Moving can be stressful for anyone, especially when you have a large family and a lot of belongings to move. There are so many people and so many things that need attention that you might feel like your brain will explode. Remember to stop and take a deep breath every once in a while, and use these five tips to help keep things better organized during the move.

Ask a friend or relative to watch your little ones and pets

Arrange for your children and pets to be out of the house while the moving company is packing things up and moving them to the truck. The last thing you'll need is for your children or pets to get in the way and, possibly, get accidentally injured. It will also help you keep on task with what you'll need to do to make sure the move is complete.

Imagine what your youngest child(ren) may think if they see strangers placing their beloved toys and stuffed animals into boxes. Having them witness such travesty would likely result in toddler tantrums and complete meltdowns, which could make things difficult for you, needless to say. It's a good idea to arrange a back-up plan for child and pet care, just in case the babysitter you line up isn't able to follow through, for whatever reason.

Use a closet to separate what you want to keep with you

One thing that's great about hiring a moving is that they will pack up everything. But you'll still need to keep a few things with you, such as clothing, toiletries and maybe a few things for your kitchen… especially a coffee pot! Before the movers come, empty out a closet so you'll have a place to keep those things. Then, put a note on the closet do that says, "Do not move."

Use scrapbook paper for box placement

Get a ream of scrapbook paper with various colors and designs. Assign a pattern or color to each room in your new house. As the movers fill boxes, tape the scrapbook paper to the boxes according to which rooms they'll go into in the new house.

Then at the new house, you'll tape the scrapbook paper (by pattern or color) to the doors of the rooms where the corresponding boxes need to go. That way, you and the movers will know exactly where each box belongs in the new house. As an alternative, you can use colored duct tape in the same way.

Keep all your bills in a folder and take it with you

One thing that can present a problem when moving from one area to another is when you cannot locate your bill payment information after your move. Even though you will turn off the utilities, such as the electric and water, you may still get another bill after your move is complete.

Unfortunately, with a change of address, you may not receive that last bill. Once you've settled into your new home, call each utility and service that you had and ask if there is a final bill to pay. This is important so you don't get hit with a bad credit report in the future for failure to pay.

Get extra insurance for additional protection

According to Murphy's Law, anything that can go wrong, will… and at the worst possible times. Get insurance coverage, just in case. Sometimes things break during the moving process no matter how careful the movers are with the boxes or how carefully the truck driver drives.

Moving can be stressful, but it can be easier when you develop a game plan and hire a professional moving company. Hopefully, these ideas will spark a few other ideas for a stress-free move.  

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