No one likes to move especially when you’re involved in long distance moving. If you hire a professional moving company, they’ll do it all for you. However many prefer to do the job themselves and there are a few tips to help to make the move easier on your entire family.

If you’re packing a few things early before the actual move, be sure to pack the items that will not be needed until after the move. Cardboard boxes are best and you don’t want them too large or packed too heavy to move. You’ll need plenty of old newspapers that work well to protect your delicate items. Plastic stretch wrap helps keep your antiques secure.

There are two ways you can label your boxes. First, you can write what’s in each box and where the box should go when you get to your new home. There’s an easier way though and when you start out by doing this you won’t have a many mix ups.

Buy some recipe size cards and start with Box A and write the room where the items come from and where they’ll go on the cards. With a marker, write a Box A on the tops and sides of the boxes. As you pack each item write the item on the card and set the card aside. Such as dishes/kitchen, or dishes/hutch, or towels/hall closet, etc.

For each room place the box on a table or something sturdy. Place the heavier items in the bottom of the box and the lighter items on top. If you’re moving in the summer pack winter clothing first, mark the box with a letter and set it aside. Keep all of the recipe type cards together. When you place them in an envelope, you won’t lose any or pack one of them in a box. Not a good idea.

When you’re planning the move, start early and try to stay organized. Place all of the packed boxes in an unused place, possibly in a spot in the garage where they can be loaded together when the time comes. If you’re moving locally, you could take all of the items that you won’t need over to your new house or apartment as long as they will be secure.

Your heavy furniture and appliances will come last. Never lay a refrigerator on its side; it should stand up in the trailer. You’ll want to secure everything you move with straps.

Once everything is in your new home, make every bed first, and don’t worry about the antiques, hutch or even the pictures. You can do all that later, but the place you’ll need will be the bed and towels, everything else can wait.