What is a first day box? Read on to find out and try these moving tips from a military wife to make your move easy and stress-free!
This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.com. All opinions are my own.
As a military family we have had our share of moves. From local moves that we’ve done on our own to moving the family across the country – on three separate occasions – we’ve done it all.
After each family move I learn a little more or come up with a new “trick” to make our next move even easier. Those moving tips are the ones that I’m sharing with you!
Our most recent family move was the most complicated as we headed across the country with four children and a dog. Although it was the most complicated move, I was also the most prepared with a few moving tips up my sleeve.
Moving Tips from a Military Wife
Prep the House
Before the movers arrive, or you do any packing of your own, you will want to prep your house. This is the time to throw out any unwanted trash, donate items, and make sure that everything is in the correct place.
I like to go room by room and clear out items to donate first. Next you will want to do an overview of the house and make sure you have everything in the correct rooms.
Have toys from the toy room made their way into the master bedroom? You will want to make sure they are put back into the kids rooms or they’ll be packed and labeled with whatever room they were in.
This might seem like a lot of work, but it will make unloading and moving into your new home so much easier.
Get a Sitter
If you can, plan for someone to watch the kids while you are packing up. It will make your day so much easier not to have to entertain the little ones while trying to get everything into boxes and furniture taken apart.
I’ve learned that even with a moving company doing all of the packing and unloading, you still need full attention to detail to make sure everything ends up in the right place, and to secure those last minute items.
Use Colored Duct Tape
Colored duct tape. Purchase a roll of colored duct tape for each room in your home. Make sure each room is a different color and they are all bright.
Once the rooms have been packed up, wrap a piece of the coordinating duct tape on each box.
Movers will typically label each box with a sharpie and some sort of abbreviated code that will be nearly impossible to figure out later on when the truck is being unloaded. The colored duct tape eliminates any confusion of which box belongs to what room – making it super easy to coordinate where to put each box as they come off the truck.
Family Care Binder
The family care binder is a must! This is something that I keep put together and use all the time but especially during a move. You do not want all of your family’s important documents accidentally being packed, or worse LOST!
Our family care binder has a divider for each person and pet as well as home and auto documents. It is where I keep all of the birth certificates, shot records, social security cards, passports, auto titles, etc.
When you are moving across the country these things are all necessary to keep with you, not only so they don’t get lost but just in case you need them.
The First Day Box
The first day box is a special box that you pack with everything you will need for your first day in your new home.
Decorate it – this is a great chance to let the kids get involved – bright and colorful so you know exactly where it is.
You will want to included things like paper plates and cups, paper towels, coffee pot and coffee, and toilet paper. That way you don’t have to got searching for these items or running to the store when you need to be unloading.
Items for the First Day Box from BabbleBoxx
My Cloud Home from Western Digital
With this personal cloud storage solution you can easily store and organize all of your digital files from every device in your home!
This device will save those thousands of pictures you have on your phone or computer, all the digital files you’ve been saving and you can set all of your families phones, computers and tablets to automatically back up to the My Cloud Home.
I am so excited to finally have a space to store all of those precious pictures of my family and not need to worry about losing any due to a failed hard drive or no storage space!
You can also receive 15% off My Cloud Home at WDC.com with code: WDBABBLEBOX *restrictions apply*
Comet® Bleach Powder and Foaming Bath Spray
The New Homeowners BabbleBoxx also comes with Comet® Bleach Powder and Foaming Bath Spray to get your new home shiny clean.
Most homes have had a cleaning done before you move in by one of the first things I do is clean the bathrooms and kitchens, just to make sure. I use the Comet products to get my new home up to my standards.
Comet powder is a multi-surface cleaning product that attacks your toughest cleaning problems.
Comet foaming spray is great for the bathroom and can also be used int he kitchen – just spray and wipe clean.
Smooth Top® Easy Liner® Shelf Liner
When I move into a new home, I like to make sure my kitchen cabinets are protected and easy to clean. The Smooth Top® Easy Liner® Shelf Liner is a non adhesive shelf liner that’s easy to cut, install, and reposition.
This shelf liner will make cleaning you pantry, cabinets and drawers a breeze, catching spills as they happen and providing a smooth surface for easy cleaning.
Don’t forget your Coupon for $1.00 of 2 rolls at this link: http://bit.ly/EasyLiner2
I cannot tell you how many times I’ve moved into a new home to find that the shower heads were just not up to par – and after a full day of unpacking there is nothing you want more than a nice hot shower!
The Chrome PowerSpray+™ Hand Held Shower Head comes equipped with the NEW PowerPulse Massage ® to give you up to 2 times the massage force of Delta or Moen shower heads.
Save $10 when you visit http://bit.ly/PSHandHeld
This device is so easy to use – just plug it in to a wall, download the app, and connect to wifi. Your Wemo mini can quickly turn your regular home into a smart home!
The Wemo Mini Smart Plug allows you to set timers and remotely control lights and appliances with your phone from anywhere in the world!
With a new home you want to keep it running smoothly – I love that I can remotely control the lights and appliances, just in case I left them on as I’m rushing out of the house!
Just for my readers you can get $5 off a Wemo Mini now through April 12th 2018: BWM-KX5B-MKZ5-MN6M
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