10 Tips for an Organized Move (with Free Printables)

Back when I worked in Toronto there was a four year span where I moved myself, my boss or our office no less than EIGHT times. Seriously. By the end of it I’d found ways to make moving much easier and reduce the inevitable stress that comes with it. The move from our little apartment in the suburbs to a big house in the country came with it’s own set of obstacles (like where to put boxes once they were packed in such a small space) but for the most part I was able to use the same process that I’ve used in the past.

Now that we’ve settled in to the new house a bit more, I thought I’d share some of my favourite moving tips! They’ve made a huge difference in keeping us organized during this exciting (and somewhat stressful) time!

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1. Save Money and Pack Yourself

This one is huge. I totally get the appeal of a moving company, but for us I’ve found it’s hard to justify the expense. We did all the packing ourselves leading up to the move and then thankfully we had family and friends who kindly gave us a Saturday (and their vehicles) to move us out to the new place. We thanked them with pizza and beer for lunch – which was less than 1/4 of the price that we were quoted on a moving truck alone!

2. Label Your Boxes & Keep Track

This is a trick I learned from my old Toronto job. Every time we would pack a box, whether it was to move or put it in archives, we would label it on several sides, add a contents list (saving a digital copy) and track it on a master list. While I don’t worry about the contents list when I’m packing to move a home, the labels and master list still come in handy.

I made these labels on the computer and printed a few sheets to have on hand whenever I was packing a room. Each boxes got two – one on the top and one on the side. If something is fragile or heavy, I write it in a big fat permanent marker beside the label on the box.

In a folder, I kept a printed box inventory list where I could write down what was in each box by number. I also kept any important documents I need for the move in the pocket of the folder, such as delivery slips for appliances, receipts for expenses and contact information.

The box inventory tracks the box number, contents and where it’s going. This has been really helpful for referring back to when we’re trying to find which box has the blender or mixing bowls.

I kept the folder, label sheets, a pen, a permanent marker and packing tape in a basket that was easy to carry around from room to room. It also helped Garrett do his packing when I wasn’t around – no more hunting for tape!

We also gave each room a name – Bedroom #1, #2, #3, Upstairs Bathroom, Powder Room etc. Everything was unloaded from the cars into the living room and then it was easy to sort where it would all go. Right now we are using Bedroom #2 as a guest room and Bedroom #3 as a storage room. Our focus is on cleaning up the outside during the summer and then when fall comes around I’ll be able to work on going through these boxes and find future homes for everything. I hope to find even more things that we can sell, donate or throw away.

2. Pack Your Boxes Full

Fuller boxes are safer, as there is less chance of things jostling about and getting broken. I would pack a whole box of books or office supplies and then pack the very top with something soft like a big fluffy towel or a stack of t-shirts.

3. Find Free Boxes & Use What You Have

If you saw all the liquor boxes leaving our house on moving day, you might have thought we had a drinking problem! I found that the BEST moving boxes are from the liquor store. You can usually pick them up on a Monday or Tuesday when they are restocking after the weekend and the best part is they are FREE. Start earlier in the month as they tend to get more sparse as people move at the end of the month.
The boxes are usually reinforced very well for carrying heavy bottles making them perfect for heavier things like books. The smaller size also makes it harder to over pack things to the point where you can’t lift it. They often come with dividers as well that you can just recycle or use the slots to pack glasses, candles or even your own liquor cabinet.
If you need bigger boxes, I’ve had great success going to my local pharmacy or grocery store. Leading up to when you’re packing, go into the store and speak to the manager. They can tell you what day they get deliveries and when they’ll have boxes available. I did this at our Shoppers Drug Mart and they gave me a huge stack good sized boxes to help pack up larger bulkier items like pillows, blankets and towels.

We also utilized any bins, baskets and suitcases we already had. No point in moving something empty!

4. Skip the Bubble Wrap and Pack Your Breakables in Linens and Clothing

Rather than pay for bubble wrap, I tried to use as much of our linens and clothing to wrap things as possible. All our glasses, casserole dishes, jars and pie plates were wrapped up in tea towels. Our bathroom glass containers went in hand towels and our face cloths were perfect for vases. Anything else that needed wrapping went in newspaper or big sheets of white tissue paper I found on sale. All our packing supplies were less than $10 including tissue, packing tape and markers!

5. Use Up Your Food Before the Move

I did not want to carry anything that we didn’t need to, including our pantry. Leading up to the move I got into some creative cooking to use up as much as possible. Aside from produce, dairy and meat, we did no additional grocery shopping in our last month – which meant saving money too!

6. Pack your First Box

There are so many things that you’re going to need in those first few days and the last thing you want is to start rummaging through boxes on a hunt. Pack a clearly marked “First Box” with all the things you’ll need and make sure this goes with you in the front seat of your car! Include things like paper towel, toilet paper, all-purpose cleaner, garbage bags, box cutter, power strips, screwdrivers, hammer, phone charger, etc.

7. Clean While You Pack

While I was taking the time to go through each drawer and cupboard to pack, I tried to think about what to keep, to donate or to throw out. Everything else got a thorough cleaning or wipe down before it was packed. It was my way of doing spring cleaning while I packing. By the end of it there were definitely things that just got thrown in boxes, but at the beginning I tried to take my time and properly pack up 1-2 boxes an evening when I got home from work.

8. Clean the Bathroom and Kitchen Ahead of Time

We closed on the Thursday evening and got straight to work cleaning. The kitchen and bathrooms were the first thing we cleaned – from the counters to washing out every cupboard and drawer. We had time on Friday to vacuum the carpets (and thousands of ladybugs), sweep/mop the floors, wash the windows and dust all the shelves too. If you are able to go ahead of time and clean your new space before everything gets moved in, it makes a huge difference! I still needed to clean up after all the mess from moving in, but having that first deep clean was a big relief.

9. Make the Bed and Unpack the Kitchen First

After a long day of moving boxes, the last thing you’re going to want to to worry about is making the bed before you can sleep. By doing this first thing, it will be ready when you want to crash.

If you have time (and energy) to set up one room in the house, make it the kitchen. It may still take awhile until you get everything in the cupboards the way you like it (I’m still working on that!) but at least you can get up and make some coffee the next day.

10. Pack an Overnight Bag

Those first few days you are so busy and it’s hard to know where everything is. Packing an overnight bag with a few days worth of clothes (including what you need for work!), toiletries, phone charger, laptop, etc. will make it easier. We didn’t need to worry about unpacking clothes or our bathroom boxes right away and good focus on settling into the rest of the house.

Overall the move went pretty well and we’ve just been spending this time to focus on getting settled in. I can’t believe we’ve lived here for 18 days! There are still boxes to be unpacked and rooms to be arranged but for the most part it’s shaping up nicely. It definitely feels like home to us already!