Whether you’re relocating to a new city or going to a new apartment or home in the same town, moving is an exciting process. It’s also a stressful one. As you get ready to embark on a new journey ripe with new adventures and challenges, you have to figure out the best way to bring all of your worldly belongings with you.
Luckily, you’re not the first person to face this daunting challenge and those who have come before you learned some important tips and tricks. Read on to learn the secrets of turning a move from stressful to smooth.
Start organizing early
A move becomes a thousand times easier when you’ve done the right prep work for it. Unless you have to leave your current residence in a hurry, you will likely know that you’re moving about four to eight weeks in advance. As soon as you’ve decided that you will move, use every second wisely.
Start by booking any services that you need. If you’re doing the actual transportation yourself, rent a van or truck as early as you can. If you plan to hire movers to do the heavy lifting for you, be sure to book them well in advance. This is especially important if you need them in the midst of peak moving times, which are typically during the early and late summer months. Enlist the help of any friends now and start working together weeks before your moving date to get everything packed up and ready to go.
Consider your packing options
Packing is the most daunting task for most people planning to move. When all of your things are strewn around your home, it can seem impossible that there will be enough boxes and containers to neatly store them all. However, options for the packing process are practically endless.
Besides the variety of boxes, tape, and padding that are available for efficient packing, you can make it easier by hiring professional packing services. Often offered by the same moving companies that will transport all of your things from one place to another, packing services can save you the time, work, and stress of properly packing everything on your own. After all, these professionals have a lot of experience packing everything from a simple linen closet to a complicated kitchen. Who could be better qualified to quickly and correctly pack up your boxes?
Pack a bag with all of your essentials
Even if you’re just moving down the street, you’ll need an overnight bag with all of the things to make the first night in your new home as comfortable as possible. Without an essentials bag, you will have to rummage through all of your neatly packed boxes to find a simple toothbrush or your favorite pajamas.
Your bag should have everything you need to function the next day, or next few days, until you manage to unpack your boxes. These essentials can include a few changes of clothes, your overnight toiletries, a towel, and phone chargers. It may also be helpful to have things you wouldn’t find in your typical overnight bag, such as a roll of toilet paper, a flashlight, and a pair of scissors. By having these items easily accessible you’ll be ready to work through your boxes and get all of your goods out into the open.
It’s inevitable that you will face a few bumps during your moving process. But by following these tips, you can smooth out those tricky bumps as much as possible. Before you know it, you’ll be settled in your new home and can put all of this moving stress behind you.
