well that’s even worse!  I just moved myself so I speak from very recent experience.  I found a few packing tips that really helped and want to share them with you in hopes that you’ll be a little less stressed.  A few of these I discovered after the fact!

If you’re not fortunate enough to have the wardrobe boxes, it’s quite easy and takes less time to just put a trash bag around the clothes as they hang.  I did this and it worked great; especially because I have 2 girls so we have a lot of clothes!  This saved a lot of time. 

I’ve found that even if you write on every side of the box; even with a dark marker its final destination, it doesn’t end up there and it’s really not that easy for your helpers to figure it out.  My oldest daughter is obsessed with making ANYTHING and EVERYTHING out of duck tape right now (purse, flower pen, wallet anyone??) so it’s helpful to choose one color/print of duck tape for each room then mark the door to that room with the corresponding tape.

Designate an “open me first” box.  Our last packers had a great idea – 1box on kitchen counter with big words saying “open me first box #1” (and listed that way on the inventory). In it went the remotes, telephones (does anyone still have these?), screws and connectors from furniture, all of the stuff that was orphaned or likely to be lost or forgotten.  More importantly it should contain things you will need right away like a coffee pot and COFFEE!  Last box sealed and on the truck, first out and opened at destination.

I also learned that you should not stack dishes as you pack, but rather on edge.  They’re less likely to break.  I also saved some money this time by using less packing paper and bubble wrap and just using towels.  When packing plates, I simply stacked paper plates between the glass plates instead of all that packing paper which gets expensive.  I’m going to use those paper plates anyway.

I sincerely hope these tips are helpful.  Let us know what you think…