Moving to a new home is both exciting and scary. It’s exciting because you’re about to start a new life but scary (like, horro movie scary) because you’ve got to pull up and start over somewhere unfamiliar; all with no clear idea about how you’re going to pack up your entire household and move it within a short period of time.
Moving can be particularly difficult if you’re still holding down a full-time job and can only pack in the evenings or on weekends; Or if you have kids that take up most of your time; or if you get a new job and have to go with little warning. Basically, it’s a challenge for most of us most of the time. But it doesn’t have to be. If you have to deal with a tight moving deadline and are wondering how you can get it all done we’re here to help.
Here are three tips to make it easier to figure out how to pack up your old home and get settled into your new one:
1. Logistics
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How are you going to move? Is this something that you can do on your own or do you need the assistance of professional movers like North American Van Lines? Let’s break down your options to see what’s best for you:
Do-It-Yourself Move
Taking a do-it-yourself approach by using your own pickup, borrowing a friend’s pickup, or renting a small truck will work under the following conditions:
- It is a local move, rather than moving to a new city or state.
- You are moving out of a rented room, studio, or apartment, rather than moving an entire house packed with years of belongings.
- You have plenty of people willing to help you pack and load up your vehicle.
- You don’t have to work during the time you are packing up your home.
Hire Local Help
Hiring a local moving company to help you out is another alternative. With this option, the number of things you need to move and the number of people available to help you will not matter much. However, in most cases, you will still need to do the bulk of your own packing and you will not find it easy moving across long distances.
Hire Professionals
Finally, you can hire a seasoned, professional moving company. This will save time, money, and a considerable amount of confusion, stress, and anxiety. This option is ideal for the following conditions:
- You are moving to a distant city or state.
- You are moving your entire household and need more than a 26-foot moving truck.
- You want to ensure all your fragile stuff and make sure that it is safely packed into a capacious truck.
- You don’t have the right packing and moving equipment.
- You are not familiar with state roads or finding your way around the city to your new home.
- You want a realistic estimation of costs rather than trying to figure out things as you go.
- You are pressed for time, working at a full-time job or preoccupied with other commitments, and need plenty of help when it comes to packing all your stuff, disassembly of furniture and appliance, and loading everything compactly into a truck– as well as with unpacking, unloading, and assembly when you get to your destination.
2. Moving
Even if you do choose to hire professional movers, you will still need to do a lot on your own, mainly boxing up and labeling your belongings.
One of the best things you can do is declutter. It will be up to you to figure out what you no longer want or need to take to your new home. Sort out the things that you don’t want to take with you and decide whether you want to give them away, donate them, recycle them, or trash them. This is can be quite a demanding project if you have plenty of stuff, so try to give yourself a month or two to get it all done.
After that, you should box up your what you are taking in an organized matter. For instance, put all dishes, baking, and other kitchen supplies in one box and bath towels in another to make unpacking easier. The last thing you want to do is scramble to find things when you settle into your new place such as vacuums and power tools.
Finally, you will have to figure out all the services you are using and how to transfer them, unsubscribe from them, or have them turned off. This includes the elcetric, cable, phone company and more so get in touch with them at least a month before.
3. Settling in
If you will be starting a new job when you arrive at your new location, it’s advisable to arrive a little earlier than when your job begins. By arriving a little earlier, you will have time to organize a comfy and cozy home, explore the city, and start networking.
Moving can be exhausting because there are numerous things to consider in a small window of time, and using these three guidelines on how to organize your time and efforts will make the whole process go smoother and faster.
