Creative ways for a Faster, Easier, and Less Stressful Move

Moving is a part of life. And whether you move often or are packing up your bags for the first time in a long time, it's a notoriously stressful process that can take its toll on even the best of planners. Fortunately, while moving isn't necessarily easy on anyone, there are some ways to pack and unpack faster, reduce the amount of work, and ultimately make the process go just a bit smoother than it might otherwise. Sound too good to be true? Try our top packing and moving tips for yourself and discover creative ways to improve your move.

How to move: getting prepared

The best way to pack for moving is to start earlier, rather than later. So before we get to packing tips and tricks, here are some moving hacks that will help you start off on the right foot.

There are a lot of things you can do before you even pack up that first box to help facilitate an easier move. The moving hacks below will help you start off on the right foot.

• Call the utility companies as soon as you know you're moving. You'll not only get it out of the way early on, you'll also ensure you don't forget to do it later.
• Find a mover fast. Use comto find movers near you that have already been vetted for quality and reliability.
• Set your budget. Moving can get expensive, and you don't want to end up with major sticker shock on top of everything else. Take advantage of our online moving cost calculatorand figure out how much you can expect to spend.
• Plan out your packing supplies. Use our packing calculatorto get a good idea of just how much you'll need in terms of packing supplies. This way, you can be sure to get what you need on the first run to the store.
• Eat up. Make it a goal to eat as much of the food you already have in your house as you can before moving day arrives. Turn it into a game and get creative with recipes to see how much you can use up. Do good at the same time by donating unopened/unexpired food to a local food bank.