5 Tips for an Easier {Military} Move

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of CORT for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

Moving house is always a complicated process, full of big emotions and sometimes difficult decisions. Some people are pros at moving and others, like me, find it a very stressful life event. In the past decade, I have moved three times, and one of those moves was halfway across the country. My husband and I have also had several situations where he had to temporarily live away, whether for an extended Army school, mobilization, or a new civilian job opportunity. These moves were all career-driven in one way or another, and some related to the military. My husband is currently in the National Guard, but this may change if he gets his way, and so I may soon experience the active duty side of military life. Of course, this will very likely include a cross-country move. A few years ago, we moved into this giant house and then had our baby. The amount of stuff we collected has increased exponentially. Just thinking about packing it all up and moving again is daunting, but is a constant reality for many families. I started thinking about how we can make our hypothetical (or realistic) future move easier.

5 Tips to Make Your {Military} Move Easier

1. Declutter before the move. Moving a huge amount of stuff may not be necessary. If you do the work in advance of the move and go through and get rid of things you know you will not need, the process is much easier. You definitely don’t want to have to move things you will not use anymore. Plus, less to unpack later.

2. Start packing early. If you know well in advance that you are moving, you can slowly start to pack up things that you are not using on a regular basis. The first thing I packed when we moved last time were all my books (and I have a lot of them).

3. Keep a list of what is being packed in each box. Don’t go overboard, but do be specific enough that you will be able to tell which room in the new house this box will need to be delivered to, and how quickly you will need to unpack it.

4. Pack a two-week suitcase of essentials. I know some people just say to have an overnight bag, but really, you have to know yourself. When we moved here (and this was before even having a child) I packed a suitcase with enough clothes to get me through two weeks at work. This was very helpful because it took us a long time to get unpacked, especially since we needed to paint our master bedroom before moving our stuff into it. With a child, it is absolutely vital that we have a couple of weeks worth of stuff easily accessible.

5. Rent furniture. There is also an option to rent furniture rather than have to move around heavy items. Furnishing a new house can get overwhelming, and some active duty military families move around very often. Well, with CORT Furniture Rental, you can rent furniture for as long as you need to at each new duty location. You can have the furniture you need for as long as you need it, wherever you need it – reducing the hassle of moving exponentially! For example, below is an option for a military rental package. This option is especially helpful for temporary living arrangements prior to a big move. When life is in flux, anything we can do to ease the discomfort and streamline the change is wonderful. 

Are you a moving pro? What are some of your moving tips?