The Ultimate Guide to Organizing Your Move

Declutter and Sort In Advance

Have you ever noticed the incredible amount of stuff you don’t really need appears when you are packing for a move? Perhaps the best part of moving is that it gives you an opportunity to sort through your belongings, and reorganize your life. Psychologists say that having less clutter in your life is more relaxing. As the premier movers in Kamloops, Pioneer Moving would like to share the following tips on how to determine what stuff you should keep and what you should get rid of before moving day.

Getting Rid of Stuff = An Easier Move

Getting rid of unwanted stuff will make your move so much easier. Less boxes means less work for both you and your moving company. Less boxes also translates into savings in both time and money. It really is a win-win situation.

What to Get Rid of When Moving

Once you have realized the benefits of moving with less stuff, how do you determine what to pack and what not to pack?

We recommend quickly going through your belongings before packing them away in boxes. Items that should not be packed include:

Clothing that has been outgrown, worn, or outdated and is no longer part of your general wardrobe. Experts say if you haven’t worn or used something in a year, you never will. Hanging on to those items only clutters up your life.
Duplicate items or unused items – have a long look at your kitchen utensils and utility drawer.
Forgotten items or gifts that have been kept to spare the feelings of friends and relatives.
Broken items or belongings that are in need of repair. Do you really have the time to get them fixed?

How to Get Rid of Unwanted Stuff

Once you have determined what items are going to be a part of your new home and what items are not, it is time to decide what to do with these items. If some of your items are worth money, then you should think about either selling them online or having a yard sale prior to your move. The money you get from your unwanted belongings can be put towards moving expenses and reduce costs.

Another great option for your unwanted belongings is to donate them to charities such as the Salvation Army or to friends and family.

Remember:

Only donate items that are in good working condition and not broken or damaged items.

By getting rid of your unwanted belongings, you should be able to not only reduce the number of items that you are moving, but to simplify the entire moving experience. Make sure to take advantage of the opportunity to start your life in your new home clutter-free.

If you would like any more tips on how to remove unwanted stuff from your home or are interested in taking advantage of the many moving services that we provide, please contact us today.

Three Best Organizing Tips For Your Move

Start Organizing Early

The old adage of the “early bird catches the worm” is especially true when it comes to moving. Moving is one of the top 3 most stressful events in your life, so being prepared and starting early can reduce the amount of stress associated with a move. Before moving day, make sure that you have done your preparation, such as:

Cancelling utilities and arranging for address changes.
Have the necessary amount of boxes, tape and other packing necessities ready.
Have booked and arranged your moving details with your movers.

Here’s the Deal:

Realistically you have about 1 month (4 weeks) to organize your move, so make sure that you have done your work before this time. This will leave you with only the packing and moving portion.

Create an Inventory of all Your Belongings

It is a good idea to create an inventory of your belongings in the early moving stages. By doing this, you will be able to see what items you want to pack, what items you may want to sell or donate and what items you want to get rid of. By decluttering your home, you will also have less to move which will save you time and money in the long run. Try to look at your move as a great way to declutter your life and start fresh in your new home.

Come Up with a Packing Strategy

Once you have decided what items you will be taking with you to your new residence, it is a good idea to come up with a packing strategy for all your belongings. An effective packing strategy will:

Include labeling your boxes with a list of each item in the box (don’t just label kitchen, instead give a detailed description of each item in the box – silverware, dishes, glasses etc.).
Pack essentials into well labeled boxes (prescription medication, bathroom items and bed linens). These boxes should be the last to be packed and the first to be unpacked.
Pre-pack all items that you do not use such as seasonal items, the garage, and attic or storage space.

Being organized is a great way to keep the stress levels down and ensure a successful move.

A Stress Free Move

Moving to a new home can be one of the most stressful times in a person’s life. In addition to packing up all possessions and planning how they will transported to your new home, you’ll have to deal with the often complicated emotions that come from leaving a home that you have lived in for years or decades. If you fail to prepare for the moving process, it can be very easy to become stressed and overwhelmed, ruining what should be an exciting time in your life.

Luckily, by learning a few easy tips and tricks, you can keep your moving day stress level as low as possible. Discover how you can make your next move stress-free and why you should always trust experienced movers in Kamloops to help with your moving projects.

Take Your Time and Get Organized

One of the two biggest issues that can add to your moving day stress are a lack of time and inadequate preparation. Some inexperienced homeowners assume that a move can be planned and executed last minute, but this can lead to skyrocketing stress levels and an extremely difficult move.

When you’re planning on moving to a new home, you should give yourself at least eight weeks to plan and prepare. During this eight-week period, you should organize your move as thoroughly as possible. Write a list of all the things that need to be done before your moving day, and then use this list as a guide to prepare your home and your family for your move. With enough time and a detailed plan, you can keep your stress levels in control.

