Are you wondering how to ensure a stress-free move? Moving to a new house is the ultimate test of your planning and organizational skills. If you approach moving in an organized, goal-oriented manner, your move will unfold smoothly. Check out our nine expert moving tips below. They are geared to make your next moving day a pleasant one.
9 Stress-Free Moving Tips
Conversely, when you have not adequately planned or made the necessary preparations, your move may become a stressful and frustrating experience. And no one wants that! There are several ways to reduce the stress of moving. They require thinking ahead and having a plan.
1.) Make A Detailed To-Do List
One of the most important methods of ensuring things get done on time is writing out your detailed to-do list and revising it regularly. Making a to-do list will help keep you organized. Unless you commit goals, priorities, and tasks to paper (or a computer file), there's a good chance they will be forgotten or left to the last minute. So, be realistic with your timeline, and don't leave the planning and moving of your entire home to the last minute.
2.) Plan Your Move
When you stay focused on the details of your move, you can foresee the steps needed to make your move successful. Then, once you have created a move plan, it is much easier to manage your move's moving, packing, and time. Having a plan will result in everything being completed to your specifications. While last-minute moves are possible, they may make your move feel a bit like a roller coaster ride, which is something all movers want to avoid! So, if you are ready to move now, read on and follow some of our helpful tips for a stress-free moving process. Or, call our office and work with our moving consultant to build a move plan for you.
3.) Are You Downsizing?
If you’re moving into a smaller home, remember that everything you have in your larger home cannot fit into your new home. It would be best if you made some serious decisions. You must analyze how much room you have and choose which items are your “favorites,” and either discard, donate, give away to friends, or place all the extra items in storage. yes, we can help with that, too. Unless you truly desire to live in a smaller home crammed with extra bookcases, chairs, and tables, start thinking about which items to transition to your new place.
4.) Junk Removal
Before your move, there are some recommended steps. The most important recommendation is to get rid of the items that you don't need, clear out the clutter, plan a garage sale, and sell some of your things. Have a donation truck pick up unwanted items from your doorstep. Drop items off at donation bins or recycling centers. If a lot of your unwanted belongings are of questionable value or no longer bring you joy, it might be time to part ways with them.
When some of these are more oversized items, you may want to call a junk removal service, and yes, we do that, too. If you are short on moving time, consider renting a dumpster. This is a convenient and affordable way to have household things hauled away. Two pieces of advice about getting rid of extra clutter: you are paying the movers to physically move every item in your new home, so the less you have to move, the more you'll save. Secondly, if you let go of some of your items, you can start your new life in an uncluttered space.
5.) Donate Unwanted Items
Since one man's junk is another man's treasure, you may also want to donate unwanted items by posting them on social networking and classified websites. If the items you wish to donate are even marginally useful, the word "free" will almost always generate a few emails and phone calls from interested people looking to save or make money. Or even consider placing the items on the curb with a Free sign. Add a post on craigslist.com under free stuff for an easy and faster response. It is incredible how quickly people will show up to haul away your unwanted items when they are free!
You may also want to consider donating your clothes, furniture, and other belongings to one of these organizations specializing in donations. Most accept donations for clothes, household goods, appliances, and furniture. Take a look at these seven suggestions below:
- Goodwill Industries
- More Than Words (books)
- Salvation Army
- Big Brothers Big Sisters
- Habitat for Humanity Restore
- Local Library
- Local Food Bank
6.) Packing Supplies
Having plenty of packing supplies on hand helps when planning a stress-free move. Packing supplies include cardboard boxes, packing tape, permanent markers, and cheap packing material. Although you may be able to get your moving company to rent you some wardrobe boxes to save on the cost, it may be equally cost-effective to ask friends, neighbors, relatives, co-workers, and even retail stores if they have any free packing boxes or moving containers for you to use.
7.) Heavy Duty Moving Boxes
One word of caution regarding cardboard boxes: Flimsy containers may tear or fall apart when put to the challenge of moving. Another mistake is packing items in large boxes and including too many heavy items. Not only are heavy boxes more challenging to move, but they also increase the probability of breakage. In general, heavy-duty moving boxes are known to endure a more significant load than the boxes provided by the "big box" stores or ones you may get for free. So, for your most important or heaviest items, it makes sense to invest in sturdy boxes.
Additionally, it is helpful to use heavy-duty boxes if you are moving long distances because they can withstand a large amount of jostling in a moving truck while protecting your items. The items you are moving may have many different shapes, sizes, and weights. And each item will surely not fit into the same size box. So, be sure to purchase your heavy-duty moving boxes in various sizes.
8.) Professional Moving Companies
Enlisting the services of a professional moving company for your relocation not only eases the stress of the process but also eliminates the burden of handling heavy lifting and other tasks. Full-service movers can manage every move, from packing your belongings to transporting them from Point A to Point B and even unpacking at your new destination.
Using a professional moving company to transport your belongings to a new home relieves you from a stressful move and the burden of the heavy lifting of boxes and other things. If you hire full-service movers, they can do everything related to your move, including packing your boxes, moving items from Point A to Point B, and unpacking your belongings in your new space. Hiring movers to do every aspect of your move will provide you with the least stress and work. Alternatively, if you want to save money and do most of the work, you can hire movers only for heavy lifting and driving. This is also a great way to save money without too much stress.
9.) Learn More About Moving Costs
To learn more about moving costs and savings, check out our article on calculating moving expenses. It will give you a better idea of what to expect to spend on moving services.
If you think you’re ready to experience the next level of relocating, check out our free moving cost calculator and get a free moving estimate to see how much it will cost you to move with us.
Or call us at (800) 96MOVE-U.
For more moving and packing tips, check out the Collegian Movers Blog.
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