How to pack for a move across town

Packing for a house move is no fun. Especially when you have to pack up all your stuff just to move a few streets away.

A local move may be easier to organize and perform than a long-distance relocation, but the laborious and time-consuming task of packing up your household remains generally the same, regardless of the distance – you still need to box up all your earthly possessions, protect them against damage, and find an efficient way to transport them to your new home.

Yet, packing for a move across town has its own perks and offers a few benefits that are not available when packing for a cross-country move. Several distance-related peculiarities tip the scales in your favor and make the process easier and less stressful. You just need to know what in-town relocation specifics you can take advantage of and make the most out of each and every one of them.

Here are some clever packing tips for moving across town that will save you time, effort, and money on your short distance relocation.

Pare down your possessions

As is the case when moving across the country, your first step should be to inventory your possessions and decide what to take and what to throw away before the move.

Sort out your items and set aside anything you don’t need or don’t like anymore – damaged items, worn out items, outdated items, duplicate items, items that don’t fit into your new home, items you’re not interested in anymore, clothes and shoes that don’t fit or haven’t been worn for over a year, etc. Find a way to get rid of all these things before the move – throw away broken and worn out ones, sell items in good condition online or at a garage sale, give them away to family or friends, or donate them to local charities, etc.

Purging unwanted possessions will save you time, effort, and money during the packing and moving process and will help you start with a clean slate in your new home:

• You’ll need less packing supplies and a smaller moving vehicle, so you’ll have smaller moving expenses;
• Packing, loading, and unloading will be faster and easier, so your move will take less time and your moving costs will be lower (local movers charge by the hour, so the faster your relocation is completed, the less you’ll pay);
• You’ll only bring along items of great practical, aesthetic, or sentimental value, so your new home will be comfortable, beautiful, and free of clutter.

Bonus tip: Create a detailed inventory list of the items you’re moving to your new home to be able to keep better track of your belongings.

Overlap move-in and move-out times

One of the greatest advantages of local moving is that you can choose your new home in person and visit it many times before the actual relocation. This allows for step-by-step packing and moving that is impossible in long distance relocation scenarios.

So, when moving across town, try to get the keys to your new place at least a week before you need to move out of your old one. Then you’ll be able to prepare your new home for moving in (complete any necessary repairs or desired upgrades, have the utilities connected, thoroughly clean the place, etc.) and to relocate some of your belongings ahead of time:

• Pre-pack rarely used and out-of-season items, books, decorations, hobby materials, and anything else you can easily transport in your car and won’t need until moving day;
• Take a load every time you visit your new home to do some cleaning, let in a service person, or perform any other task there.

This way, many of your smaller items will be moved to your new place in advance and things will go much easier and much faster on moving day.

Bonus tip: Consider taking your pet with you when going over to your new house or apartment before the move to give your animal friend a chance to get acquainted with the unfamiliar place. Take one of their toys and leave it there, so when they come back, they will feel right at home.

Get the right packing supplies

When packing for a move across town, you may not need as many specialized packing materials as when moving across the county, but you can’t do without the essentials – moving boxes, packing paper, bubble wrap, etc. Make sure you get quality packing supplies for your more delicate and more valuable possessions and see if you can find some cheaper wrapping and padding materials for the rest of your belongings:

• Buy new moving boxes for the items that will be relocated by professional movers – specially designed for the purpose, moving boxes are very strong and provide excellent protection to the items inside them. Besides, they come in standard sizes and are very easy to stack and arrange in the moving truck. This allows the movers to load/unload the truck very quickly and efficiently, reducing the risk of damage to your belongings and the time necessary to complete your move (which also reduces the final moving cost as explained above);
• Use packing materials that you already have at home for the items you’re going to transport yourself – suitcases, backpacks, cloth shopping bags, laundry baskets, trash cans, crates, and buckets can all serve as moving containers (and you need to take them to your new home anyway); old blankets, sheets, towels and clothes make excellent wrapping and padding materials; etc. Using some of your household items as packing materials will not only help you save money on moving supplies, but will also make unpacking easier (there won’t be so many boxes and cushioning materials to get rid of);
• Re-use packing supplies – if you can make multiple trips to your new place and have an appropriate space where you can store the items you have already taken there, you can empty the boxes, get them back home, and fill them again;
• Transport items in their current “containers” – leave clothes in dresser drawers, office supplies in desk drawers, etc. There is no point in taking small items out of drawers, packing them in boxes, and reorganizing them at your new home when moving short distance – you can simply wrap the drawer as it is in plastic wrap to keep the items in place and cover it with a blanket for extra protection during transit.

