The Packing Process

Wow. What a whirlwind these last few weeks have been! I'm about 1 month away from graduating law school and twenty-something days away from moving to Maine. To say I'm excited would be an understatement, but as I'm sure you can guess I'm also feeling a little overwhelmed. You don't realize how much stuff you actually have until you need to put it all in moving boxes. Since I want this process to be as easy and pain-free as possible, I started looking on Pinterest for some "moving hacks" and giving them a try. Here are some of the ones I've loved (and some that didn't work so well).

1. Pack your clothes in trash bags.

This hack is SOOOOOOOO helpful--especially for a shopaholic like me! It saves you from taking your clothes off the hanger, folding them in boxes, and then re-hanging them. Just slip them into a trash bag, hangers on, and lay them down in the back of your car. When you get to your new place, hang them up and slide the trash bag off. All done!

2. Don't just pack--organize!

I started packing early, partly because I didn't want to procrastinate, but partly because I wanted to have time to go through everything I was packing and make sure it was essential. So far I've donated 5 bags of clothes, 2 bags of shoes, and a box of kitchen supplies that I don't think I've used since the last time I moved.

3. Color coding boxes.

This is one hack that I wasn't a fan of. I'm all for labeling my boxes, but I found the color coding to be confusing. If I couldn't even remember what color signified what room how could I expect my boyfriend and my dad (who very kindly offered to help me move) to be able to figure out what goes where. To simplify, I've decided to just write the room in big letters on the top of the box.

4. Don't waste money on bubble wrap.

The first time I moved I thoroughly bubble wrapped EVERYTHING! My things stayed safe during the move, but I was left with a ton of bubble wrap that I had no further use for. There are so many thing around your house that can serve as "bubble wrap." A saved newspapers for the last couple of weeks and used those to wrap items that weren't super fragile, but that I didn't want bouncing around. Then I used towels, wash clothes, and sweatpants to wrap things that needed a little more cushion.

5. Use your suitcases.

I completely forgot about my suitcases until I saw this Pinterest hack. It's such a great way to save space and money if you're buying boxes! Plus, since the suitcases have wheels, I put some heavier items, like books, in there so they can be rolled instead of carried.

6. Organize cords with toilet paper tubes.

I have a ton of electronics (which means a ton of cords) so I was pumped when I saw this hack. It seemed like such an easy way to keep my cords tangle-free and organized. Unfortunately this hack didn't live up to my expectations. It was time consuming to find the toilet paper rolls (I don't think most people just have these paying around.), tape them together, and then wrap and stuff the cords inside them. It would've been way easier to just wrap each cord with a rubber band and put them in a plastic baggie.

7. If you don't have to put it in a box, don't.

Full disclosure, I hate packing to move. I find it frustrating to put my things in boxes only to take them out. That's why I loved the Pinterest hacks that didn't require putting things in boxes. When you think about it, there's no need to unpack your dresser drawers, desk drawers, or storage chests, unless those pieces of furniture aren't coming to your new place. I took my drawers out of the dresser/desk to make it lighter to move, and then put some plastic wrap over the drawers to hold everything in. Voila! Now when I get to my new house I can just unwrap the drawers, put them back in, and I'm done! (Hint: This plastic wrap technique also works really well with open containers like silverware holders.)