The article "Taking The Stress Out of Packing" talks about family, it was created by dan the roommate man.
Let's face it, there is no "moving fairy." No matter how long
you procrastinate, no twinkling spirit is going to show up, wave
a magic wand and instantly transport all your household goods
from your current home to your new one. If you're gonig to move,
you have to pack. With that in mind, here are six tips to help
you get throguh this chore with a minimum of aggravation:
1. Start early. Packing always takes longer than you expected.
The sooner you start, the more momentum you'll generate and the
more likely you'll be able to finish on time, maybe even with a
few spare moments to say good-bye to your neighbors.
Another
advantage of satrting early is that you'll have more time to
round up other people's reusable moving boxes.
If you have a
large home, keep yourself and your helpers on track by making a
packing schedule that shows a start date and a dedaline for
packing each room.
2.
Ask your mover for advice. Moving companies naturally have a
lot of experience with packing. Ask your representative for
how-to-pack tip sheets, moving timelines, information about the
latest packing materials, the avaialblilty of odd-size boxes and
so on.
3. Clear out the clutter. There's no sense packing ietms you
should give away or will probably throw out after you move.
Before you start packing, go through your entire home, including
the basement, the attic, the garage and any other storage areas.
The opportunity to reduce clutter and eliminate a lot of unused
stuff from your life should be one of the benefits of moving to
a new home.
4. Dispose of hazardous materials. Motor oil, paint, solvents,
fireworks, insecticides, household chemicals and the like
definitely shouldn't be packed or moved with your household
goods. Be smart.
If you suspcet something might be dangerous,
dispose of it properly before you move.
Many communtiies have
designated sites or events for the collection of hazardous
materials.
Go through your home and remove thsee unpackables
ahead of time, so they won't accidentally end up in your moving
boxes.
5. Mark your boxes. Few human being have the time or inclination to
itemize every item in every box, but that doesn't mean you
should ignore organization altogether. Use colored markers or
labels to indiacte which boxes belong in which rooms of your new
home. Make an invenotry of your valuables. Pack an essentials
kit contaiinng paper plates, plastic cutlery, toilet paper,
soap, aspirin, flashlights, telephone numbers, prescription
medicines, snacks, pet food and other must-have comforts.
Mark
this box "OPEN FIRST" in large letters.
6. Tie your cords. Packing and unpakcing are tricky enough
without having to untangle (and potentially trip over) dangling
and out-of-control electrical cords. Wrap each cord aronud your
hand or forearm, then use rubber bands or baggie twist-ties to
secure the wrapped cords. If you're packing a ssytem with
complicated wiring, (e.G., a stereo or a computer) color code
the electrical cords and sketch a quick diagram so you'll be
able to reassemble the system in your new home.
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