Hello there again cyber land! It is I, the resident Customer Service Ninja at Great Day Moving.  Most people move a couple of times in their life.  For some, maybe it has been more times than you can count on both hands. But unless you’re a dedicated moving professional many of the most obvious and helpful tips can easily be forgotten.

Follow these 5 tips to minimize frustration on moving day and the few days after. I hope it will take some of the stress out of what should be an exciting adventure and new beginning!

1. Start packing way before you think you need to!

• Surprisingly packing up your home will take way longer than you think. You may think you can get it done in the evenings after work over the course of a week or two. Actually, we have found that 3 to 5 weeks is ample time to get everything in your home packed up.

2. Plan ahead to EAT!

• Not just food for moving day but also the days immediately before and after, when the kitchen is completely packed away and no one feels like going through boxes to find dishes to cook, much less wash those dishes afterwards. Fill an envelope with menus and phone numbers of local restaurants that deliver (at both the old address and the new one) and keep it somewhere safe and accessible. Don’t mistakenly pack it!

3. Keep packed boxes lighter than 30 lbs each!

• 20 lbs is even better, to prevent damage to your items, injuries to the moving team, and mistakes (like the bottom falling out!). Be diligent; don’t be afraid to dust off that bathroom scale to make sure you’re not packing them too heavy.  Some of our competitors charge extra for extremely heavy boxes so this is not only smart but it could save you money.

4. Don’t let yourself be tempted to mark multiple boxes as “misc” or “mixed”

• Also don’t get lazy and leave boxes completely blank or unlabeled when things get rushed to finish packing. Label with specifics on multiple sides; mark every box with the room it belongs in and a brief summary of its contents. You won’t regret this after moving day!

5. In addition to packing a suitcase for each member of the family with their essential items like personal hygiene and clothing, create one “Open First” box for every major room: kitchen, bathroom, and bedrooms!

• Fill these “Open First” boxes with the most urgent items like the coffeemaker and filters, shower curtain and rod, towels, bed sheets, blankets, children’s toys, etc.  Most moving crews will help to set those aside for you so you can get to them easily after they are gone. No point in having an “Open First” box if it is buried under all of the other boxes in that room.

Hope this information helps prepare for moving day… Sayonara for now and have a Great Day moving!!!