Streamlining Possessions in Preparation for a Military Move

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When you're in a military family, moving is part of life, and often it is a frequent part of life. According to USAA, a common task that military families face when preparing for a move is making sure that their possessions are minimized so that the move itself will be smoother and easier.

Of course, minimizing possessions does not mean that you have to get rid of things. More and more families are turning to long term storage solutions. The challenge that they face then is keeping track of what they own and what is in what storage container in what city. Fortunately, there's a solution when you're going through the process of streamlining your possessions in preparation for a move.

Inventory Possessions Before Putting Them into Storage

If you're not 100 percent sure of everything you own, then it's easy to get confused and accidentally purchase duplicates. The only solution to this is inventory tracking through asset tracking software. It's not that complicated, and it doesn't take much time. Since you're preparing for a move, this is the perfect time to do it.

As you are going through your possessions, you can easily snap pictures of your possessions and catalog them in Asset Panda's online app. When you are going through and updating this, just take a few seconds to make note of where each item is. The location should not include just the box number but also whether this is something that you are planning to take with you or something that is going into storage. If you plan to put it into storage, then make sure that you include the storage location. It's not uncommon for families to have things in storage in multiple locations.

Since Asset Panda allows you to keep track of the active and non active items in your inventory, you may even want to make note of those things you are giving away. This is particularly important if you are giving something valuable away. After the move, you might forget that you gave it to someone, and this could cause a great deal of frustration and panic. Additionally, documenting through the app what you have donated or given away can help you later when you need to demonstrate your charitable giving on your tax deductions. Try to be as specific as possible. Include the name of the person or the organization, the date, and the value of the item given away in the notes section.

Use Cloths to Wrap Precious Belongings Rather Than Newspaper

One of the problems when moving is that there never seems to be enough space. This is doubly true when you're trying to downsize for your new home. But you can save a significant amount of space by wrapping dishes and breakables in towels, linens, and even clothes. Cloth material makes up a significant portion of most home moves. When space is a major concern, you might as well use this padding rather than purchasing peanuts or using newspaper. If you keep up with the inventory tracking, you don't risk losing anything with this method.

To make unpacking easier, try to keep like linens together. For instance, if you have three sets of sheets and seven sets of towels, try to keep the sheets in one box wrapping the breakables rather than mixing and matching with the towels. If you have people helping you to unpack when you arrive at your destination, you may want to take the time to mark that the linens and towels have breakables wrapped in them. This way, no one whips out a towel and smashes your vase.
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Krista has developed a passion for operational strategy via KPI management, streamlined processes, implementation of automation systems, and scaling Asset Panda. When she isn't attempting to help take the company to new heights, she enjoys spending time with her family, gardening, playing golf, cooking, and a good glass of wine.

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