Getting ready for a move can be very stressful. In fact, the Employee Relations Council reportedly ranked moving as the third most stressful life event, following closely behind death and divorce. On the positive side, there are several moving tips you can take to make the event less upsetting for you and your loved ones.
Moving Tip 1: Start early.
Moving is a time conusming process, mostly because of the time involved in packing up all the rooms of your current place. People are often surprised by just how long it can take to get things organized and ready to go. They end up running out of time and slamming together the last parts of the move. This can lead to big problems at the end of the process.
Most people need at least 4 weeks to get ready. That s because it takes several hours to pack each room. In fact, I read somewhere that it takes the average college student 4 5 hours to pack a dorm room before moving. Now remember, that can be as little as half a room (although with a lot of stuff). Multiply that by the number of rooms you have to pack, and you start to get a picture of how much is involved.
Moving Tip 2: Use a moving checklist and a moving organizer.
One of the great things about moving is that so many people have done it before, providing a rich source of wisdom on how to do it well. Movers Edge.com has scoured a lot of that information to create this article for you.
Universally, people who have moved agree that there are two incredibly helpful tools: a moving checklist and a moving organizer.
A moving checklist is simply a pre defined set of to do list items that should be taken care of during your move, often scheduled on a kind of calendar. This will do a lot to help keep you on track toward Moving Day and help keep you from forgetting important steps. You should definitely get a moving checklist and use it to keep you on track. We obviously like the Ultimate Moving Checklist at Movers Edge.com, but you can chose from several free ones available online.
A moving organizer is just a 3 ring binder containing all the important papers involved in your move, such as leases and mortgage documents, notes from setting up utilities, etc. It can keep everything together during a stressful time.
Moving Tip 3: Create open me first suitcases and boxes.
One of the biggest hassles in moving is trying to find what you need at your new place when you start unpacking. There are two quick remedies for this.
For each person, create a single suitcase or backpack filled with all the necessities you would need if you were going on a 3 day vacation. This includes 3 changes of clothes that you can either unpack in or go to work in, depending on your schedule, plus toiletries, prescriptions, eyeglasses, and other vital items. Keep these items separated from the rest of the things packed and handy for when you arrive, so if anything else is missing, you will at least have the necessities handy.
Similarly, have an open me first box for each room, clearly labeled in red instead of black ink, holding the things you want to have immediately available as soon as you arrive. This might be soap, towels and toilet paper for the bathroom; coffee maker and paper cups, plates and flatware for the kitchen; etc. This will make your first 24 hours in the new place much simpler.
Moving Tip 4: Don t pack it if you can live without it.
Much of the time taken in moving is due to packing and unpacking. So if you haven t used an item in over a year, it s a good idea to lighten the moving load and get rid of the stuff. Here s my general process:
* While packing, separate out the items you can live without into boxes marked Moving Sale .
* Get rid of broken items altogether.
* Donate all useable clothing and toys to a local charity.
* Hold a moving sale for any items you aren t using that are sellable. You can often earn between $200 and $2000 on a well organized, well advertised and well priced moving sale.
* Have a charity truck come for pick up at the hour the moving sale ends to take everything that didn t go.
Moving Tip 5: Have proper payment for movers ready in advance.
If you are using professional movers, you ll often need to have cash, money order or certified check in hand BEFORE they unload a single box. In fact, they can legally drive off with your possessions until the moment they receive their payment in the format they prefer. Most do not honor all forms of credit cards, and several don t accept credit cards at all. Check before you sign an agreement with your moving company, and verify it again with the move foreman before she or he begins loading.
If you follow these general tips, you ll be well positioned to make your move stress free.
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