This is the most stressful time of your life. Forget about graduating in a terrible job market or having a kid or getting married. Uprooting your life and all your possessions to move into a brand-new place? Agony. After you find a reputable moving company, here are 6 tips to ensure you have a successful move.
Early Bird and All That
You don’t want to hear it. But the tried and true advice is tried and true for a reason. Start planning your move at least a month or two before hand. Make a list of what you need: cardboard boxes, packing tape, label maker, Sharpies, etc. Create a checklist to put on your clipboard (you have a clipboard on your list, right? Clipboards are very important).
Notify the Necessary Parties
Part and parcel of early planning is making sure all your affairs are in order. Go online and let the Post Office know you are changing addresses. Check out your utilities at your new place, so you don’t move into a dark, cold and waterless cave. Prepare an email or a print notice for friends, family and important acquaintances.
Pack In Stages
Start with the basement or attic and pack up all those things that your forgot you had anyway. Or, better yet, purge through all of your old Little League trophies, Halloween costumes from years ago and your medical bills from college. You thought you might need your complete financial history, but it’s time. Time to shred and burn.
And set aside the essentials. Make sure you have all your important papers, passports, birth certificates, insurance papers, etc., in safe bag or box that you will transport yourself.
Move on to the other rooms, from bedrooms to the linen closet to the kids’ playroom. Get all your stuff into boxes and let the movers worry about the furniture.
Pay Attention to the Kitchen
Pack spices and other long-haul flavoring agents into some of your larger pots to save space. You can used old towels or sheets to pack breakable everyday plates and other flatware.
Stack smaller pots and pans into larger ones to economize boxes. But make sure that it takes only one person to lift one box. Efficiency is key when loading and unloading the truck.
Spring for Wardrobe Boxes
You want to utilize all your leftover Amazon shipping boxes and Costco cardboard to save money. I get that. But you really need to shell out some cash for those tall wardrobe boxes with horizontal bars for hanging clothes. And use them to their fullest extent. Pack the bottom with bulkier items like sweaters and ring your belts around those items. Then place your hanging clothes in. That method should not add too much weight to each box.
Consider Using a Packing Service
You might be looking at all your stuff and hyperventilating over the prospect of shoving all of it into boxes. Think about outsourcing that task. It will provide an added hit to your wallet, but the peace of mind might be worth it. At the very least, lean on your chosen movers for guidance.
The views & opinions expressed in this guest post are those of the guest author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions & views of Sortly.
