Create a Moving Inventory List to Track Your Boxes

There are lots of stressful things about moving, but surely near the top of the list is the worry that some of your belongings will go missing.

It’s an unenviable feeling – getting to your new home only to discover that some of your things didn’t reach their destination. Or maybe they did, but you need an excavation crew to locate them under your mountain of boxes.

The dreaded task of unpacking all of your stuff can be much easier if you do the right prep work. Before a single box is packed, take some time to create a plan of how you will track everything you’re taking with you. A good organizational system will save you countless hours (and considerable stress) when you get to the unpacking part of the process.

Do a Pre-Packing Walkthrough

Before you pack anything, document what you have. Make a video (or at least take a lot of pictures) of your belongings, especially any valuables. Get close-ups of any serial number or other identifying details. This is actually something everyone should do occasionally anyway-even if they aren’t moving-as it will be a huge help should you ever need to file an insurance claim in the event of loss or theft.

Keep at least one copy of all of this documentation somewhere outside of your home-a cloud-based (online) storage service is a good option. This way, you’ll always have a backup copy if you lose or can’t access the original.

Obviously, the less stuff you own, the less you need to pack. So this is a good opportunity to do a purge before you start packing.

Come Up With a System

There are several different options for creating a pre-move organizational system. Whether you follow these ideas exactly or customize your own unique process, the important thing is that you have some sort of plan to help keep things organized.

First, you will need to create some sort of chart or list. This could be a detailed spreadsheet or just a simple list in a notebook-the important thing is that you have a central place to keep track of each box, its contents and the room where those items belong. However, it can be helpful to have an electronic version of this list that you can store online somewhere, just in case you lose your paper copy.

As you pack, number each box with large numbers written in bright marker. On your list, enter the number of each box and a description of what is going into it. Be as specific as you can (or as your time/energy allows). The more detailed you can be, the better-but obviously a more thorough inventory will be much more time-consuming.

An added advantage of this system is, if you suddenly realize you still need something that you’ve already packed, you will have a much easier time locating it from among all the packed boxes.

It’s a good idea to also list the purchase price or approximate value of each item (or at least the most valuable ones), so you will have this information in the event the item gets lost or damaged during the move.

Use Color Codes

For each room or section of your new home, assign it a specific color. Then use spray paint, construction paper or other materials to attach a color to each box, corresponding to the area where it will be going. This will make it very easy to immediately spot boxes that belong in specific locations. At your new location, use construction paper or stickers to identify the assigned color of each room, so that whoever will be unloading the boxes will know where to put everything.

Check Off Boxes as They Arrive

While you don’t necessarily need to unpack everything immediately, you should at least check off each box as it comes off the moving truck. You’ll know right away if any boxes are missing – before the movers are gone.

Make Sure You Can Spot the Priority Items

Use brightly colored duct tape to wrap around the most important boxes – or those with items you will need right away. This will tell you which boxes to tackle first when you start unpacking.