Pack with care

The fact that you’re not going far doesn’t mean that your items don’t need proper protection – they can be easily damaged during the transportation or the loading/unloading process unless they’re safely packed. So, when packing for moving across town, make sure you:

• reinforce the boxes, immobilize the items inside, provide adequate cushioning, and seal the cartons tightly (See also: How to pack boxes for moving);
• pay special attention to breakables and valuables (See also: How to pack fragile items for moving);
• use safe and efficient packing techniques for preparing larger household items for moving (See also: How to pack furniture for moving; How to pack kitchen appliances for moving; How to pack electronics for moving);
• label the boxes with their contents and destination room (to make unpacking easier) and write any necessary handling instructions (FRAGILE; THIS SIDE UP; etc.) in big, bold letters (so that you, your friends, and/or your hired movers know which boxes need extra care);
• leave difficult to pack items to the movers – the pros have the specialized equipment, expert skills, rich experience and technical know-how to provide the best possible protection to your delicate, sensitive, valuable, large, or oddly-shaped items.

Bonus tip: When moving locally, your items will arrive at your new home on the same day. Therefore, preparing an essentials box is not as important as when moving long distance – you won’t have to survive for several days without most of your belongings. Yet, it is still highly advisable to pack a first-night box, so you don’t need to search for your essentials when you need them – it may be late by the time the moving truck gets to your new home, you may be too exhausted to start unpacking right away, you may need some of your items while the moving van is still on the road, etc.

Take smaller items and valuables in your car

A DIY-move is a viable option when moving across town, but your best bet is to relocate your smaller belongings yourself (if possible, in advance – as explained above) and hire local movers to take care of your larger items:

• the pros will do the heavy lifting, so you won’t risk getting hurt in the process;
• the risk of property damage will be greatly reduced – the movers will take measures to protect your home and will use specialized moving equipment that makes it safer and easier to haul heavy items around;
• the movers will be able to focus on your bigger household items and complete the move quickly, so the moving cost will be quite affordable (cross-town movers charge by the hour, as mentioned above);
• you will rest assured that your belongings are properly taken care of.

Pack your car with any remaining smaller items and be sure to take your essentials and valuables with you (it may not be possible to move all of your valuables in your car, but you can at least take important documents, jewelry, personal electronics, small heirlooms, etc.).

Bonus packing tips for moving across town

Now that you know how to pack for a move across town, you may be interested in some extra tricks that only work in short distance relocation scenarios:

1. Leave clothes on hangers – Lay a blanket on the backseat of your car, carefully place your hanging clothes (together with the hangers) flat on top of it, and wrap the blanket over the garments to provide them with some protection during the transportation. When you get to your new home, simply transfer the hanging clothes to your new closet;
2. Take your food with you – You cannot transport frozen food and other perishables across the country, but you can take them to your new home across town. Food from the fridge or freezer can be moved in a cooler and other food items can be packed in plastic bins or other appropriate containers. They should remain in excellent condition even on a hot summer day, as you’re only traveling a few miles;
3. Take your cleaning supplies, paints, fuel tanks and other hazardous materials to your new home – These are non-allowable items movers won’t load on the moving truck for safety reasons, but when moving locally, you can transport them in your car – just make sure that you pack them adequately and don’t expose them to extreme heat;
4. Move your plants and pets – House plants may not be able to survive a cross-country move, but the short journey to your new in-town home shouldn’t be much of a challenge for your greenery. Your pets won’t experience any problems moving across town either;
5. Schedule deliveries of newly-bought items directly to your new home a couple of days before the move (if possible) or after you’ve moved in – If you purchase furniture, appliances, or other larger items for your new home, you don’t want to have them delivered to your old place (as you’ll have to transport them to your new location yourself) or delivered to your new home on move-in day (as it will add to the relocation chaos).

See also: What are the best ways to move across town