Moving can be disorganized when you’re the only person making the move, so imagine how wild it can get when you’re trying to move an entire — and large — family. That’s a family that needs a plan if they don’t want the move to become completely messy.
There are advantages to having so many people move, of course; you have more people to help you pack and unpack the common areas. That being said, if you’re trying to move your large family, you need to get organized, now.
Lay Some Ground Rules
First, figure out some ground rules, things like older kids and teens packing their own rooms and whether or not something can be done before the packing for the day is finished.
Maybe the kids are still in school, which means they need to get their homework done first. Maybe no guests should be allowed in the house for a while so that people can concentrate on packing.
Some of these suggestions might not apply to your family, but you get the idea. Hold a family meeting to let everyone know what those ground rules are.
Teach Kids How You Want Things Done
It’s easy to assume that your older children and teens will know how to do things exactly as you think they should be done, but unless they’ve already been through a move, they might not know how to pack and seal a box properly, for example.
Have a packing session where you show them exactly how you want boxes packed, from cushioning fragile items to sealing the top and bottom to labeling the box. That makes it clear just what you want them to do, and it reduces the risk that you suddenly realize that they’ve been packing things incorrectly all along.
Hold Family-wide Packing Sessions Each Day
Don’t tell your family to just pack whenever they have time. Obviously they can do some extra packing if they want, but if you leave the timing up to them, at least some of them will wait until the last minute. So, plan to hold daily packing sessions, where everyone tackles something. That ensures that progress is steady.
Create Separate “Essentials” Boxes for Everyone
You’ll have a box of essentials for your home, such as needed kitchen goods. But you also want everyone to have an essentials box for themselves, with things like their shampoo or a set of clean towels.
This is the box that people can unpack immediately and that allows them to have something close to a normal life as they slowly unpack all the stuff they have sitting in other boxes.
Monitor Progress and Adjust as Needed
Keep an eye on the progress and adjust your plan as needed. Maybe holding a weekly meeting is a good idea, if you’re planning for a move that’s a few weeks out. You may decide that some duties need to be transferred from one person to another, or that the packing is going too slowly and you need to speed up. You may need specific days where you bring everything you’re not taking over to a donation center. The point is to be flexible and change your plan as appropriate.
If you’re trying to move and need to arrange for a moving company to pick up and transport your belongings, you’ll want to find professional movers in Phoenixville or professional movers in Bala Cynwyd. That will make your huge move so much easier and let you and your family concentrate on learning more about your new home.