You have planned your move for a certain time and probably have checked out https://moving-me.com/ for the best choice of moving companies, their background, experience, and reviews. You have chosen your moving helper and set up your moving date. When everything is set and done for your move and you are only waiting for the team of movers to come to your place and have your house moved, there is one thing you have to deal with: what about moving your food? And do you have to move it at all? Wouldn’t it be easier to just leave it all behind? Before you decide on either option, assess what you have and its value. Say, that exclusive and also expensive balsamic vinegar your aunt gave you will be hard to replace, so keep it. Plus it will hardly get spoilt while moving, it is already sour. Just make sure you pack everything safe for you don’t need a mix of your favorite food on the floor of your moving truck. It won’t take you long to go through everything in your pantry, fridge, and freezer. But it will definitely take some of your time and decision making resources. Be sure to have some. When you decide the value and portability of the food you take with you, think of a safe way of packing and prepare a special type of sticker for food boxes. They should be boxes BTW, plastic boxes, do not use bags or cardboard, not safe.
Something should stay or be used
Items that you need to use before your move include:
- Frozen items
- Refrigerated items
- Opened condiments
- Fresh fruit and vegetables
- Items that expire within the next few days
Stop Purchasing Food
Skip buying food for as long as a week before moving and use up the food you already have in your kitchen. It might require getting creative to combine apple sauce and lentils, but it’s worth it. Not only it’ll make you look like a chef, but it will also save you from throwing your food away. Don’t be reluctant to create a Meal plan based on the food you have. You’ll be surprised by how many things can be cooked. Some of those recipes might stay in your family and will remind you of this crazy relocation time.
Use Up Perishables
That inventory list you made at the beginning of your Food Moving Adventure is to be used now. Pair off the foods that go together to create meals. If you have open pasta sauce, cheese, and potatoes, you can make nacho baked potatoes.
Your Meal Plan will look like a simple calendar with three slots for each day until your move. You’ll want one meal for each slot, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Plan your leftover disposal policy. There is not a big chance you use them. So, unless they are included in one of the meals for the next day, better get rid of them right away.
Throw a Farewell Party
You might not want to spend time organizing this if you’re struggling to pack by a certain day, but, a farewell party is a great way to use up food and to say goodbye to your friends. Meat, fish, and seafood can make a tasty buffet and the party will give a chance to your friends and family to say how much they are going to miss you. Do not hesitate to use their help, pack the party leftovers to takeaway. See, there is another big chunk gone!
Donate
Take another good look inside your pantry. Do you want to take all those dozens of cans and boxes with you? And make your moving bill another couple of hundreds higher? Probably not! Remember, there are many people who will be happy to take that food off your hands.
Your local food pantries, homeless shelters, or any other kind of charity will be happy to receive the food that you don’t need. If you prefer, you can give the issues directly to those who need it. Just make sure it is not due to the expiry date. Ask your local church about those who might be in need of some extra nourishment. Or just leave your supplies at the church, they’ll find a perfect use for it. You may also contact your mover, and find out if they’re part of Move For Hunger. In that case, they can take care of your extra food.
Grab a Garbage Bag
The last step to deal with your food leftovers is to grab a sturdy garbage bag and dump everything that is left after packing and eating. There is one thing you have to keep in mind: the food is only good when it’s fresh. Don’t risk your health trying to pack it all.
Move the Food You Still Need
Use only hard plastic boxes. The plastic will prevent any spills from leaking to the other items in the moving truck, and they work well to protect your food.
If you have to pack food in cardboard boxes, make sure you seal everything properly. This means using a ziplock with anything that might leak. Packing tape might also become handy. Apply tape over the tops of salt and pepper shakers and spice containers to stop spillage. If you are thinking of making your move more affordable, consider hiring a PODS container at https://moving-me.com/top-moving-pods-companies-2020. This way you won’t need to worry about the breakage of your belongings including food while packing and loading.
Packing order is also important
Obviously, the heaviest items should go at the bottom of the boxes. This prevents heavy items from crushing the lighter, fragile, and more delicate foods.
Keep in mind that glass bottles are more likely to break than plastic bottles. You can wrap the bottles in paper and use tape over the wrapping. No extra care is useless.
Enjoy the Meal Before Your Move
Finally, everything is ready for the move. Theoretically, you should only have the food left for one big meal. Try to make it as enjoyable as you can. The final meal before a big move doesn’t have to be a haphazard one. It might become some pleasant memory to remind you of your beloved old place. To make life a little less complicated, plan to finish using up your perishables before this. In case there is nothing left for your final meal, order takeout.
Make Moving Day Easier
If you have packed and wrapped everything carefully, you shouldn’t have any problems with leaks or spills. However, you’d better label your food boxes in big letters and mark “this side up” if necessary. This will make it simple to sort them out so you can eat once you arrive at your new residence. It will also let the movers know that the boxes contain food items, they will locate them all in the kitchen at your destination.
Finally, if yours is a long-distance move, be sure to have some packaged food and drinks on hand. And save some snacks for moving day. You’ll get hungry at some point and won’t be thankful enough to yourself for thinking about a snack-break during packing time.
Prepare For A Smooth Start At Your Next Home
Your new accommodation and the area around it is still a mystery to you, right? The first couple of days after a move can be stressful even for the calmest people. Especially if your children are ready to explore the new playground and you have yet about a million things to do around the new house. You can plan to make those exhausting early days easier. Search for delivery restaurants by your new home on GrubHub, try to use only highly rated restaurants on TripAdvisor before you make your own list of favorites. You may want to set up food delivery if you can. If you’re a coffee lover/addict, there is a good chance to start a coffee subscription and think about your home coffee brewing tradition if you want to upgrade to a higher level of coffee happiness. For regular food delivery, check out InstaCart or Amazon Fresh to see if they service your area.
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