Moving? Pack your overnight bag!

(This is the 6th post for Bailey's Moving and Storage ipad 2 Giveaway.  Click here to learn more about the contest.) 


I don't know about you guys, but when I move, I always have a SUPER hard time packing my overnight bag.  Even when we moved down the street (literally, you could see our old apartment from our new one), I knew I would need an overnight bag mostly for ease of locating a work outfit for the next morning, makeup, and books/homework.  So...here are my helpful (hopefully) tips on packing an overnight bag for your big move!


Pack an extra outfit JUST. IN. CASE.  You might be moving down the street or across the country.  Doesn't matter.  Always pack an extra outfit.  You never know when your baby will decide to get sick on your nice clean shirt, or when you'll spill pop all over your pants in the car.  When Paul and I moved in with his Grandma and Grandpa, we thought it would be for the weekend.  We were supposed to be signing papers on our house and then moving into it.  Yeah, that didn't happen.  We ended up staying there for over 1 month!  I was glad that I had the foresight to back a few extra items of clothing so that I didn't have to go rummaging through boxes of clothes till about a week later.  


This tip comes from Kim of the blog All Things Simple.  I love this--she picks out a complete outfit for her little girl (top, skirt, socks, undies, hair accessories) and packs it into a plastic Ziploc bag.  She does this for each day that she will be travelling and then packs the little baggies into one suitcase.  GENIUS, right?

Amazing idea, right?  And each time you wear an outfit, you can put it back in the bag  so everything stays tidy in your suitcase!

This tip comes from a Flight Attendant featured on the blog The Everyday Minimalist.  For adults, stuffing a whole outfit into a plastic Ziploc (especially the tiny quart-sized pictured above) might not be that practical.  She suggests rolling your clothing (instead of folding it).  Pack sturdy, thick items on the bottom (like Jeans), thin/small clothing goes on top (things like tee shirts and undergarments).  Pack your socks in your shoes, and your shoes around the outsides of your bag.  Any toiletries go on top.  

These are the flight attendant's belongings FOLDED into her bag.  

This is everything ROLLED and packed the way I've described.  See how much better everything fits?!?

Finally I thought I'd end with a tip from the all-powerful Martha Stewart.  It seems like she has good advice for EVERYTHING, plus if you've heard some great tip, chances are that it originated from her.  Anyways, I don't have a link for this one.  I was watching the Martha Stewart show one day and she was talking about how she packs.  To prevent wrinkles, she uses the rolling method (as the flight attendant uses) but first packed her clothing into a bag that you get from the cleaners.  You know those plastic-y, cellophane garment bags?  Those!  You get them for free when you pick up your clean clothes.  Put a dress in it, then roll it up.  Keeps everything wrinkle free for some weird reason!  This would be especially nice if you were moving over a weekend (as most do) and were planning on attending church on Sunday.  

Yup.  These bags.  And they always come with the iconic "We Heart Our Customers" hanger.  Too bad Andy Warhol isn't alive...I'm sure it would have been made into pop art by now.

Stay tuned for my list of must-have's for your overnight bag--it's essential in the moving process.