The goal of a relocation project is to have your possessions transported safely to your home within budget and within the allotted time frame. Packing is obviously one of the most crucial aspects of making a move, and the fastest way to pack is to engage the services of a professional moving company; however, this method is also the most expensive. At the other extreme is not only packing your own items but also hiring a moving truck and transporting everything to your new home yourself. The compromise, which is used by the great majority of people, is to pack your items yourself but use a professional moving company to handle the transportation.
In either event, one thing you will definitely need for a move is a plan to pack up our worldly possessions. This can be created by making a list of the general categories that your possessions fall into and then looking at the length of time you have and the time it is likely to take you to pack each of these categories. The list should be numbered in order of reverse priority, with the first being the items you are least likely to need to make use of prior to the move. Books, memorabilia or photographs might be close to the top of this list, while clothes and foods would be at the very bottom. Any dirty items should be cleaned before being packed; including carpets, drapes and quilts.
You should gather together boxes of different shapes and sizes that are sturdy in nature, as well as permanent markers, packing paper or bubble wrap, scissors, and packing tape in a dispenser. Your linens, pillows and towels can serve as padding, and boxes can often be obtained free of charge from places such as liquor or grocery stores. Liquor boxes tend to come with partitions, which can be particularly helpful when packing fragile items. When you pack each box it is a good idea to include goods that will be stored together in your new home. Use strong tape to reinforce the box, add a layer of paper for padding to the bottom when dealing with breakables, and individually wrap such items.
The heaviest items should be placed at the bottom of the box and the box should be finished off with additional paper so that there is a cushioning layer at the top when the boxes are stacked. Try to ensure each box is not too heavy and that the weight is evenly distributed. Dishes and other flat goods should be packed on their sides surrounded by padding rather than being stacked, as items at the bottom might otherwise crack under the weight during the move. Anything with a top or lid that can be removed needs to be individually wrapped, and you should use wrapping paper of a different color or alternatively add a note to any items that are particularly small and would be easy to lose.
