Are you concerned about the organization involved in making your upcoming move a success? Moving home, whether it’s just down the block or right the way across the country, inevitably involves a large amount of work.
Good organization is key to ensuring that the tasks needed to move you and your belongings from a to b get completed correctly and on time. Luckily, there is plenty of help out there to help you plan successfully for moving day.
Creating packing lists is one of the most important organizational tasks you’ll need to carry out. Here we look at packing lists in a little more detail.
Read on to discover what a packing list is, why it’s important, the options available for effective packing lists, and where you can find a packing list template that makes itemizing the contents of your home straightforward and quick to accomplish.
What is a Packing List?
A packing list is basically an inventory of what’s in the boxes and other containers that are going to be transported from your current home to your new home on moving day. Movers may have just one list, or have several, particularly if some items are going into storage, or are being transported separately.
Why is a Packing List Important
Know What You’ve Packed
Particularly if you’re packing over a number of weeks, a packing list helps you keep track of what you’ve packed and what you haven’t. If you’re combining packing with decluttering, keeping a list of what’s made it into the boxes ensures you won’t waste time looking for something you’ve rehomed.
Simplify Unpacking
Unless you intend to employ movers to unpack your boxes once they’re delivered to your destination, you’ll want a clear idea of what’s in each box, so that you can unpack the essentials first.
Being able to refer to an inventory of box contents also makes it easier for the movers to ensure the boxes end up in the right room, ready for unpacking.
Identifying Fragile/Delicate Goods
If you don’t want to take fragile goods with you, identifying them on your packing list ensures they can be packed in the safest part of the moving truck. It also ensures that they’ll be treated with care during the loading and unloading process, as well as placed where they’re not going to be damaged on arrival at their destination.
Customs/Haulage Compliance
There are certain items that haulers can’t carry legally, or that require special permissions or permits to be moved. Having an inventory that holds details of what you’re moving makes ensuring compliance (if necessary) much easier.
In the event that you’re moving out of the country, a detailed packing list can be used as the basis of the paperwork needed for your goods to pass successfully through customs when they arrive at your destination.
Check That you Haven’t Forgotten Anything
It sounds obvious, but the reality is that with all the stress and hassle of moving, it’s easy to forget to pack up the belongings from some parts of your home.
Places such as under-stairs cupboards, sheds, cellars, basements, and loft spaces can be all too easily overlooked.
A good-quality packing list acts as a valuable aid memoir, ensuring nothing is overlooked when you’re completing the packing process.
Different Types of Packing Lists
There are several different packing lists available, each of which can be used to keep track of the moving process slightly differently.
Here are a few of the most helpful options, along with a suitable template that can be easily downloaded and printed off.
Total Checklist for Moving
This handy packing list includes not only printable sheets on which you can list the contents of each of your boxes, but also key deadlines for other activities required as part of the moving process.
If you want a list that will also tell you when you need to complete tasks such as changing your utility providers, changing your insurance policies, hiring your moving company, and related tasks, this is the one to go for.
Tick-Box Moving Checklist
Tick boxes can give you a great feeling of accomplishment, as well as make it easy to see which tasks you’ve completed and which ones are still outstanding.
This tick-box moving checklist identifies the key tasks you’ll need to complete during the moving process in a clear, easy-to-complete format.
Create Your own Home Moving Inventory
If you prefer to catalog your belongings in a way that works best for you, this article provides a clear breakdown of the steps you can follow to make inventory creation accurate and simple. A handy tip that’s recommended here is to take a video of the items in each room.
This ensures that in the unlikely event that a box goes missing during your move, you’ll have video evidence of exactly what went into it, as well as a list of the contents.
Itemized Moving Inventory
Rather than list the contents of your home, this inventory does the job for you – all the items you’re likely to find in a home are already listed on a room-by-room basis. You just need to tick the ones that apply to you.
For smaller moves that involve relatively few items, this quick, tick-box inventory could work really well.
Online Inventories
If you prefer an inventory that you can keep online, then work with using your phone or laptop, one of these will be ideal. An online inventory is easier to modify than a paper version, although some people prefer to stick to old-fashioned paper and pen lists when they’re moving house.
Used correctly, packing list templates can make the daunting task of keeping track of your belongings during a move much easier. Using an experienced, professional moving company can also make a big, positive difference to the success of your move.
Go Smooth Move offers a one-stop solution to all your moving requirements. Get in touch with the team at Go Smooth Move for further information or to request a FREE, no-obligation quote.