Let’s be honest – moving is the worst. Between finding a new place, packing up your whole house, changing your address, and transferring utilities, moving is one of the most hectic and stressful things you can do. The further the move, the worse it is. But these moving hacks will help you streamline the process, taking the headaches out of your next move.
1) Estimate Your Costs Ahead of Time
Moving can get pricey fast. Renting a truck, hiring movers, buying packing supplies – it all adds up, and it doesn’t take long to do it. Before you pack a single thing, figure out what your move will cost. Estimating moving costs can help you stick to a budget, or negotiate a relocation budget from your new company.
2) Call Utility Companies Early
As soon as you know when the moving day will be, start contacting utility companies and making arrangements to have your utilities turned on or transferred. It might seem like a small thing, but it’s easy to forget in the chaos of moving, and you want to make sure the water is running and the lights are on in your new home when you get there.
3) Hire Professionals
The most effective way to take all the stress out of moving is to hire movers to take care of it for you. Most moving companies, whether they’re in Atlanta or another city, offer moving packages that let you choose the level of service you want, from “pack everything for me and take it to my new address” to “send a couple of guys to help us load the truck.”
4) Have Donation Items Picked Up
Packing for a move presents a great opportunity to purge possessions that no longer bring you joy. But, while it’s satisfying to say, “I’m not putting anything on that truck that I don’t absolutely love,” it creates another moving chore – running a carload or three of stuff to the Goodwill. Call your local charities and see which ones can schedule a pickup of your items.
5) Plan for Your Packing Needs
Another thing you should start doing as soon as you know your move date is planning for your packing needs. Start asking friends, neighbors, relatives, and coworkers for boxes. Figure out what supplies you’ll need to purchase, and which ones can be rented with the truck.
6) Put Together First-Day and Problem-Solving Kits
When you get to your new home, you’re not going to unpack everything at once. Put together boxes or bags that contain things you’ll need right away – cleaning supplies, clothes, first-aid items, pet care stuff – and label them so you can easily keep track of them.
7) Organize the Small Stuff
There are two paths to take when packing small stuff, like furniture screws and hardware, electronics cords and components, makeup, chargers, and the like. You can toss it all in the same box, and give your future self a reason to hate you. Or, you can use a Sharpie marker and a roll of masking tape (or a label maker, if you’re feeling fancy) and a box of Ziploc bags to label and organize chargers, power banks, cords, hardware, accessories, and other tiny items.
8) Put Garbage Bags to Good Use
You don’t need a thousand boxes to pack up your bed linens, towels, clothes, pillows, cushions, plush animals, and other soft stuff. Grab a box of garbage bags instead. Use tape and sheet of blank paper to create labels for each bag, so you know what’s in it, and so you don’t accidentally throw away anything you’d prefer to keep.
9) Catalog Your Boxes
Unpacking will be a lot easier if you know what boxes go in what rooms and have at least some idea of what’s in each box. You don’t have to label each box with an exhaustive list of its contents. Label each one with the room it goes in, and take photos of the contents of the box – or at least, take one photo before you tape it shut.
10) Keep the Fragile and Important Stuff with You
Don’t put your most expensive, sentimentally valuable, or most breakable items in the moving truck, especially if you’re going to entrust its transport to your new home to movers. Trusted moving companies kingsmoving4you.com
Moving is best done as seldom as possible – but when it is, it’s important to do it right. Try these ten moving hacks for your next move, and make sure everything goes smoothly.
