The thought of moving into a new house is fun and exciting; and why shouldn’t it be? But, oftentimes people get their eyes stuck on the prize rather than the journey to reach their prize. It takes a lot to move into a new place- time, money, careful planning, patience and moving supplies. However, these things aren’t all so fun and exciting.
Another big part of moving into a new house is getting a moving truck, and let me tell you from experience that this can not only take it’s toll on the mind but also your body once you begin loading the truck with your stuff. So, in this post I share some good moving and packing tips to make loading your belongings into a moving truck, well, fun and exciting!
1. Play ‘Good Times’ music
It doesn’t matter what type of music it is, everyone has their own style and chances are the group of people helping you move enjoy that genre as well. My personal favorite is old school rock music, it is fun, upbeat and came from an era where lyrics had good and true meanings – not to mention it reminds me of the good old days camping with the family. So, break out the radio, boom box, or even hook your iPod up to the mini-boom speakers and blare some music for everyone to stay upbeat while loading that moving truck.
2. Create an Assembly Line
Okay, this may not be the most fun and exciting way to do things, but it will get everyone involved and you aren’t running past each other with arms full not able to conversate. So go ahead, form a line, pass boxes (safely I hope), talk with each other and make it fun – tell jokes, funny stories, sing a song together – the possibilities are endless, get creative!
3. Go Tetris Style
This is what I do when loading a moving truck. I start with the bigger, heavier and odd sized objects and load them first and towards the back of the moving truck. Then once I pack it to the ceiling, I start moving outwards towards the back of the truck; just like Tetris or even old school Dr. Mario on Game Boy, I fit smaller items into open spaces. The more things you can squeeze together (without scratching or damaging) the tighter the load will be and less things will shift during the drive – make a game out of it.
4. Provide Refreshments
Providing food and drinks is a must if you have friends and/or family members helping you load your moving truck. My suggestion is to figure out who will be around and cater to what they enjoy drinking. For example, I usually get younger children and kids fruit-based drinks like Capri Sun, Yoo-Hoo or Powerade to help keep them hydrated. The younger aged, more active helpers may like energy boosting drinks like Rockstar, or Vitamin Water. Generally the female’s favorite is a trip to Starbucks. Older movers may prefer drinks that require you being the age of 21 to consume. Pick them up a six pack and you probably won’t have to pay them at all for any moving and loading services.
5. Provide some Seasonal Goodness
You have to get creative with this one depending on where you live. For southern states where it’s warmer 6-9 months out of the year, take a break from moving and have a water gun fight to cool everyone down, break out the slip-n-slide or turn on the hose and give your buddies a nice cool down spray. If you live in the northern part of North America; do something fun and break out some hot chocolate, cookies, roast some marshmallows and make S’mores. Not only will this give your moving help a break from loading the rental truck but it will also re-assure your helpers that they are much appreciated.
Just when you thought loading a moving truck would be tough work, you can refer back to this post and see a few ways you can easily do to make loading a moving truck a fun and exciting experience.
There are many more ways that you can turn the laborious job into a fun time. Share how you have survived loading your moving trucks in the comment’s section below!