Get Ready the Night Before

While it’s common for homeowners to focus solely on their actual moving day, the night before your move is of equal importance. In addition to finishing any remaining packing and making sure you’re not forgetting any important tasks, the night before your move is a time to say goodbye to your old home and to make sure you’re prepared for the next day’s events.

The night before your move, make sure you get plenty of sleep. Moving day can be both physically and mentally exhausting, and a full night’s rest will make sure you have the energy you need to get through the day. Many people also choose to have a goodbye party for their old home. Invite over some friends and family to reminisce about all the good times you have had in the home you are leaving. This will make it much easier to settle into your new home.

Embrace the Stress

Possibly the best way to keep your move stress-free is to embrace the stress as part of the moving experience. Even the most well-planned moves can run into problems, and accepting this fact can help you deal with any issues that might otherwise cause you stress. If you realize that stress is simply a part of every move, your move will be much more successful.

Hire Pioneer Moving

If you’re looking for the most effective method for reducing your move related stress, you need to hire the best Kamloops moving company — Pioneer Moving & Storage Ltd. The team at Pioneer Moving is here to help with your move in whatever way that we can, and when you work with us, you’ll be sure to get the stress-free move that you deserve. See what our customers say.

Avoid Losing Things

It’s hard to avoid losing one or two small items in a big move. If you’re not careful something is going to get misplaced or left behind. You can minimize the damage though by taking these easy steps to organize your packing and move day.

Start with a List

All organization begins with a proper list and moving is no exception. Take a tour around your house and make a master list of all the things that you are going to take with you. The best way to do this is to organize by the room. Make a note of the major items in each room and any supporting equipment that goes with it. You can keep the master list slightly less specific (more on that later) but you want to make sure that there is enough detail to remember that the coffee pot was packed with appliances in the dining room and not in the kitchen. This is going to be your first list to go to when you start looking for things that have wandered off.

Pack the Entire Room

You might be tempted to float from room to room while you pack. Avoid this urge. Put packing materials in each room then head into that room and start packing. Don’t stop until everything in that room is in a box, bag or some other vessel that is going from your old home to your new home.

If you are feeling particularly organized, take a small notepad or piece of paper and tape it to the inside flap of the boxes you are packing. Jot down a quick note of the contents of each box. That way when you open up the box you can see what should be in it. It can also help when you are trying to track things down to know what box they may have arrived at their destination in.

Outer Labels

Permanent markers and the ink that is contained within them are not very expensive. This means that you can afford to label the heck out of your moving boxes. While you shouldn’t be looking for Shakespeare-like prose on each box, make a good detailed list of what room it was in, what room it is going to end up in and what the general contents of the box are.

Use Baggies

For items like computers and other electronics you are going to have a lot of parts that are particular to that one item. First, when you are disassembling cables, label the ends and the port that it came from. Then wrap up the cables and other parts and put them into a zip top bag. Tape the zip top bag to the electronic device that they belong with. This will ensure that they stay with each other through the whole move.

Packing An Essentials Box

A well-organized move is a successful move, especially when you are moving long distances. Part of a stress-free move is a well thought out essentials box. An essentials box will keep you from opening multiple boxes and searching for important items during the unpacking phase of your move. As your premier Kamloops movers, we would like to share this checklist of what your long-distance essentials box should contain.

Your essential box will contain a wide range of household items, so make sure to properly label and pack this box to prevent any damage during the move.

Remember:

Make sure that your essentials box is not packed with your other items in case of a delay. Instead, ensure that this box travels with you and is the first box that is unloaded and unpacked.

Kitchen Items

Your essentials box should include the following kitchen supplies for you and your family:

A family set of dishes that includes bowls, plates, cutlery and cups.
A knife, spatula, flipper and serving spoon.
A pot and frying pan.
Garbage bags.
Snacks, beverages and simple lunch, dinner and breakfast meals.
Dishcloths, dish soap and a scrubber.

Bathroom Items

The bathroom items that should be part of your essentials box include:

Any type of prescription medication.
Toothbrushes and toothpaste.
Soap and shampoo.
Toilet paper.
Towels and washcloths.

Emergency Supplies

Make sure to include an emergency kit and supplies in your essentials box. This list should contain:

Bandaids and medical supplies such as gauze, tape, tweezers and an anti-bacterial ointment.
A flashlight.
A small toolkit with pliers and a multi-purpose screwdriver.

Cleaning Supplies

You may need to do some last-minute cleaning in either your old or your new home. Ensure that your essentials box has the following cleaning products and supplies.

Wipes for cleaning countertops.
An all-purpose cleaner.
A few sponges and cloths.
A dustpan and small broom.

