Moving Tip: Packing the Kitchen Part 2

If you have the opportunity to get things ready in your new house before moving day spend some time planning out the kitchen. If you know where everything will go you'll have your kitchen functional on moving day!

• Clean drawers, cupboards and appliances. This will save you tons of time on moving day!
• Put drawer liners anywhere you plan to use them. (You could actually take down the measurements and do the cutting at your old house.)
• Assess your space. What kitchen storage do you have available? Think about a pantry, cupboards, drawers and shelves. Compare the amount of storage with your old kitchen. If you're moving into a kitchen with less storage space you may need to think creatively!
• Get out your post-its! You've already divided your kitchen into categories. Now decide where those categories will go. Start with general spaces, for example, food in the pantry, dishes in the large cupboard, paper products in the bottom drawer. Use post-its to mark what will go in each storage space.
• Keep out those post-its! Make sure that you've taken each category into account. You may want to look through your current kitchen to make sure you're remembering everything. Take into account non-kitchen items that you may choose to store in the kitchen, or kitchen items you may choose to store elsewhere. Add more specific post-its to each storage area.
• Decide if you need more space. If you don't have room for everything you're moving into the kitchen consider what you can use for additional storage. Consider hanging storage (pot rack, baskets,) shelving (wall-mounted or otherwise,) or furniture pieces (rolling carts, butcher blocks, plastic drawers.)

Think creatively! A small space can still yield great storage. If you need to create more space there's no need to blow your budget - yard sales, thrift shops, Ebay, dollar stores, any of these places can offer inexpensive options.

Stay tuned for Part 3!