Anyone who has moved to a new place is painfully aware of how stressful and chaotic the experience can be. No matter how well you plan, things just don’t seem to go the way they should. Some of your belongings are bound to disappear somewhere between the old home and the new one, even though you distinctly remember packing them. Certain items, usually important ones, get broken in transit. Once everything arrives at the new home, unpacking and setting up the house can be just as frustrating as packing, if not more so.
It’s impossible to eliminate all the eventualities you might face when moving, though. Certain measures can help keep them at a minimum. The following 10 tips can help save you time, frustration, and maybe even money during the moving process.
1) Rent a Truck for the Move
One of the most important things you can do to save time and hassle is to rent a moving truck when you move to a new place. Many people opt to rely solely on their personal vehicles or gather a group of friends and relatives with pickup trucks to move their belongings from one home to another. Though this strategy may ultimately work out, it’s just not the most efficient.
Even with several pickup trucks, it takes multiple trips to and from the old house. Your belongings are also exposed to the elements in the bed of a standard truck, even if they’re wrapped or packed into boxes. That leaves them vulnerable to moisture and other hazards. They may even fall out of the back of a pickup truck if they’re not loaded and secured properly.
Save yourself the extra time and grief by renting a box truck. It’ll have enough space to hold all your belongings in only one or two loads. It’ll keep your belongings protected from the elements, and you won’t have to worry about losing items between the old house and the new one. Renting a truck costs money, but it’ll be well worth the minor investment in the long run.
2) Pack in Stages
Another measure that’ll make your move go faster and smoother is to pack in stages, starting as early as possible. Start with items you won’t need before moving. For example, if you’re moving in the summer, you can pack up winter clothing and bedding, Christmas decor, and other seasonal items months in advance. You can also pack pictures, knickknacks, and other decorative items long before moving day.
From there, work your way through seldom-used belongings and other items you can technically live without for a few weeks. Just before the move, you can pack the items you use frequently. The more you pack ahead of time, the less you’ll have to do in those last few days before the move. That’ll make things much less hectic.
3) Downsize Your Belongings
While you’re gradually working your way through your belongings and packing as many of them ahead of time as possible, consider getting rid of those you don’t really need. That may include broken and outdated electronics you’ve held onto even though you never use them. All those storage bowls in your kitchen cabinets that no longer have matching lids or lids that no longer have matching bowls should go to the trash. Clothing your family has outgrown but never gotten rid of needs to go as well.
Eliminating items you never use and don’t need will give you less to pack now and less to unpack and put away at your new house. It’ll also give you more space. At the same time, it’ll keep you from using more boxes and packing supplies than necessary.
4) Take Pictures of Electronics and Furniture Before Dismantling
It’s also a good idea to take pictures of items you’ll be dismantling for the move before actually taking them apart. That may include bed frames and the wiring running to and from your television, internet equipment, and other electronics. Nothing ever seems to go back together the way it should, so having those pictures as references can be a lifesaver.
5) Ziplock Bags Are Your Friends
Some items are more likely to get lost during a move than others. Hardware for bed frames, wires for electronics, and jewelry are among the most notorious for disappearing. Packing those items in sturdy Ziplock bags can keep them from wandering away. Be sure to label the bags as well, clearly indicating who and what the items inside belong to.
6) Stay Organized
Staying organized will save time and minimize chaos when you move to a new place, too. Some people are tempted to place anything in a box that’ll fit when they’re packing, which will cause problems when you’re unpacking. Pack items from specific rooms together and label those boxes to indicate what’s in them and which rooms they should go into in the new house. That, alone, will take a great deal of stress out of the unpacking process.
7) Pack a Box of Essentials
Though it’s important to keep your belongings organized when packing, there’s an exception to the rule: your essentials. The items you’ll need as soon as you get to your new home should be packed together in a clearly labeled box. Those aren’t necessarily the same for every family. For some, internet equipment and wiring may take top priority. For others, the coffee maker and mugs may be more important.
8) Pack Bags for Each Family Member
Along those same lines, consider packing a backpack or overnight bag of must-have personal items for each family member just before moving. Those might include a couple of changes of clothes, toothpaste, a toothbrush, bath supplies, deodorant, and prescription medications. That’ll keep you from having to rifle through moving boxes immediately when you move to a new place or as soon as you get to your new one.
9) Square Away Utilities Ahead of Time
Another way to save time and grief when moving is to square away your utilities beforehand. Find out well in advance which companies will be providing power, water, and gas for your new home. Contact them to set up a date to have those utilities started and find out which fees you may need to pay ahead of time. Find out if your current internet provider offers service in your new neighborhood. If not, find a new provider before the move. Schedule a date to have your current utilities discontinued, too. Don’t wait until the last minute to take care of the utilities.
10) Handle Your Address Change in Advance
Finally, be sure to fill out your change of address form and submit it to the post office ahead of time. You can select the date you want the new address to go into effect on the application. It may seem like a minor detail, but it can save you a great deal of frustration and even protect you against identity theft in the long run.
Making Your Move To A New Place Go Smoothly
Moving can be chaotic and frustrating, no matter which measures you take. After all, it disrupts your normal routine, and something is bound to go wrong along the way despite careful planning. Still, the measures listed here can minimize hassles and save you considerable time.