When you think of spring, what comes to mind? Maybe it’s bright yellow tulips, longer hours in the day, rainy weather, spring sports, new action-packed movie releases….and of course, ‘spring cleaning.’
Spring time and spring cleaning have long gone hand in hand. Whether it be cleaning out spaces within your home, ‘fixing up’ all the things we neglected over the winter, or possibly even making the big jump to moving.
In a way, you can think of moving as the “big sister” to spring cleaning. Moving is naturally the larger project – containing bigger thoughts, fears, dreams, and preparation. When it comes to moving, there are really two sides: the excitement of moving and a new start in a home that better fits your location or needs; and the stress of getting your house on the market, sold, and begin packing!
Packing can seem super overwhelming, especially after years of living within a single space – and all the acquired items that come with it. For so many of us, the fear of preparing for the move (and all that comes with it) is so strong that it will hold us back from achieving our dreams and actually starting on the needs in your new home – painting, unpacking, storage, etc. Especially if physical limitations come to play. Say, your move isn’t driven by a new job or better location, but rather, less steps or smaller square footage to clean. The fear of “getting started” heightens when physical limitations are present, and if you are not careful, that fear may actually be enough to squash homeowners needs and dreams of moving.
In fact, most of our clients are actually referred to us by the client’s children. Oftentimes, they know what is in the best interest for their parents or loved ones and know that a new home will not happen without the helping hands of others. The years of accumulated “stuff” needs to be gone through and donated, trashed or passed on to other family members. Professionals like myself help our clients realize that a new home is possible for them.
If you find yourself in a similar situation as an adult, looking to open up this conversation of a new home with your parents or loved ones, or even want to make the transition yourself, there are a few key components to consider:
Starting with assessing what works for them in their house just as much as what doesn’t work.
What spaces in the current home have the most “stuff” to go through? Typically those are the scary spots 🙂 but also, the perfect place to start!
Who are the family members or friends that can help or will be involved with the purging/donating process?
Will a professional be needed and helpful?
Last but not least, provide a good rough idea of when the actual move is wanted or needed.
By answering these questions, you are actively transitioning an idea into an action plan. THAT is the real first step of moving.
Now that this dialogue has occurred, it is time to get to the nitty gritty. Before packing, you want to declutter and purge your space (or home). Setting up a keep, trash, donate, and ‘not sure’ pile helps you narrow down your belongings and allows you to rid yourself of items not really needed. Once this stage is complete, it is time to get to the packing. Do not worry though, your friends/family or professional will handle getting out all of the donated items to their desired destinations, and therefore providing you one less thing to worry about.
Ready to get started on packing?
Here’s how:
Always start the packing process with packing materials on hand. Such as:
- Small and medium boxes
- A minimum of 4 rolls of tape
- At least 4 boxes of packing paper
- A large roll of bubble wrap
- Large garbage bags
The small and medium boxes are so important. Of course, you can always acquire boxes for odd shaped items, or larger boxes if really needed, but on average small and medium boxes tend to be the most useful. I’ve found that having large boxes full of three different rooms prolongs the unpacking process. I always say how you pack on the front end dictates how you unpack on the backend. Keeping alike items, from the same room, together will ensure that you unpack a box in its entirety and can shift from room to room at your new location. Keeping your boxes full of items from the same area will speed up your unpacking process as well as make it a lot less stressful. Plus, let’s be real, large boxes take up a LOT of space, especially in the unpacking phase.
I hope you find these tips and thoughts helpful. Springtime is full of excitement. Don’t let your space at home hold you back from moving forward with your dreams and needs.
Happy packing!!