Planning on moving sometime soon? Dreading packing all of your belongings? Luckily, we're offering some tips to make the process a little more bearable. You could end up saving time and money. See below for a few of our favorite packing hacks.
1. Know what you have before buying packing tools. Don't waste cash or effort on packing peanuts and styrofoam before using the items you already have at the ready. Your clean linens, towels, t-shirts, and socks can be the perfect padding for dishes and glassware. You'll also require fewer boxes if you use all available laundry baskets and suitcases as replacements. Use pillows to keep pieces of furniture safe in the moving truck.
2. Be strategic with your organization. Try not to stuff the first things you see into a box. Instead, organize your possessions by the room they belong in, then again by the type of item (e.g. clothes or electronics). Once you're organized, label the boxes as this will cut down on your unpacking time. If there are certain items you know you'll need right away, such as toiletries or a coffee mug, try to pack them together in an "essentials" box.
3. Preserve with plastic. Before you pack away all of the baggies and wraps under the kitchen sink, put them to use. Cover the tops of any liquid containers with plastic wrap or seal them in a plastic bag. These items are also great for storing jewelry and those leftover screws you have from taking apart your furniture. With the addition of a small hole, trash bags can be converted into garment bags.
4. Photograph setups and installations. If it took you all day to get your cable box, xbox, dvd player, and desktop computer set up just the right way, use your phone to take a picture of them before you take everything apart. You'll save yourself from running extension cords across your new place.
For more packing and moving tips, check out this post on the Zillow blog.