Top Moving Tips & Tricks

Just about everyone goes through a move at least once in their lifetime. Whether your new home is a block away, or across the country, getting your possessions and your family from one house to the other, all while maintaining your cool, can be a difficult task to complete.

Aside from the stress of change, you have a long list of other responsibilities when relocating, and it’s important not to let it get to you. Moving might never be one of your favorite things to do, but it doesn’t have to be as painful as many people think either.

We’ve compiled a list of some of the best and smartest moving tips to make your life a little easier the next time you switch houses. Take a look to see how we can help.

What Am I Forgetting?

Moving might just seem like packing boxes and straining your back, but there’s more to it than that. There are a number of things that may slip your mind during the process that you’ll wish you’d thought of once you’re settled.

Aside from the obvious, like boxes and a moving truck or movers, you should pick up some necessities prior to your move so that you don’t feel uncomfortable or overwhelmed on moving day.

Try to remember to buy:

• A pet license in your new neighborhood if necessary.
• Properly sized curtains and window coverings for your new home.
• A shower curtain for when you arrive.
• New locks and smoke alarms if necessary.
• Necessary appliances and furnishings for your new abode.
• Extra moving supplies.

After you have all of the pre-move purchases taken care of, you’ll need to take care of a few tasks that will make your life a lot easier when transferring your entire life’s contents from one property to another.

Don’t forget to:

• Pick up anything from the drycleaners, storage facilities, or items at repair shops.
• Measure windows, doorways, and rooms in your new place for curtains/blinds and furniture.
• Map out where your furniture will go in the new place.
• Look into your new neighborhood’s essentials, like where the closest grocery store is and where to get gas.
• Hire a babysitter for children or take your pets to a kennel for moving day.

Of course, the list could go on, but chances are that you already know the basics of what you need to do in order to make your move as easy as possible on you and your family.

The Best Packing Tips Around

Most of us know common sense packing tips, such as to start early and to get free boxes from local stores and restaurants. But those aren’t the only things that will help you during a move—some of the following little known tips may just make your move easier than you could have imagined.

Once you have arrived at the packing stage, some moving “dos” include:

• Pack an “essentials” bag for your first night or two at the new house. Include toilet paper, toothpaste, toothbrushes, clothes, shampoo, and other necessities.
• Pack another bag or box with some dishes, utensils, and other cooking supplies if you don’t plan to eat out.
• Designate a color for each room (Kitchen: Yellow) and mark boxes for that room with colored tape.
• Leave out old sheets, towels, or blankets to wrap and/or move furniture with to avoid dings and scratches.
• Store books in suitcases instead of cardboard boxes so you can roll them around without having a box collapse halfway up a flight of stairs.
• Keep pieces to any furniture or hardware (wall mounts, head/foot boards, etc.), like screws or nails, in baggies and tape the baggies to the relevant furnishings.
• Keep important documents, like passports and birth certificates, in a safe place.

You should also start with packing unused clothes and items (like winter clothes in the summer), and packing a cooler or making lunches the night before.

What Do I Need to Know for the Move?

So now that you know what to do before the move, and what to remember when packing, you should start thinking about the things that you need to remember while in transit. Moving day is often the most difficult part of the process, so a few of the more important things to remember include:

• Before your movers (or friends) get to your house, have all of your boxes packed and stacked near the door, and clean as much of the house as you can.
• Keep any and all moving receipts together (gas, food, moving truck, etc.).
• Clean items as you move them, such as shelves, desks, etc.
• Leave a copy of your new address at your previous home so that the new residents can forward any mail to you.

It also helps to have a moving day schedule that includes anticipated departure and arrival times, when you need to pick up or drop off the moving truck, what time you need to pick up your pets or kids, and when you get the keys to your new place. You’ll likely be early or late for most of it, but at least you can let people know when you plan to be where, and you’ll have a working list of all of the things that you need to take care of.

Getting From A to B

While moving can be stressful and hectic, don’t forget to enjoy the start to a new adventure. A new home in a new place can be an exciting and often freeing experience, and without moving, you don’t get to enjoy the thrill of new surroundings. If you start early, stay on top of your tasks, and don’t expect everything to work out exactly as planned, your move might just be easier than you thought.

What are your best moving tips?