Moving comes with a plethora of different challenges. Some of them are hard to handle, some not so much. However, when they are all piled together, they make the process of moving hard. No matter how efficient and skillful you are, moving will take a lot of your time. And the process of packing is among the more arduous tasks that moving entails. Luckily, there is a way to make it more manageable – make a moving inventory list! If you’re wondering how to do that, we’re here to help you.
The importance of having a moving inventory list
Why is it important to make a moving inventory list? As we said – moving is hard. There are a lot of things to think about, and packing (and all the smaller tasks that fall under that umbrella) is just one of them. It’s hard to predict which ones, but many large or small problems inevitably arise.
Having a list and a system adds some order to the chaos of moving. It is not only a highly practical way to handle your move like a pro; it will also make you feel more in control. You’ll spend less time, everything will go more smoothly, and you’ll deal with significantly less stress, just because you’re following a neatly designed system aimed at minimizing the frustration that an unorganized move would certainly entail. Of course, you can handle everything without a moving inventory list, but why make things harder on yourself? It might seemingly take more time, but in the long run – it’s definitely worth it!
Should you do it on your own or with the help of experienced professionals?
Before starting the actual packing procedure, you should decide if hiring reliable moving professionals is the right choice for you. The professional movers can help you in many ways, the top two ones involving packing and transportation. They can aid you with all tasks related to packing and they can help you with making a moving inventory list. As we said, moving (and packing itself) take a lot of time, so finding a high quality moving company, with the help of a specialized resource such as mastermovingguide.com, will help you immensely.
Experienced movers can help you with making a moving inventory list (as well as with packing in general).
Of course, if you have plenty of time at your disposal, or you’re prepared for the inevitable stress of juggling everyday obligations with both expected and unexpected relocation issues, you can handle everything on your own as well. Whatever you do, you’ll need to have a good all-around plan, and not just a precise moving inventory list. Being properly organized will greatly ease the process of moving. So, make a plan before relocating and stick to it!
Document and insure your belongings
The first thing to do when it’s time to make a moving inventory list is to document all your belongings. This may sound obvious, as documenting your belongings is precisely what making a moving inventory list means. However, you shouldn’t only list all the belongings, but it’s a good idea to take pictures as well.
Why? Because it can later mean a great deal to you in case you need to file an insurance claim. Unfortunately, people’s belongings sometimes do get damaged, even if they’ve used the best moving companies out there. Whether you rent a moving truck or you use your own vehicle, a simple bump on the road could mean your precious items will break. And then you’ll wish that you’ve insured your (materially or sentimentally) valuable possessions.
Take your camera and start documenting!
So, take photos of these items, and be sure to include labels such as a serial number. By doing so, you’ll increase your chances of your insurance claim being successful.
How to make and organize your moving inventory list
Next, it’s time to properly organize your moving inventory list. It would be very useful if you’d created a digital spreadsheet. If you’re old-school, you can, of course, do it on a piece of paper as well. However, digital spreadsheets are a lot more convenient to use, so if you can be bothered, we recommend learning the ways of IT, if only a little bit. Making a spreadsheet in a program such as Microsoft Excel or using Google Docs will make editing much easier. You’ll be able to easily add new information or change the existing one if you’ve made a mistake.
Whatever method you settle on, having a chart or a spreadsheet is essential. What information should it contain? Basically, anything you think might be useful. However, there are three pieces of information that are useful on any moving inventory list. This information will enable you to handle stress when moving more easily, so be sure to include it.
Some of the more important pieces of information on your moving inventory list are related to moving boxes.
Firstly (and obviously), write the name of the object. If it has any distinguishing features, note them as well. This will also be useful later-on, in the unfortunate case of having to file an insurance claim. Next, note the box in which this item is placed in. Each box should have its corresponding number. This will later help you when it’s time to unpack, as a) you’ll know precisely where the given item is, and b) you’ll easily notice if any of the boxes is missing.
The third and final essential piece of information on your moving inventory list should be the room where the items (and the corresponding box) will be placed in. That way, sorting all the boxes will me much easier to handle. Of course, you should also label the boxes according to the right room. If you’ll be moving with a toddler, one of the better ways to make the relocation procedure less stressful for him/her is to let your toddler label the boxes with different colors. This is both fun and useful.
To conclude
Hopefully, our guide will help you to make an efficient moving inventory list. And having such a list is one of the steps one needs to take to make sure that the entire process of moving is efficient as well. Problems will occur and things will get rough, but remember to take things one step at a time, and everything will be okay. Good luck!
