Top 10 Things People Forget to Pack when Moving

“If anything can go wrong, it will.”-Murphy’s Law

The iconic axiom created by Edwards Air Force Base engineer Captain Edward A. Murphy refers to the complexities of completing Air Force projects. However, Captain Murphy might as well applied his timeless words of advice to the moving industry.

From losing valuable antiques to finishing a move way behind schedule, relocation is full of proverbial potholes that would make Captain Murphy proud. Of all the common potholes, forgetting to pack some items sits near the top as one of the most frustrating elements of making a move.

Think about how you will feel if you arrive at your new home located hundreds of miles away from your old home, without having packed something that matters very much to you. It is highly unlikely that you would return to your old home to retrieve the item left behind.

So, let’s review the top 10 things people forget to pack when moving to help you avoid the sinking feeling associated with losing a valuable part of your life.

Personal and Professional Documents

If we had to rank the most important items to pack for a move, it would be the numerous vital personal and professional documents you have secured in a safe place inside of your home and deep within your purse or your wallet. The key to moving essential personal and professional documents is to store the documents in waterproof plastic binders that you identify by attaching labels.

Here are the categories of documents you cannot afford to forget when moving:

• Personal
• Employment
• Financial
• Vehicle
• Home

Personal documents include your driving license, birth certificate, and passport. Copies of your work evaluations and independent contractor agreements need to be secured for a move as well. Remembering to bring along your tax records and bank statements ensures you do not have to start from scratch figuring out your financial situation at your new home.

Prescription Medicines

The primary reason why people forget their prescription medicines during moves is that the medicines are left out of the medicine cabinet for quick access. Think about sleep prescriptions that sit on the bedroom nightstand. In the haste to get a move underway, many people forget about the prescription drugs not stored in the medicine cabinet. Although you can pick up over the counter medicines anywhere, the same cannot be said for prescription drugs.

Chargers

You have safely stored all of the electronics that make your home buzzing with incredible energy. There is just one problem.

You forgot to pack the devices that keep your electronics full of electrical juice.

Surprisingly, electronics chargers are one of the most common household items left behind after relocation. What is the reason for the oversight? The answer is chargers do not stick out to remind you of their presence. They are typically packed away in a remote storage space that you do not need to access very often.

Pack chargers with the corresponding electronic components to avoid missing out on your favorite audios and videos.

Clothes Left at the Dry Cleaners

It is hard enough to remember to pick up dry cleaning at the same time each week. So, it is not a stretch to say clothes left at the dry cleaners is a frequently forgotten item left behind after a move. With your mind buzzing with things to do for completing a move, it is not surprising that the little slip of paper reminding you about clothes at the dry cleaners remains tucked away in a dresser drawer or inside of a purse or a wallet. Many of the clothes sent to the dry cleaners are worth a lot of money, so make sure to put the dry cleaners on your list of places to visit before conducting a move.

Hidden Antiques

Many of us put away valuable antiques in places where we rarely visit. We hold on to the priceless antiques, but we do not display them in areas where guests can see our excellent taste in art. When the time comes to move, the antiques stored in the darkness of an attic or the dampness of a garage remain where they have always been after we arrive in our new homes. Avoiding this exercise in Murphy’s Law requires you to perform a thorough inspection of your home before you back the moving truck out of the driveway.

Speaking of Storage Areas

Did you check the shed or another storage area before you moved across town or cross country? If you are like many people, you probably forgot about the things stored in a unit that is separate from the structure of your home. Once again, the rush to move plays a role in why people forget to retrieve the stuff they have in storage.

Bathroom Items

Because it is easy to replace bathroom items, many of the things we take for granted in the bathroom fail to make it inside of a moving truck. Items such as soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and hair gel can be found at any convenience store. However, we typically miss our toiletries the most when we need them the most. Think about reaching for the bath soap and find you touch nothing but the ceramic of the bathtub.

You do not need a list to remind you to pack toiletries. Just remember your bathroom is a room, too.

Paper Plates and Plastic Utensils

Moving is not a life event that we like to drag out. The faster, the better is the mantra for most relocations. This means that while riding in the caravan leading to your home, you are likely to eat on the run. You will reach into the cooler to grab salads and sandwiches, as well as grab chips from out of the paper bag sitting next to the cooler. Unfortunately, you forgot to bring along paper plates and plastic utensils to enjoy your meals on the run.

Plants

Household plants are items that usually cannot withstand the rigors of travel. From lack of air to deficient watering, most plants succumb to traveling long distances inside of vehicles. Nonetheless, this does not mean you have to forget about taking care of your household plants. You can give reminders of your green thumb to friends, neighbors, and/or family members. Many people donate their household plants to schools, hospitals, and senior care centers. Moreover, you can assume the risk of transporting your plants during a move, primarily if the move covers little ground.

Keys

How would you like to travel hundreds of miles to your new home, and then realize you cannot enter your new abode because you forgot the house keys? Avoid forgetting any key by creating a list of the keys you have, as well as the purpose of each key. When you arrive to settle into your new home, you will have to receive new keys for access to places like a bank safe deposit box.

Are you planning for a long distance move? 9Kilo Moving helps you get in touch with the best moving companies in USA!

See also: How to Get Rid of Unwanted Items when Moving