6 Packing & Moving Tips to Maintain your Sanity

Miranda Schroeder

This post contains affiliate links. Thanks for supporting my creativity!

Moving is an undertaking and a half, let me tell you! In the last two years, Andrew and I have become pros! Throughout Andrew’s medical and residency journey, we moved a lot. Last year alone, we moved FOUR times!

Now have found our dream home here in Indianapolis and find ourselves living out of boxes yet again. In fact, you can find our “before” house tour here, complete with demo shots.

If you or a friend are planning a move soon, I would like to share our moving tips and tricks. Packing up your entire life can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to overwhelm your life. Here are a few tips we have learned along the way.

Moving Tips and Tricks

If it’s an in-town move, still get a moving truck. My husband refused to get a moving truck because one of our moves was only a mile down the road. I fought and fought with him about it, and he wouldn’t budge.

We made 500 trips in pick up trucks back and fourth, back and fourth and it took DAYS. No, weeks. It actually took almost 3 weeks to fully move. I will NEVER do that again.

Don’t bother packing the contents of your dresser drawers. Don’t bother unloading your dresser drawers. Seriously. There is no need to pack those items. Simply pull them out of the dresser, carry the dresser to your moving truck, slide the drawers back in, and repeat once you arrive at your new home.

Create an oasis by unpacking one room in your new home, preferably your bedroom. If you are a neat freak like me, living surrounded by boxes becomes a bit claustrophobic. Tackle your own bedroom first. Get your bed set up and your bedding cleaned and arranged. Having a neat bedroom and sleeping in a freshly-made bed will work wonders for your mental health while moving.

Take the opportunity to declutter as you pack and unpack your belongings. As you pack up your home, you may encounter items that you’ve been holding onto for no particular reason. Have some clothes you haven’t worn in years? Donate them. Moving is an excellent opportunity to trim down your life and belongings.

Pack hanging clothes in garbage bags (think dry cleaner bags). This is a gamechanger. Rather than folding and packing all your clothes in crates, combine your hanging clothes into bundles. Cut a hole in a garbage bag and drape it over the hangers like a dry-cleaner bag. Then, just place those makeshift hanging bags right in your new closet. So much easier!

Pack a suitcase with your essentials. Nothing is worse than being exhausted by a long moving day and having to dig through boxes to find your toothbrush and contact case. Pack a suitcase or tote with your essentials to avoid late-night meltdowns when you are too tired to search.

Distance and/or Delayed Moves

If you are moving to a new state or across the country, I can’t recommend a Pod enough. Another great time to use a pod is if there will be time between moving out and moving into your next place. I’ve used two different “pod” companies to move.

I had used Pods for moving when I sold my first house and it was a great experience. Andrew and I tried to save a few bucks and hired ZippyShell for a moving pod in early 2020, and it was not half as smooth of an experience. It wasn’t a true pod. It was a cage inside of a pod which made packing difficult.

More Blog Posts you Might Enjoy:

Finally, the most important moving tip I can give you is to take it slow and give yourself some grace. Moving is hard work, but it doesn’t have to be totally stressful.

If you are able to hire professionals, do so. If not, implement a few packing tips like these to make your life easier during the process. Now, order takeout, pull up a pillow, and settle in for a few floor dinners. You’ll make some good memories alongside the hard work — but it will all be worth it!

Photo of boxes and tape by Klára Vernarcová on Unsplash