So, you’ve bought the St. Louis home of your dreams. Now you just need to move in. After all the excitement (and sometimes stress) of closing on a home, some buyers may be feeling a bit low on energy as they face moving everything they own to a new location. Though a move does require a significant amount of effort, there are some key strategies you can use to make it go a lot more smoothly:

Create a Plan

Starting to pack without a plan can lead to a chaotic move and a drawn-out move-in. Decide if you’ll be asking friends and family for help or if you’ll be hiring movers. How long do you have to move? Can you take several weeks to slowly organize, or do you need to be out by next week? When you think about moving everything it can be overwhelming, so break it down. Look at the time frame you have, and assign yourself some tasks for each day available. You’ll get a sense of accomplishment from checking those smaller steps off the list, and that will fuel you to continue.

Choose to Declutter

Though it can be tempting to pack everything up with a plan to sort at your new place, it’s often best to declutter before you pack up. Why pack, transport, and unpack it if you’re not going to keep it? An easy system is to create piles for trash, donations, and things you may want to sell. A move is a great opportunity to get rid of things you don’t need. If you find yourself beginning to pack things you haven’t used in years, it’s a good sign that you may be ready to let them go instead.

Use Easy-to-Spot Labels

Especially if you’ll have multiple people helping you with boxes, it’s important to label them clearly for a more efficient move. One strategy is to color code. Use different color tape for different rooms in your new house. That way, whoever is bringing the boxes in will know exactly where they need to go. It’s also worth taking the extra few seconds to jot down what’s inside. Sometimes boxes wind up a mixture of different things, and being able to easily locate them all once you arrive can save you some stress.

Use What You Have

Many of us have laundry baskets, bins, and other storage containers that we already use. Maximize these during your move by packing them up with your belongings. It will save you a good amount of space and produce less waste at the end of the process.

Plastic or Cardboard?

While you certainly won’t want to go out and buy plastic bins for everything. Having one or two for items you may need to see can be useful. Beyond that, I’d recommend cardboard boxes. They’re light, easy to label, and can be recycled when you’re finished moving.

Pack a Bag of Essentials

There’s no doubt about it, a move can be tiring. If you’ve spent the morning finishing up with your packing and arrive at your new home late in the afternoon, chances are you may not feel like diving into major unpacking. Give yourself some time to decompress by packing a bag of essentials to get you through the first few days in your new place. Rather than digging through boxes for your toothbrush or making a mess of your clothes in search of a sweatshirt, pack yourself a bag with anything you might want upon arrival.

Though it can be challenging, a move doesn’t have to be stressful. The better you prepare and the more organized you are, the better your move will go. Do you have any other moving tips? Please share them with us.