The sooner you start planning for your move, the easier it will be. Make sure you’re ready for moving day by answering these essential packing and prep questions.
It can take a long time to pack for a move, especially if you’re doing it yourself. Whether you want to do everything yourself from start to finish or you’d prefer to let movers handle all—or at least part of—it, the packing process is one of the biggest and most stressful parts of moving. Fortunately, there are ways to make moving easier.
So, how long will it really take you to pack for a move? Here are some essential questions to ask yourself when you’re preparing to pack up a house and move on to bigger and better things.
How big is your house?
Size matters—at least when it comes to how long it will take to pack up your house. A one-bedroom apartment is going to go into boxes much faster than a four-bedroom, two-story Colonial house. But it’s not just the size of the home, the number of occupants and your lifestyle make a big difference as well. Some people have a lot of hobbies and, consequently, own a lot more stuff, while others have embraced the minimalist lifestyle.
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As a basic rule, allocate a full day of packing per room—double it if you have a lot of things. So, if you have a studio apartment, assume it will take 1-2 days to pack; 2-3 days for a one-bedroom; and approximately 7-8 days for a five-bedroom. Be warned that these are full, intense, 12-hour days that are dedicated solely to packing. If you want to make the task more manageable, spread each day of packing over two to three days instead. Start early and box up items you don’t need as soon as possible—a month or more in advance if you can—and designate a day or half-day every weekend to work your way through every room in your house.
Have you organized the things you don’t plan to keep?
As you prepare to pack for a move, you will come across things that you don’t need anymore. If you’re unsure about something, you can probably get rid of it.
Once you’ve taken stock of the items you don’t want, you have a few options:
- Hold a yard sale
- Sell them to a consignment shop or pawnshop
- Sell them online
- Donate them
- Throw them away
Be honest with yourself as you’re packing and sorting. If you forgot you owned something or you haven’t used a tool or item in over a year, it’s probably safe to get rid of it. Purging stuff you don’t need will make moving much easier. You don’t want to take any junk to your next house just so you can stick it in a drawer or closet and not use it there either.
Tip: Hold on to old sheets, towels, and comforters. They will be useful when you’re wrapping electronics and furniture to move.
Where will you get your boxes?
It’s never too early to start hoarding packing materials, but at the very latest you want to secure these items a month in advance. Save the boxes and packaging from all those Amazon packages you’re ordering. Even small and oddly shaped boxes will come in handy.
Where to source boxes:
- Buy them – A lot of people pay for boxes, but you don’t necessarily have to if you want to save money. If you do choose to buy boxes, either invest in sturdy reusable plastic totes, which are perfect for storage in your new home or get them from places that buy back unused boxes.
- Grocery stores and big-box stores – Go to your local supermarket or big-box chain and ask for boxes they are throwing away.
- Liquor stores – These are great for packing things like glasses and breakable items.
- Crowdsource them – Post on neighborhood websites and social media to ask if anyone is getting rid of packing items from a recent move.
As well as boxes, you’ll also need strong packing tape, bubble wrap and other types of packing materials like newspaper, shrink wrap (not the kind from the grocery store), markers, scissors, and a boxcutter.
Tip: Calculate how many boxes you’ll need, and then double it.
Are you packing on your own or getting help?
If you’re getting help, it’s going to take less time to pack things up than it will if you’re doing it on your own. Some moving companies will do everything—from packing all your items to unpacking them in your new home. It’s up to you whether you want that level of service or you would prefer to pack things up and hire movers only to load and transport your belongings.
Full-service movers will typically send a crew to your home to pack your things and have it done in one or two days (depending on the size of your home). When you hire them, they will give you an estimate. If you’re packing yourself, follow the one-day-per-room rule explained above.
Ideally, when your movers arrive, everything should be in boxes. Some movers will not transport loose items or items in trash bags. Do not have any loose items out unless they are essentials—and have a box or hamper to put them in ready to go when you’re done.
Whether you choose to pack on your own or you hire professionals to do everything for you, make sure you don’t get yourself into a time crunch. Moves are rarely fun, but they can certainly be more enjoyable when they’re planned properly and you give yourself enough time to prepare.
