Moving houses? Keep these handy items close by
Moving tips: Six handy—but often forgotten—things to bring when you move | Photo by Michal B on Unsplash
Moving into your own place is one of the most exciting and freeing (not to mention expensive) moments you could ever experience. Flying the coop is a big step towards independence, no matter what age you are.
With big moves like this, you’ll likely forget a bunch of things. Even if it’s not your first rodeo, there are important items that end up falling through the cracks—many of which you only realize you need the moment you need it.
Here are a few items people tend to forget in the flurry of excitement that is moving day. Make sure to keep these items within arm’s reach (or more accurately, a designated box or in your carry-on), so you don’t have to unpack in an untimely manner.
Or worse, rip apart every single box in search of one item and leave the mess for later.
Bottle opener and corkscrew
Congratulations on moving the last of your boxes! At this point, you’re probably ready to crack open a few beers or have a glass of wine to celebrate your move, but it’s also around this point you realize you can’t find a bottle opener or corkscrew.
Make sure to pack your bottle openers and corkscrews along with your beer and wine Photo by Árpád Czapp on Unsplash
Anecdotal and personal experiences suggest that this is a common mishap, so make sure to pack your bottle openers and corkscrews along with your beer and wine. You wouldn’t want to resort to hassling yourself with difficult internet hacks to get those babies open.
Believe me, I’ve tried.
Food containers
For people who haven’t settled down into their new nest yet, takeout is a godsend. Not all takeout comes in plastic containers, though, so having a set of reusable containers comes in handy.
Having food containers on hand is a must | Photo by HiveBoxx on Unsplash
Or if you’re trying to build a habit of cooking more the minute you get (mostly) settled in, having food containers on hand is a must. You can put plates and bowls in your fridge and leave it at that, but what will your mother say if she ever finds out you’re living like that?
It’ll probably be something along the lines of, “Hay naku!”
Food clips
For those of us who are too lazy to cook (or are just diehard snack enthusiasts), chips and other bagged items are a must when moving. It’s a convenient way to eat without the pomp and circumstance of an actual meal.
What’s inconvenient, though, is when you have to put your chips down to do something and there’s nothing there to temporarily seal them. The same goes with cereal or even those bagged vegetables you’re thinking of heating up.
Bring the food clips. You’ll thank yourself.
Cleaning supplies
Between kind of unpacking and really unpacking, you’re going to need a few cleaning supplies to make your life easier. You can leave the toilet brush and the multi-surface spray in the box for now, but you’ll need something to clean up celebratory pizza crumbs and accidental beer spills until then. Brooms, tissue, wipes, and garbage bags are going to tide you over until the full unboxing happens.
First aid kit
There are food and houseware-related accidents, then there are you-related accidents. Cuts, scrapes, and other small injuries may occur when you’re using box cutters and scissors, and touching all kinds of paper. You’ll need a first aid kit to treat these accordingly so they don’t get infected while you’re unpacking.
Moving is already expensive. Getting an infection from a box cutter nick you thought would go away because it’s so tiny and you didn’t have antiseptic and a Bandaid lying around could be even worse.
Basic tools
Taking things apart, putting things together, and putting back together things that have fallen apart in transit are all things you have to do in a big move. And it’s usually when the screw has fallen out of your coat rack that you realize that.
Your basic tool kit doesn’t have to be dad-level | Photo by Katie Rodriguez on Unsplash
Having your basic box of tools is a handy way to make sure you can set everything you need up fast. It doesn’t have to be a dad-level kit. All you need is a screwdriver, some wrenches, and maybe a hammer and nail set and you’re good to go.
Tools are also the best way to deal with that leaky faucet you didn’t notice during the showing.
