Over the years, I have moved a lot. But it was mostly just my stuff I had to move. Not a family. Or even a spouse. Just me and my things.

That was the case until recently. We moved the entire family from Illinois to Minnesota. So there was a lot of things to pack. A lot of stuff that needed to come with us. And a lot of stuff that we could get rid of.

It is funny how much stuff you acquire over the years. Which is why moving an entire family cross country takes time and effort.

So I am breaking down 15 packing tips to move your entire family so things aren’t so stressful. Well, they aren’t stressful on the packing end of things. Moving is just stressful, but packing doesn’t have to be!

Start With A Plan

You know you’re moving, so make a plan for how you are going to tackle packing. I created a 30-day calendar for myself to keep me on track.

Each day, I packed up a room or area of the house. I started with areas we don’t need the items daily, like the storage room or basement. As we got closer to moving day, I got to areas we used more like the kitchen and bedrooms.

By doing this in a way that starts with least used items, you aren’t living out of boxes for long.

You can get my free 30-day packing calendar here.

If you are wanting to have a moving company pack you, check out this resource from Arch Digest with 7 best interstate moving companies!

Create A Packing Caddy

I love creating caddies to keep me organized. And a packing caddy has been the most useful tool to organizing a move.

A packing caddy is a bin or basket that holds all the things you need while you pack. Things like scissors, tape, sharpies, post-it notes, and baby wipes.

I use baby wipes to keep my scissors from getting stuck on the tape. Simply wipe the scissor blades with the baby wipes. Then you can cut through tape without it sticking to the scissors.

I have the full tutorial for creating your own packing caddy below.

Box Hacks

Putting boxes together can be really annoying. So I have a few hacks to put the boxes together quickly.

Hack One:

• For small boxes, use one piece of tape.
• Adhere to one side of the box on the long end.
• Fold over and adhere tape to the other side of the box.
• Add another piece of tape if needed.

Hack Two:

• For medium-sized boxes, start the tape at one end.
• Roll the tape over the long ends of the box.
• Smooth the tape with your forearm as you go.
• Ensure box bottom tape is one secure before adding more tape.

Hack Three:

• For large boxes, put the box together.
• Add one piece of tape in the middle to hold together.
• Roll tape across the box.

Color-Coding

Probably my all-time favorite tip for packing is color-coding all the boxes for the designated room they are to go in.

Our movers were able to unpack the truck really quickly because of the color-coded box system we created.

To do the color-coding, get colored Duct Tape. I found all of our colored Duct Tape from Ace Hardware.

Decide what color each room is going to be. Then cut a piece of Duct Tape in that color and put it on the top of a piece of paper.

Write the room name on that piece of paper. This is the paper you are going to hang outside each room before the movers get to your new house.

I also added a reference sheet for myself so I knew what color everything was.

And I numbered each box for each room and wrote that down on the paper.

Getting The Kids Involved

When it comes to getting everyone excited about moving, you have to get the kids’ involved.

They need to take some ownership of packing their things. So we let them pick the color they wanted their room to be color-coded with. And they helped pack their things.

Adleigh is breaking down tips for packing below.

Declutter As You Go

One of the biggest ways you can pack less stuff is to declutter your things as you go.

To do this, you have to start with only packing things you want to bring into your new space. Which means asking yourself declutter questions about how you want your new space to feel.

Best Ways To Pack

Some things just make sense for how to pack them. But what about those other items that are tricky or awkward?

Picture Frames + Wall Decor

To pack the picture frames and wall decor, I used blankets and towels to surround them inside a large or extra large box. I made sure that I lined the bottom and top of the box with packing paper.

On some of the picture frames, we made sure to secure the corners so they didn’t chip.

TVs

We were struggling with how to pack up the televisions. So one of our movers helped with this really useful tip.

He cut a tv box into four pieces. After wrapping the television with the static-resistant cover and corner protectors, he snuggly fit the box around the tv. Then he wrapped it really tight with packing tape.

Half-Full Boxes

We had a few boxes that were half-full. And I didn’t want to fill them with other things from other rooms as it would make unpacking more challenging. And nobody wants that.

So we added in pillows, towels, and other linens into the boxes that were half-full. This helped protect the items inside the box.

And we were able to pack linens like dish towels, cloth napkins, and tablecloths in boxes that were going on the first floor. While bath towels and sheets could be packed in boxes going to the second floor.

Lamps + Lamp Shades

We packed lamp shades and lamps in the bottom of clothing or wardrobe boxes.

Place the lamp shade at the bottom of the box. Wrap the lamp. And fill with clothing!

Baskets + Bins

If you have baskets and bins but not sure how to pack them, try packing them together with the larger bins on the bottom and the smaller bins inside the larger bins.

This is like a game of Tetris. So think of it as such. It did take me a while to Tetris the baskets together so I didn’t have to have so many boxes with baskets and bins. But it was worth it!

Tall Things

We have a few boxes of really tall things. And the tall boxes weren’t big enough.

So we created a Frank-en-box. By using two tall boxes, we were able to fit our tall things together.

Put together one tall box. Add items you need to store in that tall box.

Then put together another tall box. Slide that box over the box with the tall items.

Tape the box in many different ways to ensure it stays together.

Packing Tips To Move

When it comes to packing for a move, you want to make sure you have all the supplies you need.

Pack your items based on the room. And color-code using colored Duct Tape on each box.

Use my free 30-day packing calendar to keep yourself on track with packing.

And get creative with packing boxes. Sometimes it takes a little bit more effort to create effective storage in the boxes so you don’t have as many to unpack!