Here are some of Budget Movers favorite moving tips. With a little planning you can save yourself a lot of time by organizing your move to be fast and efficient.

1. If you have items that are to remain in the house on moving day, make sure you label them clearly so that they don’t get loaded up by mistake.
2. When movers pack your stuff as part of a full-service move, they’re required to give you free insurance on it. This varies from location to location, and is good for a little protection. If you have a lot of valuable stuff, then you can usually purchase additional protection just to be safe.
3. Make sure you have plenty of supplies before you begin moving. You will probably need more boxes than you think, and even if you have too many, that is better than not having enough. Have about ten smaller boxes set aside for smaller, last-minute items.
4. If you will be packing boxes yourself, make sure to clearly label each one with a short description of the contents and where in your new home the container should go. This will make unloading and unpacking much easier for you and the movers.
5. Electronic equipment (computers, stereos, etc.) will require special preparation. Detach all wires and cords and keep them in a labeled bag. Pack these items in sturdy, padded cartons and mark them as “Fragile.”
6. When you are moving, it’s a good idea to change your address at least two weeks prior if you can. This is of course essential for your utility bills, however many people don’t think about other small things such as Amazon, credit cards, magazine subscriptions, and personal mail.
7. Do you have a lot of out-of-season clothing to pack? This can be tiresome, especially if it’s all bulky winter clothing. Instead of boxing it all up, why don’t you vacuum seal all of it? This will save you space, plus it can go straight into storage when you get to your new home.
8. Pack your food last, especially from the fridge and freezer, and use coolers to transport the items. Non-perishable pantry items can be packed ahead and clearly labeled.
9. Mirror/picture cartons are designed to be telescoping, so they can be customized to fit any mirror, picture, or glass table top precisely. The corners of these boxes are reinforced with heavy corrugated braces.
10. Instead of using newspaper to wrap your delicate items, try using wrapping paper, butcher paper, thin foam sheets, or bubble wrap. Newspaper ink can rub off on your items and stain them, while butcher or wrapping paper is clean and ink free.
11. While it may seem like a way to conserve space, we recommend that you empty all drawers, and pack those goods in them into boxes. This makes moving that particular piece of furniture much easier, and prevents accidental spilling.
12. If you have a bunch of items you’d just rather not move to your new house, have a garage sale or donate the items to charity. This will help you keep the cost of your move down.
13. The more packing you get done ahead of time, the more time you can save on moving day. First pack out-of-season clothes and holiday decorations. Consolidate toiletries and box up any extras. Pack up wastebaskets and use plastic grocery bags until the move. Scale down to essential cooking utensils and food supplies.
14. When you start packing for a move, take a photo of how your electronics are connected so that you can remember how and where all the wires go. This will save you a lot of time and stress when you go to connect them at your new home.
15. Recycle your moving supplies. After your move, keep all of your moving boxes, newspaper, and bubble wrap together to donate to another mover. You can list the items in an online classified or local newspaper.
16. Are you dreading packing all the clothes that are in your closet? Here’s a time saving and organizational idea: instead of taking the clothes off of the hangers, group them all together at the bottom and pull a plastic garbage bag up around them. This way you can just throw them in the trunk of your car.
17. Having trouble organizing your packing? Consider color-coding. Pick a color for each room and label that room’s boxes accordingly. Label the door of each room with the corresponding sticker/tape so that the movers know where to place the boxes.
18. We always recommend that smaller desk lamps and table lamps be moved in boxes. Even better, pack the lamp shades separately, as these tend to be very fragile.
19. Perhaps the worst fear for any long distance move is leaving something behind. It may help you to leave closet and cabinet doors open as you finish emptying them so you’ll know which are already empty.
20. Have you ever tried to travel with makeup and end up with broken foundation powder or eye shadow? To prevent this problem when moving, place an extra cotton pad or ball in your powder cosmetics to keep them from breaking.