Family Move: An Organizational Challenge

Here are some tips to making your family move a seamless one.

“Challenging” is an understatement when it comes to describing a family move and all the work that goes into it. The whole family is thrown into chaos as you the parent try to keep everything in check. Your goal is to get everything from point A to point B all in one piece. To achieve that, plus keep your sanity, you need to get organized. Fortunately, you just need to employ a few planning skills and you can easily tackle this challenging phase in your life. Here are some tips to making your family move a seamless one.

Use a Notebook or Business Planner

You can buy one of these at the office supplies store, and when you do, keep it by your side like your best friend. Preferably using a day planner with large blocks for writing details, use this notebook to jot down anything from important dates and reminders to business contacts and to-do lists. A zippered pouch is also a must-have, where you can throw any pertinent receipts, moving agreements and business cards. Take extensive notes about all interactions with your movers, including estimates and any extra fees that will apply. Keep an outline of your budget so you don’t go over, and protect that notebook with your life!

Labels Galore

If you’ve been through family moves before, you know it can get rather monotonous and messy to label your boxes in marker. Towards the end, you may get lazy and start writing MISC on them, which makes for a rather difficult time for retrieving the essentials you need later. Instead, generate plenty of computer labels from the office supplies store that you can print out and neatly stick to the front of all your boxes. While some boxes will be quite easy to interpret, you need to get specific about other rooms of the house, especially if you have multiple bedrooms, offices, bathrooms and storage areas. Mark them “master bathroom,” “storage area on 1st floor,” and “kids’ blue bedroom.” This way, everyone in the family who can read can easily plop a box down in the designated room.

Survival Box Gets Packed Last

A survival box is just what it sounds like: what you and your family need to get through the first day in the new house. These essentials include toilet paper, utensils, paper plates, quick snacks and foods like cereal, comfort items and toys, prescription medications, and anything else crucial to your family’s functioning. Pack these last in the van so you can easily get to them upon arrival. These quick-grab items will help you navigate that first day or two before you have time to even think about unpacking all the other stuff. In addition to the survival box, you’ll also want to pack things like DVD players and movies, cleaning supplies and a vacuum last for easy retrieval.

Being an informed mover is half the battle. Stay organized, and your family move is sure to be hassle free.