Important Documents and Miscellaneous

Pack all important documents and other essential items away to prevent them from getting lost in the packing process. This list should include:

Passports and other personal identification.
Birth certificates and SIN cards.
Cell phone chargers.
Personal electronics such as laptops.
Health records.
Financial statements.
Life insurance policies, mortgage information and titles to your new home.

A well thought out essentials box will make the unpacking phase of your long-distance move so much easier. If you would like more information about how to pack an essentials box for your move or are interested in what moving services we provide, please contact us today. We would love to be a part of your long-distance move and look forward to hearing from you soon.

Organizing Your New Home

A well-organized home can lead to a less chaotic home life, better time management and less stress. As Kamloops’ premier movers, we would like to offer you the following organization tips for setting up your new home.

Clear the Clutter

This tip may seem obvious, but it may be more difficult than you think. You may want to take a two-step approach to achieve this goal. The first step should involve throwing out or recycling any items, materials and other stuff that you do not need. Hopefully you have done this before you moved, but this is a good time to see if you can declutter any more items. Be honest with yourself and try to purge unnecessary items.

Here’s the deal:

If you haven’t used an item in the past year, it probably isn’t worth keeping.

Once you are satisfied with the first step, it is time to re-organize your belongings. Some innovative ways to re-organize include:

Grouping similar items together and in the same room, so when you need them you know their exact location.
Labeling or creating a specific space for items.
Using storage bins or containers.

Not only will you be able to find items easier, you may be surprised at how much extra space you create in your house. Great places to apply this goal include:

Bedroom closets.
Your kitchen.
Bathroom cupboards or medicine cabinets.
Linen and shoe closets.

Create a Filing System

Even with more and more of the world going paperless, there are still many important documents that need to be filed somewhere in your home. Instead of cramming different papers in different drawers and then tearing everything apart to try to find that one necessary document, create a filing system. For this system to be effective, make sure to label each folder and put each paper in its proper spot immediately.

Utilize Your Space

Sometimes, all you need is more space to effectively organize a room. If this is the case, look to create or open up space by getting imaginative. Ways to generate space include:

Using a closet organizer or install shelving.
Creating or installing shelving on open walls in bedrooms, bathrooms or living rooms.

Instead of moving items to the garage or relocating them to areas where there is more space, try to organize and declutter your home by creating space and organizing the contents of each room in their room or origin.

These are just a few ways to help you achieve your home organization goal. Remember, an organized home is a less stressful and chaotic home to live in. If you would like other tips on how to organize your home or are interested in the many different moving services that we offer, please contact us today.

After The Move

What to do next? That is often the question one is faced with after the moving trucks have placed the last box in your new home. The unpacking part of a move can often feel as overwhelming as the initial packing stage. As the premier movers in Kamloops we would like to offer these essential, but often overlooked tasks that need to be done after your move.

Order in Which to Unpack

There is nothing more frustrating or difficult than trying to go about your normal life amidst a mountain of boxes. One of the nice things about unpacking is that you are not facing a deadline, so take your time with this process and get your new space organized and laid out the way you want. The rooms that you want to organize first are:

Kitchen – tired of takeout and fast food? Well the quicker that you get your kitchen unpacked, the quicker you can enjoy home cooked meals again.
Bathroom – A shower and toiletries are a necessity regardless of the state of the rest of your home.
Bedroom – A good night’s rest is important so that you can face the essential and overlooked unpacking chores.

Post Move To Do List

Here’s a brief checklist of many of the essential but often overlooked tasks that you will need to do once you have unpacked your new home.

Change your postal address – regardless of whether you have moved to a new city or just across town, you will need to change your address. You do not want your mail going to your old address, so do this task sooner than later.
Register your child at their new school – A new address usually means a new school. With the shortage of space in many of the province’s schools, it is a good idea to get your child registered as soon as possible. Contact your local school district to see where your home school is and go from there.
Find a health care provider – It is important that you have a reliable family doctor so finding a suitable family physician is a must. Try to find a physician who can meet and address you and your family’s specific medical needs.
Register your car – If you have moved out of province, make sure to register with the province’s motor vehicle branch as you may need to change your driver’s license or insurance.
Get home insurance – or at least make sure that your current home insurance covers everything you need it to in your new surroundings. Don’t forget to update the address.

Get to Know your Surroundings

One of the most exciting things about moving is that it opens up a new city or a new part of town to you. Get to know and embrace all that your new surroundings have to offer. A new move also offers the opportunity to meet new people and new friends. Make sure to embrace the totality of your new move.

We are a Kamloops premier moving service and have been a part of the community for over 20 years. We offer a wide range of moving services and offer free quotes. Our friendly and professional staff can help with all aspects of your move and ensure that your moving experience is a positive and stress-free event. Please contact us today and see how we can be a part of your moving experience.