Moving is one of the most stressful things that you can experience in your life. Thankfully, there's a way to make your long-distance move smooth and easy. The key is efficiency.
Planning isn’t an easy task and you will need to invest considerable time to create an accurate plan that will help you avoid mistakes and ensure that nothing is forgotten. Though your relocation can be stressful, if you follow the right plan your moving anxieties can be easily quelled.
Find a moving checklist
It's a good idea to start by searching for a printable moving checklist online and using it as your moving guide. This list will help you identify the tasks you need to do before moving day as well as things during and after your move.
Utilities
Keep a record of your utility agreements, documents, and more by making copies and keeping a portfolio full of them. Also, prepare a list of all your contact details as well as appointments. We suggest you take all your utility and personal appointments well in advance.
Loan records
It's worthwhile to create a loan document section in your portfolio where you can keep all your loan-related paperwork and keep it safe at the home office of your new house.
Document your receipts
In this section, include all the receipts related to your new house or area of relocation. For instance, if you have purchased a faucet or any other fixture for your new home, we suggest you keep the receipts as you might need to present them in case of a necessary exchange.
Records of the movers
Make sure you manage the contact details of the professional movers you have hired or the truck rental company you have chosen.
So far, we’ve been talking about managing all the important documents before, during, and after your move. Now let’s identify some important steps that will help you organize your move to be smooth and easy.
Begin preparing early
Don’t make the mistake of leaving the cleaning and packing process for the last few days. This can make things more difficult for you and other family members who are relocating with you. Here’s what you should do to avoid this:
- Split your preparation into phases to minimize your moving stress.
- Start by decluttering your house two to four weeks before you start packing your belongings.
- Avoid being eager to pack your moving boxes too early. Otherwise, you will be surrounded by boxes for a long time before you move to your new house. This can be quite annoying and increases the risk that you’ll bump into something and damage a belonging.
- Ideally, you will need five to seven days to pack a medium-sized house assuming you have already cleared out most of your possessions.
Declutter your house completely
Regardless of how long you have lived in your house, whether it be one year or twenty years you’re likely going to have numerous possessions. There might be many items that you don’t need anymore, so we suggest that you don’t move those items with you. Here’s what you should do instead:
- Search through every cabinet, drawer, and closet you have and divide them into the following categories: I Use It, I love it, It’s Sentimental To Me, etc.
- Pack the items you want to take with you and have the rest be donated, sold, or discarded.
Organize your current house
It may seem that organizing the house you are moving out of is a waste of time, but that isn’t true? Although you are going to leave that house, it’s recommended that you organize it well for the sake of saving you valuable time.
Tips to organize your present home
- Collect all the items from under your kitchen sink and put them in a bin.
- Put all your bathroom essentials inside a drawer.
- After relocating to your new house, all you’ll need to do is simply unpack the drawer, bin, or other containers and place them into their new location.
Tip: It’s a good idea to purchase products that are of a universal size or are modular since you might not know the exact size of the cabinets or drawers in your new home.
Arrange packing supplies
Before you start packing your belongings, another important thing you’ll need to accomplish is to arrange for moving boxes and other appropriate packing supplies. Here’s what you’ll need to do:
- Purchase excellent quality packing supplies for packing any delicate products you'll need to move.
- For other standard items, buy normal packing supplies from any local store.
- You should buy a sufficient amount of packing supplies such as moving boxes, bubble wraps, and packing paper. We suggest you keep a few extra supplies just in case you need them. Otherwise, you might need to go hunting for them again at the last moment.
- Think about purchasing or renting moving blankets to keep your furniture safe while you move them to your new house.
Alternatively, you can also acquire free packing supplies by borrowing them from your friends or neighbors and requesting them from a local grocery or liquor store on their delivery day.
Room by room packing
Packing room by room will ensure that the process is streamlined and will make things easier for you. We advise you to place items from one room in a single moving box and have them labeled so that you know where to place certain boxes and items when you arrive at your new home. Even if there is additional space inside a box, avoid putting items from other rooms inside it.
Label the moving boxes
It’s important to have a system that will help you keep track of your belongings and save you from looking through all your boxes, just to find a single item. We recommend you label each of the moving boxes based on the items you have packed into it or where the items belong. You can even assign numbers to the boxes and maintain a checklist for personal reference.
Alternatively, you can color code the labels on your moving boxes. This will help you easily identify your possessions when they are being loaded into the moving truck and are being loaded off at your new house. You can purchase color-coded labels according to different rooms from any retailer like Walmart, Amazon, and more.
Another great idea is to make your color-coded labels with different colors of packing tapes. For instance, you can label boxes containing bedroom items with pink tape and kitchen items with yellow tape.
Create an organization objective
If you dream of a meticulously organized house with a well-stocked pantry and a perfect closet for your clothes, folded towels, and blankets, we suggest you set up an organization goal. It would be worthwhile to prepare a list of items that hold a significant place in your life (whether it be for living or for personal reasons) and have those items prioritized when it comes time to unpack. You also must ensure that your new house can accommodate these items from the time you start living in it.
Schedule your unpacking
Usually it’s the best idea to start unpacking your belongings immediately, but unpacking can take a long time so you should do it at your convenience.
- Set a realistic objective for yourself and make sure you hold yourself accountable for its achievement (or lack thereof).
- Regardless of the time limit you set, doing up to one to two rooms a day or setting a goal like organizing the entire house within a week can help you stay concentrated and motivated.
Make an organizational plan
After successfully unpacking your belongings, we suggest you create a strategy to organize your possessions well. Here’s what you should do:
- Begin by measuring the dimensions of the place that you want to organize. Don’t forget to refer to your priorities.
- Keep a record of the height, depth, and width of your spaces as this will make it easier to buy furniture and product supplies so that you can reap the benefits of every inch in your new house.
- We suggest you buy product supplies in excess quantities in case you need more of them in your new house. After all, you can return any unused supplies so it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Entrust responsibilities
Moving is a huge task that will likely require you to exercise control on bigger tasks while focusing on small details concerning your move. We recommend that you don’t do everything alone and instead request help from your friends and relatives who are willing to help you.
You can also get some help by requesting your friends and relatives to send some food for you and your family on moving day since you’ll likely be busy and have no access to cooking areas.
If you have a sufficient budget, you can hire professional movers, home organizers, and packers to help you with your moving chores.
Overall, if you aren’t confident about organizing your long-distance move efficiently, we recommend you hire quality movers to assist you with your move. However, you must be available for them on the moving day in case they have any questions. Before you finalize your moving company, you should take quotes from three to four of them and choose the most convenient option for you.
Still, if you decide to go with a DIY move option, we suggest you plan and organize it well to avoid making any big mistakes.