Being on the move, no matter whether you’re moving or you’re traveling can be amusing. Unfortunately, the moving day sometimes isn’t so pleasant. Obviously, how it is going to work out for you depends on the number of variables. Some of them you can control, while others are out of your reach. While there are circumstances that you cannot influence and that are not up to you, there are certain things that you can do in order to make your life easier when you’re on the move. One such thing is packing an essentials box. Verified Movers will show you what is an essentials box, and how to prepare one for the upcoming moving day.
What is an essentials box?
The essentials box is a box that contains the most valuable items to you. Bear in mind that by most valuable we don’t necessarily mean most valuable possessions money-wise. We are addressing the things that you need on a daily basis. It’s the things that either make life easier or the stuff that you are used to having on you or close by all the time.
Still, bear in mind that you’ll be moving to different apartments, cities, states, or countries, and some will even move to different continents. The first week is surely going to be hectic wherever you go. This is why you need to have several items within easy reach. This means that you should not make the mistake of stuffing your essentials box first into the truck – it should be the last thing to go in!
Now, in the times in which we live, when you say essentials, people tend to think of the following – their cell phone, wallet, keys to their apartment, and keys to the car. However, when you’re on the move this list expands rapidly. Therefore, make sure you don’t miss preparing such a box for yourself. In order to make packing as easy as possible, follow the packing guidelines we’ve prepared for you. And let me just point out that an essentials box does not necessarily need to be a box. It can also be a backpack or a purse. Nevertheless, no matter how you pack, make sure you have those items within easy reach.
The essentials box has to be close to you throughout the trip
While we have mentioned this already, it’s important to emphasize it nevertheless. The box of essentials has to be close to you at all times. These are the items you need every day, so if anything unforeseen happens, or you simply don’t feel like unpacking completely as soon as you move into your new home, you will have to rely on the box of essentials. Therefore, mark this box and make it clearly visible. And, needless to say, be aware of its whereabouts at all times.
What to prepare when packing an essentials box?
Packing an essentials box is not too difficult. While we call all the items we’ll mention essentials for a reason, some are more essential than others. After all, you’ll see for yourself as you go through this article why some items are in fact essential, while we could classify the rest as important rather than essential. Anyway, let’s see what to prepare when packing an essentials box.
The most important things to keep close to you during the trip
Alright, the time has come to take a look at what it is that you need when packing an essentials box for yourself. Well, the first three things we’ve picked won’t surprise you. They are often the three things that you never leave the house without in general, let alone when you’re moving. There is no such thing as being too careful during the relocation, and you need to be sure that you avoid mistakes on a moving day. Therefore, don’t forget about these three things:
- Phone – nowadays you won’t make it through the move without your phone on you. You may get an important call, you may be the one that has to make an important call, especially in case of an emergency. You can communicate with your long distance movers if there’s any need for that. Simply, having your phone near you throughout the trip is a must, so make sure to do this.
- Wallet – this one is pretty straightforward. The majority of people keep their ID cards, driver’s licenses, and credit cards in their wallets. Some like to put their wallet in their pants pockets. If that’s you, we’re guessing you’ll still opt to have your pockets empty during the move. It’s so much easier to have it all in one spot, so placing your wallet in it when packing an essentials box is a must.
- Keys – you’re not going to enter your new home without your new keys. Furthermore, imagine what would happen if you arrived at your new address, with two trucks transporting your furniture and no means to enter. First thing is that you’d realize that all the packing you’ve done is going to stay as it is. Then, you’d realize that your moving company is going to charge you extra for extending the rent time of the trucks. Plus, workers will be put on hold, doing nothing while you’d be paying them. Now you’re faced with a bunch of unplanned moving expenses because of one simple mistake. Therefore, keep your keys close to you and place them where they belong when you’re packing an essentials box.
Packing an essentials box for you and your family
Packing an essentials box for the whole family can be tricky because more often than not it’s not going to be just one box, but at least a couple of them. However, here’s what you need to put in it:
- Documents for you and all family members
- Diapers – in case you’re moving with babies
- Toilet paper
- Soap
- Shampoo
- A knife
- Wet wipes
- Plastic plates, one per family member
- At least one knife
- Spoons and forks per family member
- Towel, one for each family member
- Underwear, one for each family member
- Snacks
- Toiletries (toothpaste, toothbrush)
- Medicines
- Chargers for all your electrical appliances that you’re taking with you
Items that are not bare necessities, but can help:
- DVD Player
- Nintendo or some other portable video game – these are great to keep kids occupied while you’re rushing around
- A tool kit – just in case
- Inflatable mattress
- A pillow
- Linen
If you’re moving with pets, that means including a few extra items among the essentials
For people who have pets, the essentials box has to contain a few more items on top of the regular ones. Here, we’ll not only mention the items that should be put in the essentials box, but also those that are generally essential for the moving day. For example, if your pet takes any medicine, that has to be in the essentials box, no doubt. You should also put some food for them in the box, so you can use that until you settle in your new home.
Now, as far as the other items go, you can simply bring them with you, or you can put them in the box. It kind of depends on the pet. These items are the pet carrier, the leash, bedding, clean-up bags, and other accessories that you use on a daily basis for your pet. Don’t forget that you have to prepare your pet for moving day just as much as yourself. It is a big change for them, and they have their needs, so make sure to take the best care of them.
Additional tips on packing an essentials box
As you’ve seen, boxes with essentials can be quite big, and sometimes not just one box, but a few of them. Nevertheless, preparing the essentials box(es) should be among the top priorities on your moving checklist. In order to shrink the number of those boxes, you should try to fit one thing into another. This will minimize unused space. Additionally, do not forget to label your essential boxes. You will put them last into the truck, but in the process of unloading it, you might end up placing stuff over it and ultimately lose it.
Therefore, it is a good idea to write on each of its sides what it contains. An even better idea is to color your essential boxes in a very bright color or buy them already colored so that they are easy to locate when they are needed. Furthermore, once you have unloaded all of the stuff from the truck and started putting them into the house, designate a corner of a room where only your essentials box will be placed. It may seem like a difficult task given the number of stuff belongings you have prepared, but it represents one of the tricks to ensuring a quick unpacking process, which would help you a lot.
Open-first box vs essentials box
Two things that are often mixed up are open-first boxes and essentials boxes. To be precise, people often call open-first boxes by the name “essentials box”. And that’s perfectly normal. In a way, these boxes are essential. But, in order to help you organize better, we wanted to clarify what the difference is, or what the difference should be. We can simply rank them by importance, and so can you. Therefore, you can get your priorities straight and pack boxes for moving much better.
Open-first boxes are related to rooms. We have several open-first boxes. They are very useful when unpacking because these boxes contain the most important items from each and every room. Therefore, once you start unpacking room by room, you can expect these boxes to come in very handy, and they will help you set up each room much faster. But, the essentials box is the one you keep with you all the time. It contains the most important thing you practically can’t survive a day without. This one shouldn’t be kept somewhere in the moving truck with the rest of the boxes. No, the essentials box should be by your side constantly.
Double-check to see if you’ve put everything in an essential box, and you’re all set
Finally, after all this info, the last piece of advice we can give you is to double-check everything. Even when you’ve gathered all the required knowledge on packing an essentials box, you can simply forget something. We’re all human after all. So, one last check is always necessary to be safe and relaxed throughout the trip. Otherwise, you’re all set. We hope that you’ll have an enjoyable journey and that you’ll settle into your new home successfully in no time.