Is moving to a new home in the works for you? If so, you can hire movers for your furniture and car, but the planning all comes down to you. Be organized and plan early to minimize the stress and problems of moving.
Read Reviews Before Hiring
You will probably hire a moving company at least for your furniture so you can bring everything at once. Your family car will probably not fit all your stuff anyway.
You might also consider hiring a car shipping company for all the good it can give you. If so, remember to research first. AmeriFreight reviews, for example, give you an idea of what to expect from the company and others like it.
User reviews are a great source of information on whom to trust to bring all your items to your new home. You want a company that knows what it is doing, has a good track record, and provides you with a reasonable price.
That said, do not settle for the first moving or car shipping company you talk to. Get at least three different quotes so you can compare their prices and what they have to offer. One can be cheaper but does not provide insurance. Know what you need and find the company that can give it to you.
Prepare for the Move
Do the things you can get done early so you do not find yourself pressed for time as the moving date approaches.
Do not overlook contacting the utility companies. You want to get this done as soon as you know you are moving. Doing so can help you plan better and not forget about it when you’re about to move. Settle everything now rather than waiting till you get to your new home.
The next thing to do is determine how much packing supplies you need. You can estimate this by going to each room and finding what needs boxes. Organize the packing so you do not buy too many supplies.
One thing you want to prepare is to reduce waste while reducing the things you have to move. That means looking at your pantry and other consumables.
Plan your meals leading up to the moving day with everything you already have in mind. Your goal is to finish them up and not bring them along with you. You can restock your supplies once you get settled into the new home.
Decide on Your Things
You have four choices when it comes to your things. Look at each one and decide whether you should:
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1. Bring it with you
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2. Sell it
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3. Throw it away
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4. Donate it
The first thing you want to try is a garage sale. You can get rid of a good number of items this way. Not only do you declutter, but you earn some money too. And it is good for the environment since there is less trash.
There are several online options to sell your stuff, making it all worth a try.
You can then donate the unsold items. Some charities accept secondhand items. Or maybe talk to your family and friends who could need some of your old things.
If everything else fails, throw them away.
There is a fifth option. You can get a storage unit to keep things you don’t need now but might come in handy in the future. You’ll find several benefits in renting a storage unit.
Start Packing Early
You would not want to pack all your things the day before your move. That would be a recipe for stress and mistakes. Ideally, you want to pack your items in phases.
The first phase is to pack non-essential items into your daily routine. That means packing family pictures, paintings, and other decorative items.
As you get closer to the moving date, you can start packing other things you will not need until you get to the new house. Bedsheets and linens are good examples of these.
Last is to pack your essentials a few days before your move.
Have a Personal Bag
When most of your things are in boxes, it is hard to find what you need. That can add stress to your unpacking once in your new home. What you can do is prepare for a few days by packing a personal bag with your essentials.
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1. Change of clothes for a couple of days
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2. Toiletries
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3. Cellphone charger
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4. Laptop and accessories
You can pack all your documents together in the same bag. That way, they don’t get lost in all the chaos of moving.
Moving can be overwhelming. It sets you up for a mix of emotions pulling you in all directions. You’d feel stressed, anxious, excited, happy, and sad. All these can easily disorient you, making it so easy to commit the wrong decisions. With thorough planning, you get the worst ones out of the way.
