Pack up

The worst part of anything is always the packing up.

It’s not nice, but it’s important, so step one is: Get organised. I am a list person, so I start my step one by making a list.

#1: The can-use-later clothes
These come under the head of clothes you don’t use often, and include party wear, formal wear not immediately required, clothes to be worn about the house, extra pairs of socks, underwear and so on. Pack these items in considering the time gap between moving them to the new house and settling in.

#2: Books, CDs, cassette tapes
Generally, I find that if you’re going to use the same bookcase and CD drawer/unit in the new home too, pack your books and CDs in the same order in which you’ve put them in right now. Tie up each batch firmly with string inside newspapers. In case of CDs, it would be a good idea to throw in a silica packet in each package.

#3: Crockery, kitchen utensils
I would put the cups and dishes I use every day in a separate bag to be transported last. The rest of the stuff you don’t need immediately, pack it all in and send it on the new house for setting up first. Setting up the kitchen takes a really long time, so it is wiser to get this chore out of the way. Pack all glass items in bubble wrap; hopefully, you may have retained the boxes your glass items came in. I find that such items as tawas get scratches while transporting, so pack all pans in newspaper or plastic before you send them on.

#4: Beddings, pillow cases, pillows
Never, EVER tie up your pillows together with a string because they will get bent out of shape. Instead, place one over the other and wrap inside a single bed sheet. Better still, put all your bedding in one or two suitcases and send them along. In fact, it is wise to keep just the one bed sheet currently in use on your bed, and pack everything else. Put in a lot of mothballs in the bags containing these items.

#5: Toiletries
I have a large number of handbags, so I keep one of them aside for such items that I will use till the last moment of moving: toothbrush, dental floss, toothpaste, face wash, shampoo, soap and such. Similarly, the husband will require a separate bag for such items as shaving cream, his toothbrush, razor, and similar. This bag will also carry deodorants, cosmetics, hairpins, moisturisers, face creams, hair brushes and combs and other things you will need the moment you move in.

#6: Handbags, suitcases
This one’s easy: you just have to fit one in the other and carry the biggest one. It is a good idea to pack small items such as bedside lamps and medicines inside the smaller bags, instead of making separate bags for the same.

#7: Newspapers and magazines
If you’re done with everything else, it makes sense to get your raddiwala to the flat on possibly the second to last day of moving. That way, you will have only the day’s papers on you, and everything else is disposed off and paid for. Discard all glass bottles, deo cans and other such items if he’ll take them. Saves a lot of garbage bags too.

#8: Electronic goods
Pack these carefully, with liberal amounts of thermocol and bubble wrap and whatever else you can use to pad these items inside their boxes. It is a good idea to hire one tempo for your TV set, DVD player, refrigerator, washing machine, bed and wardrobe, instead of sending these along at separate times. Generally finish washing all your clothes at least a day before you pack the washing machine so you won’t have piles of laundry to do the moment you move in. Also, systematically empty your fridge off the perishable items starting a week from the move. On the day of moving, you should ideally have nothing in the fridge. Set up the fridge the moment you get to the new place to avoid spoiling such items as eggs, jam, vegetables and so on. Since my mum lives close by, I might dump a few items in her fridge. See if you can ask somebody to keep your stuff for you till you move.

#9: Shoes
Put your shoes in one bag after tying them together so they don’t get bent out of shape.

#10: Get going
So first draw up a list and decide where you want to start from. Be quick about it, moving day will be here before you know it.

Next: Gather your finances