This is really only the third time I’m moved in my life. Moving away to college doesn’t count, and neither does that first time I moved from my mom’s into a friend’s spare bedroom. If a car or truck can hold everything you own, then you haven’t truly moved.

The first time I moved was 2008 when my company moved me from Virginia to Chicago. I had movers who handled the loading and unloading. I did have to pack a bit … but they helped with that as well. The second time I moved, we only lived in a one-bedroom condo in Chicago so there wasn’t a ton to worry about. I did have infant triplets at the time but was still able to help with boxing. That time, we also had movers who helped load and unload.

We are in the process of relocating our family from Chicago suburbs to coastal South Carolina. Here are tips that will make your prep and pack work much easier:

1. Use your towels and washcloths to secure/pack breakables in boxes. You have to pack those towels anyway, so may as well put them to use and save $ in the process. And the washcloths are the perfect size to put in between plates. This will minimize your need for bubble wrap, extra padding, or Styrofoam peanuts.

2. Pack your frames in between throw pillows. Another tactic to cushion important breakables and frames – we haven’t actually unpacked yet but my frames were pretty secure and I felt good about this.

3. Put lamps or vases or other décor items in between your clothes in wardrobe box. If you’re using wardrobe boxes, a great way to maximize packing space is to put your floor vases or lamps (or anything else that will fit) in between your clothes. This makes use of the space at the bottom of the box, and also uses your clothes as padding!

4. Reuse Smaller Amazon Boxes to hold serving dishes when packing in larger boxes. If you’re like us, we always have Amazon boxes in varying sizes laying around. The flatter rectangle ones are the PERFECT size for various serving or baking dishes. Pack an individual dish maybe with a few smaller utensils or other items, then pack this box inside a larger box. This way there is no need to worry about bubble wrap, paper or Styrofoam peanuts.

5. Organize what you’re packing as you’re packing it. There are probably different approaches in the overall packing strategy but what I think works well is to organize by type or item. For example, we are moving from a home with four bathrooms into a home with 2.5. So it doesn’t make sense to organize boxes as Bathroom 1, Bathroom 2, etc. Instead of packing each room individually, collect all same-type items and pack together. All of the toothpastes, new toothbrushes, nail clippers, Kleenex supply … go around collect them all, organize and pack together. All of the random things that end up in every bathroom drawer…. You know what I’m talking about. Same with towels. Same with extra toilet paper or paper products. Same with books. Same with throw pillows (see above for how to best utilize these), frames and other décor. Same with cleaning products. (TIP: use Gallon size baggies to keep all the smaller extra stuff contained).

6. Paying more for professional movers may be worth it to you to reduce the stress and anxiety. You will want to shop around and find the best solution for your family and situation. In planning our move, we compared quotes from professional movers, PODS and Uhaul. My husband REALLY wanted to do the move himself to save $$$. For us, it was an estimated savings of about $3000. A professional mover made him nervous because of potential hidden costs at the end. When quoting with a professional mover, they will ask you for an itemized list of your items (how many lamps, furniture descriptions and sizes, number of small, medium, large boxes, etc). It’s difficult to be accurate here … especially if you haven’t finished your packing. Be aware that their initial moving estimate will be a ‘ballpark’. Be careful, because you don’t want to be surprised when you see their final invoice AFTER the move.

7. Move during off-season months if you’re able. Summer is prime moving season, after the school year ends and before the new one begins. We moved at the end of June and prime season means premium prices. If you have the flexibility, plan your move during the off months. This will save significant $ in the long-run.

8. Purge, Purge, and Purge some more. If you didn’t remember you had an item; or hadn’t seen it in months/years; or knew you had it but still haven’t used it…. Get rid of it. You can donate to Goodwill or Salvation Army, but I’m sure there are also local organizations or churches that will take your donations and pass them on to loving families.

9. Find that organization that will PICK UP your donations. There are many non-profits that have a certain day of week designated for pickups. Schedule it ahead of time and remember to bring your donations to the yard. American Veterans is one. American Cancer Society is another. It’s convenient for you AND supports awesome organizations in the process.

OKAY… so now that you’ve read the ‘tips’ that were truly written BEFORE we started loading the truck and emptying the house, here is the real deal:

You will need a bigger truck, even if you think you won’t… YOU WILL. Either we grossly underestimated or are just horrible packers. But we needed way more space than we arranged. Fortunately, we had decided to move ourselves (didn’t use professional movers), so could be flexible in our days and used 2-3 days to load the 26’ moving truck. After the truck was full, we still had ‘stuff’. Uhaul now offers their version of PODS .. U-Boxes. They will deliver, pickup and ship the boxes. It can be pricey but is also an option if you need more shipping space. We ultimately ended up with FOUR U-Boxes in addition to the 26’ moving truck!

You will lose a glass or two. And maybe a lamp. Even though you spent many hours packing and padding all of those breakables, something will still break. During our move, this is what was broken: a wine glass, a picture frame, a marble vase and a lamp was bent. And there were a couple of dings on painted furniture pieces. Just chalk it up to … you should’ve used an extra washcloth.

You will purge some more as you’re unpacking. We are still unpacking, and I’ve already made a trip to the local Good Will to drop off donations. I realized I really don’t need that sweater than I haven’t worn in years. And that throw pillow or miscellaneous wall hanging don’t really fit in my new place. Get it out of the way.

Be flexible in your ‘plans’ – apparently schedules and dates don’t really mean anything when moving. Because we were moving ourselves, we COULD be flexible. Our original schedule had us leaving our house on a Friday, but we moved back a day and left on Saturday. And if you are selling your home and are able to allow yourself a few days of extra padding before you close, DO IT. We weren’t closing on our house for another week.

Moving is stressful. It’s physically hard. It’s mentally hard. It’s hard on families. But with planning, purging and proper packing … it can be a fun time. We ended up in Charleston, SC and look forward to making new friends and getting to know the area. Wherever YOU are headed, good luck in your move!

Be well,

Elizabeth