Organize your belongings

Moving is a great time to organize your belongings, and it’s also a great opportunity to get rid of that old winter coat, your very first tennis racquet and all of those plastic food containers with missing lids.

Once you have finished sorting through your belongings, you’ll have to figure out what to do with them. If you are running short on time, your best bet will be to donate the items to a local charitable organization such as the Salvation Army or the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

If you have the time, why not make some spare change in your spare time by organizing a garage sale or selling your goods online.

Packing your boxes

If your move is sudden and you haven’t had the time to save each and every spare cardboard box that's come your way, pick some up at major departments stores, superstores or pharmacies. Moving companies also have boxes or you can look in the Yellow Pages or on the Internet.

Where possible, opt for medium-sized boxes, which will lighten the load. Larger boxes may make for fewer trips, but you’ll run the risk of putting your back out and having to spend the rest of your moving day in a clinic.

Even though you may want put your move off to the very last minute, you should take the time to plan it out in advance. Also, before you even start packing, you’ll have to take stock of all of your belongings and decide which items you really want to keep and those you should sell or give away.

About four to six weeks before moving day and once you have sifted and sorted through all of your belonging, start packing up those items in the back of your closet that you won’t be using in the near future.

Pack it right!

As soon as you pick a moving date, start collecting newspapers, old clothes and other useful items that will come in handy for packing.

Then, stop by your local hardware store to stock up on packing tape, a permanent marker, sticky labels, scissors, garbage bags, string and other moving essentials.

To avoid breakage and spills, carefully seal your boxes using packing tape. However, be resourceful and keep the environment in mind – you’ll also save yourself a lot of time and trouble when it comes time to unpacking if you don’t overdo it on the packing tape.

Label each sealed box and indicate what room it should be placed in. Also, mark “FRAGILE” on any boxes containing breakable items.

If you are hiring a team of movers, write “Do not move” on any boxes you would like to take over yourself.

Also, make a separate list of all the items you have already packed up. That way, you’ll be able to keep track of any boxes that are already on route to your new home and won’t waste time trying to find items that have already been packed away.

Wrap fragile items in old clothes, towels and dishcloths instead of newspaper. They’ll be better protected and won’t get stained with newsprint.

Remove all light bulbs from your lamps.

Books weigh a ton, so pack them into small boxes and don’t overstuff the boxes.

Pack electronics and small appliances in original boxes if you still have them on hand. These boxes and their packing materials were specially constructed to give these items additional protection.

If you are taking your washing machine and dryer with you to your new residence, fill the tub with blankets to immobilize it during the move.

When possible, take apart any furniture you plan to move, but include assembly instructions and screws and pins with each item so you don’t waste time when it comes time to reassembling the pieces.

To prevent accidents, be sure to immobilize all furniture and appliance drawers with heavy-duty packing or masking tape. And, don’t skimp out by using regular adhesive tape - it’s not strong enough for the job.

Lastly, be careful when packing flammable products. Seal all containers well and place them in boxes to facilitate their transport.