Believe it or not, moving doesn’t have to be so stressful. That being said, it doesn’t matter if you are moving across the country or just across town–it can be a hassle. However, there are ways that you can avoid damage, confusion, and stress when you move. If you are thinking about moving to a new apartment or house in the near future, here are some ways that you can make that move easier.
Professionals or Friends?
You might opt to have some friends help you move or you might choose to hire a professional moving company. Whatever the case, you need to make your plans weeks in advance, especially if you are hiring a moving company. Many people move around the first of the month so it might be difficult to book a mover if you wait until the last minute. If you are moving to an apartment, check to see if they have a relationship with any of the professional movers in your area so that you might be able to get a discount.
Moving Containers
Pods, or moving containers, are essentially big crates that you can fill up with your stuff. These can take some of the stress out of moving. Once moving day arrives, the whole container will be picked up by a large truck and driven to your new home. It can be really convenient if you have space outside of your current home to store it for a few days while you are packing it up. Check with your homeowner’s association or leasing company to find out if this might be an option. You might also want to check with the management or homeowner’s association where you are moving to find out if containers such as these can be delivered easily.
What Will You Need First?
One way to make moving, and unpacking, easier is to put the items that you will need first in either a clear plastic bin or in a box marked with colored tape. This way, you will have a nice visual clue that a particular box will be critical to your day to day living so that you will open it first. This is a fantastic way to ensure that you unpack essentials before you get to your video games.
Pack Your Overnight Bag
The chances will be good that once you have moved all of your stuff. You will need certain essentials within easy reach, and this includes fresh clothes if you will be returning to work the next morning. Make sure that your toiletries are in that bag too. This is also a fantastic way to move your laptop, which might otherwise be susceptible to theft or breakage.
Label All Boxes
Don’t just put labels on the boxes that say what room they go in, also put a short description of what is in the box. It doesn’t have to be a detailed inventory, just a few things so that you will know if you need to unpack that box first when you get into that room. Also, it is important to put the room the box goes in. Then when you are moving the boxes into the new place, you can put them right in the room where they will go so that you aren’t hunting for specific boxes.
Don’t Pack What You Don’t Need
Some people will just throw everything in boxes and bags when it comes time to move and this could be just making things harder for you. Whether you are moving yourself or if you are hiring movers to get the job done, you need to make sure that you only pack what you need. Moving and packing can be a great time to go through all of your stuff and get rid of what you don’t need and or use. For example, if you have stacks of magazines from last year, the chances are good that you can throw those out. Why waste the time and energy packing and moving stuff that you have no use for? If you want to try to make the process a bit easier, try watching a couple of episodes of Hoarders, that should motivate you.
