Did you know that long distance moving follows death and divorce as the third most stressful life experience? Between hiring the right long distance movers, notifying all parties of your new address, and packing your life away, it’s only natural that this experience is more stressful than a major illness, or a layoff. Long distance moving is so stressful, in fact, that it can make a person look and feel two years older.

If you want to have less anxiety and problems while moving, heed these three packing tips for moving to make things easier on yourself!

Purge Your Storage.

The less you have to take with you, the easier long distance moving will be. As soon as you’ve bought your new place, go through your closets, basement, attic, crawlspace, and/or your other storage spaces. Sort everything into four piles: keep, sell, donate, and toss. If you have items that you’ve only used once or twice at least, consider selling them. If you have items that are more gently used, but are still in good condition, donate them. Everything else should get tossed. If you find yourself putting too many things into the “keep” pile, hold yourself back with the “one year rule.” If you haven’t worn or used it in a year, don’t keep it. Purging your storage spaces will make long distance moving not only easier, but cheaper as well since the movers will have less to charge you for.

Get Free Supplies.

Why go to the store for boxes and things when you can just ask friends and family for their leftovers? Restaurants are also great resources for free cardboard boxes. Just explain to the manager that you’re long distance moving and that you’re wondering if you could have any empty cardboard boxes that they’d otherwise just toss or recycle.

Utilize Your Clothes and Other Household Items.

Speaking of free packing supplies, why waste your money on bubble wrap when you could utilize your clothes and other household items? Try wrapping your dishes, glassware, and any breakable items in t-shirts or sweaters. You can use socks to take care of stemware, as they’ll provide extra padding. Don’t bother unloading your dresser drawers–just use some Press’n Seal to cover them. You can also pack closets at lightning speed with garbage bags.

Packing is perhaps the most time consuming parts of moving, and as a result is also one of the most stressful parts. If you follow these long distance moving tips, it’ll not only take less time to accomplish, but take less of a toll on your mental health. If you have any questions about long distance moving and packing, feel free to ask in the comments. Ger more information on this topic here: www.hamptonroadsmoving.com