How to Pack an Essentials Box

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of flickr

When you’re getting ready for a move, most people focus on packing everything up.  What they fail to realize is that unpacking is going to take even longer than packing.  That’s because it’s far easier to cram your belongings into a hundred boxes than it is to sort out and unpack them. Add to this, if you fail to take into consideration your immediate needs the day after a move, you could wind up scurrying around the garage combing through a pile of boxes looking for your dress shoes or the salt and pepper shakers. To help you avoid a panic attack the day after your move, I thought I’d take the time to show you how to pack a couple of essentials boxes that you can easily stow in the trunk of your car.

      1.      Clothing Essentials – Unless you’re planning on taking a week off to sort through your belongings, chances are you’ll need to get ready for work a day or two after you move in. While it’s simple enough to pack a suitcase with clothing to get you through the first day or so after a move, you need to make sure you don’t forget to pack shoes, socks, underwear and a belt so you can easily lay your hands on them when you need them.    

Unless you want to go to work looking like a rerun of a Columbo episode, you also need to pack your electric iron as well.  Even if you can’t immediately locate the ironing board, you can substitute a counter covered with a towel to do the deed. 

      2.      Toiletries – Speaking of doing the deed, make sure you pack several rolls of toilet paper in your essentials box, along with a bar of soap, a bottle of shampoo, a tube of toothpaste, deodorant and a tooth brush.  If you plan on taking a shower, make sure you pack a shower curtain in this box as well. A couple bath towels and at least one face towel will also be appreciated the next day as will a brush, comb and/or hair dryer.  If you need to take daily medication, for goodness sake, make sure you pack them where they are easy to find.  Any cosmetics you can’t do without should also be packed into this box.

   

Image courtesy of flickr

      3.      Comestibles – When it comes to food you have several options.  Obviously, the path of least resistance is to eat out or have food delivered to your door, right?  While that might seem like a reasonable course of action, unless you want to eat out of the same box the food is delivered in with your fingers, you’re going to need to pack a food essentials box.  To keep this box to a minimum, I suggest you forego packing plates, glasses and cutlery, since it’s much easier to deal with plastic cups, forks and paper plates for the first few days.  This not only eliminates any chance for breakage, it also eliminates having to wash the dishes.

If you can’t start your day without a cup of hot coffee, don’t forget to pack your coffee maker, along with a container of coffee and a short stack of filters.  Unless you prefer to drink your coffee black, you also need to bring along a few packets of sugar and possibly some non-dairy creamer.  I also recommend packing a manual can opener, salt and pepper.

As for food the day after a move, cereal or fruit bars are the path of least resistance, since they weigh little and require no effort to fix, other than tearing open the packet they come in.  Protein bars also make great snacks at any phase of the packing/unpacking process.

      4.      The Bedroom – While you should pack everything you need to make your bed, including at least one sheet, a blanket, pillow and pillowcase in a bedroom essentials box, you will also want to make sure you pack an alarm clock, unless you want to risk winding up late for work the next day.

Image courtesy of flickr

      5.      Cleaning Supplies –You don’t want to pack everything under the sink into a cleaning essentials box.  But you should at least make sure to pack glass cleaner, multi-purpose cleaner, dish soap and a sponge.  Unless you or the previous tenants hired a professional cleaning company to scour your new home, you should also stow in the trunk of your car a mop, bucket, broom and a pair of rubber gloves

      6.      Tools – Nothing is more frustrating that arriving at your new home only to realize that you can’t assemble your bed frame or hang any pictures because you can’t find your hand tools.  While you don’t want to pack too many tools, since they weigh a ton, you will at least want to put a hammer, screwdriver set, adjustable wrench, a tape measure, a pair of scissors and a cordless drill in your essentials box.

      7.      Pet Supplies – Don’t forget to pack food and at least one toy for your pets.  They can get as stressed out as you can during a move.  If you have a cat, don’t forget to pack a bag of kitty litter in the trunk.

Bear in mind it can take a week or more to fully unpack your belongings after a move.  Before that you are on your own to find cherished possessions.  If you want to reduce the anxiety that unpacking can cause, I suggest you read another blog of mine entitled Overcoming the Unpacking Blues. 

With over 5,000 moves, Scott's Discount Movers has handled moves of all sizes, including local and cross country. If you are looking to move your home or office, you can depend on Scott's Discount Movers to provide a stress-free relocation.