Operation Desert Storm in 1990 was widely billed as the first war in history to account for every last screw and napkin to be taken out. If the US military could take billions of dollars’ worth of material across oceans and continents and not miss a thing, it should be possible for the average individual moving home to make sure nothing gets lost, too. It’s actually not very hard. You only need a strategy.
Often, you don’t actually lose stuff
When you buy and collect books, kitchen implements, electronic accessories, toys, tools and clothes, you do it over a time span of years, slowly finding places for it all in around your house. When you move, though, you need to find a way to put everything away in a matter of days. It can be overwhelming.
How do you react when you’re under stress?
Most of the time, the first reaction that people have to such volumes of stuff to deal with, is to simply throw everything into boxes any which way that they will go, and tell themselves that they can sort it all out once they get there.
Once you get there, though, you will have no idea where to look for the things that you need. The best way to not “lose” your belongings through a move, then, is to not dump everything into boxes in a panic. You need to promise yourself that you will keep track of everything if it kills you — down to the last bottle of deodorant and spoon in the kitchen.
There are plenty of apps out there help you do this in an efficient way. While you still do need to make the lists yourself, an app can give you the framework or template on which to go.
Decide to organize
Moving is a great time to cut down on the clutter. It gives you a chance to look through each one of your belongings, and decide which ones to actually keep. If you’re tempted to rent out self-storage for long-term keeping, you shouldn’t. It’s a waste of money; you should simply have a yard sale. Make sure to follow all tips to move abroad safely and successfully.
Whatever you decide to keep, you should do more than simply note down where you put everything. You should organize. Get plenty of boxes of different sizes, and pack like with like. Set aside a box for toys, a box for shirts, another for jeans and yet another for underwear, a box for tools and so on. Make sure that there’s no mixing. You’ll have a much easier time keeping track.
This is actually what professional movers do
It’s important to remember that moving on your own only appears cheaper because usually, you put in less work. When you put in hours keeping track of everything, you are spending time doing unpaid work. There is such a thing as opportunity cost. When you hire professional movers, they charge you for this work. If you can afford movers, it makes a great deal of sense.
