TIPS ON HOW TO PACK WHEN MOVING:

1. GET ORGANIZED: Don’t discount the value of lists.  They keep you on track and help to ensure that nothing gets missed or overlooked.  Best of all, there’s a certain sense of accomplishment when you can cross off something that you’ve completed.  One way of putting lists to use is to categorize everything by the timeline in place.
1. One month before you move: book your moving company and notify utility companies of your new address, gather boxes and packing supplies.
2. Two weeks before you move: complete a change of address form at the post office, gather tape and labels, start packing non-essentials such as decorative items, pictures, off-season clothing, shelving, linens.
3. Day before you move: confirm with moving company, remove curtains.
2. PACK ROOM-BY-ROOM: By packing things up room-by-room, you’ll be more organized upon arrival at your new home and better equipped to put your essentials back in place in an order that makes sense.
3. TOSS IT, SELL IT, OR GIVE IT AWAY: Even veteran movers can attest to the fact that several months after they’ve settled into their new home, dozens of boxes remain unpacked in their basement.  Why?  It’s clutter and excess that they’ve lugged from home to home over many years.  Why take that stuff with you?  If you haven’t used it in the last 12 months, make a decision about where it needs to go: Charity, Kijiji or the dump!
4. USE APPROPRIATE PACKING MATERIALS: Although newspaper is handy and abundant, it can leave an inky mess on delicate or fragile items.  Consider visiting a moving supply store and stocking up on quality white or recycled packing paper.
5. BOXES: Yes, big boxes hold more, but the more you put in, the heaver they are to carry, and the more risk there is that they’ll be dropped, damaging their contents.  Ensure that you have a variety of box sizes on hand, and resist the temptation to pack every little corner of your boxes.
6. LABEL ALL 4 SIDES OF EACH BOX: Nothing’s worse than trying to find a particular box when the label is on the side toward the wall.  Be sure to label all sides of a box.  Consider colour-coding the boxes by room or family member to make it easier to locate much needed belongings.
7. DON’T PACK YOUR LINENS; USE THEM TO PACK OTHER THINGS: Kill two birds with one stone by packing delicate or fragile items in your sheets, towels and even curtains.  Wrap framed prints in bed comforters and encase them in cardboard.
8. PLAN AHEAD: Although that springtime move is weeks away, there’s no reason to wait to get a jump on things.  The more you do now, the less you’ll have to do later, and the less stressed you’ll feel.