I have 21 awesome moving hacks you need to reduce stress, save time and money, and ensure that you arrive at your new home feeling organized and in control.
Let’s not underestimate the stress of moving! Despite the excitement of a new home, moving can be tiring, complex, and overwhelming.
1. Declutter Before You Pack
Moving offers the perfect opportunity to declutter! The last thing you want is to take your clutter to a new home.
Sort out your possessions and divide them into ‘keep’, ‘discard’, or ‘donate’ heaps. You will reduce packing stress and ensure your new home is fresh and organized.
Source: @asmartmovesd
While collecting boxes from your local grocery store may seem like a money-saving, practical idea, it can quickly become stressful and time-consuming.
Renting moving boxes is a smart, eco-friendly choice. These boxes are durable, stackable, and designed for efficiency. And, when you are settled, you simply return them!
Check out these other frugal hacks to save money!
3. Take Photos Of What is Inside Boxes
Take a break from snapping selfies and take photos of what is inside your boxes! By creating a visual inventory, you will quickly locate specific items without having to dig through heaps of boxes.
Don’t clutter up your mobile phone with boring inventory pictures. This cute instant camera gives you photos that are durable, water-resistant, tear-resistant, and smudge-free.
4. Tape Drawers Shut
Empty or full drawers when moving? It is a crucial decision!
If the drawer’s contents won’t get damaged in the move, I like to tape my drawers shut to save time and energy.
I also tape empty drawers shut to prevent them from flying open during the move. Quality painters tape like this will hold drawers closed and won’t leave sticky residue on your furniture.
5. Utilize Suitcases & Duffle Bags
Here is an awesome life hack for moving that will save you money – Utilize suitcases and duffle bags you already have.
Since they will move with you anyway, don’t leave them empty – suitcases and duffle bags make handy carriers and will save you buying moving boxes.
6. Use Labeled Ziplock Bags for Hardware
Using labeled Ziplock bags for hardware is a brilliant way to keep small parts organized during a move. Get hubby to pack all his workshop screws, bolts, nails, small tools, and other components into the bags.
Use labels like these to mark what is inside each bag.
Source: @tdl_organizing
This unexpected life hack takes ‘thinking outside the box’ to the next level.
Wrapping your closet in a garbage bag – hangers and all – is a clever way to simplify your move.
There will be no need to unpack and rehang all your clothes. Simply unwrap the closet and you are set.
8. Wrap Fragile Items in Clothes or Towels
Clothes or towels make perfect wrapping for fragile items, saving you money buying expensive bubble wrap or foam popcorn.
Soft clothes and towels offer cushioning, padding, and protection for delicate items and reduce the amount of packaging you need to buy. If you aspire to green-living, this awesome moving hack will certainly reduce your environmental footprint.
9. Use Smaller Boxes
When it comes to moving, smaller beats bigger!
Here are some reasons why I prefer smaller boxes.
– Easier to move, lift, carry, and stack
– Reduces damage risk with fewer items
– Simplifies unpacking with manageable loads
– Prevents overstuffing for more balanced packing
10. Use Color Coded Tape or Sticky Notes
Moving boxes can be boring, but adding color coded tapes or sticky notes adds a fun element that the kids will enjoy, and shows off your organization skills.
Use colored tape or sticky notes to assign boxes to different rooms or categories. You don’t want the nasty surprise of opening a box of garage tools on your new designer couch.
Here is a great find – this set of masking tapes comes in 11 different vibrant colors.
Source: @mamasavesmoney
Using vacuum sealed bags is an awesome moving hack that you should not ignore. They are an efficient way to save space and protect your belongings during a move.
Large vacuum sealed storage bags compress items like clothes, bedding, and towels, reducing bulk, protecting contents from moisture, and making them easier to transport.
12. Pack Small Kitchen Items Inside Pots
Let’s get cooking with a difference! Use your pots to hold small kitchen items like utensils, measuring cups, can openers, graters, and even cups and saucers.
You will pack more efficiently and ensure that these smaller items do not get lost during the move.
13. Take Pictures of Furniture Disassembly
If you can take it apart, you can put it back together – right? Well, not in my case.
The last thing I want after a stressful move is brainstorming on how to reassemble furniture.
Taking pictures of the process as you disassemble furniture will make putting it together again a breeze. Get the family involved and make packing fun.
Here is an awesome life hack to use up extra space in boxes. Use hangers to hold belts, scarves, accessories, and small items and pack them alongside other belongings.
Using extra space and having tightly packed content in a box reduces the risk of shifting and damage during moving.
Source: @organi_zen
I never understand how cords become a spaghetti tangle when they are not even touched. Can you imagine what happens after a move?
Before packing and moving your myriad of electronic cords, take time to roll them up, fasten them with Velcro cable ties, and label them. Colorful cable tags like these make the job easy.
Source: @brittneyvbyyc
Add a touch of cool to your move. Transfer all your fridge and freezer goodies into a cooler. Pack it with long lasting ice packs like these to ensure that everything remains cold and frosty on the trip.
When you arrive, all your fridge items will be intact and ready for you to prepare that first celebratory meal in your new home.
17. Use Plastic Wrap to Keep Liquids from Spilling
Plastic wrap is a must-have for preventing liquids from spilling during a move. An average home has an ocean of liquids ready to splash in a not-so-fun way.
Tightly wrap bottles of liquid from your bathroom, bedroom, baby room, workshop, and craft room in plastic film wrap like this. The wrap forms a tight seal, preventing spills and leaks that can damage surrounding items.
18. Pack Cleaning Supplies Separately
Packing cleaning supplies separately is a smart idea when moving. Ensure that wiping cloths, sponges, sprays, and bottles are kept away from other items.
Liquid cleaning materials can be hazardous if they spill, so don’t forget the plastic wrap hack above.
And, if your new home is not as sparkling clean as you would like, you instantly have all your cleaning supplies available.
Source: @mrsmarohl
After a stressful day of moving and unpacking, you probably just want to kick off your shoes and fall into bed. A bed with a mattress and nothing else won’t do the trick.
Plan to make the family’s beds as soon as you arrive. In that way, exhausted kids, weary hubby, and you can all sink into cozy comfort and enjoy sweet dreams without delay.
20. Have an “Unpack First” Box
This awesome moving hack will make you feel at home in an instant. By having an “Unpack First” box, you will immediately have access to all the essentials you need for the family.
Think – bedding, toiletries, phone chargers, electronics, first-aid kits, basic tools for quick fixes, important documents, and tempting snacks to keep the energy levels up.
21. Pack an Overnight Bag
After a move, many of your everyday essentials could be hidden under a mountain of boxes, giving you a great opportunity for a treasure hunt you don’t want to embark on.
This last awesome moving hack will make your move streamlined and relaxed.
Plan your first night as if you were going on a trip and pack an overnight bag for each family member. Your first night will be a joy rather than a disaster.
