There are people who love to stay in the same house and people who have to move from place to place rather frequently. Despite the fact kids love moving, us, adults usually hate it. Moving to a new place is wonderful, because you get a new home, new neighbors and new perspectives, but the actual moving part is always a hassle. I mean, we own so much stuff!
Even if you’ve lived in a small New York apartment where you can barely move around, when it’s time to move you have so much stuff! The only way to make moving out a little more comfortable is to plan it carefully and embrace the following tips and hacks.
1. Cook in advance
Before the move you should be preparing some meals in advance, because no one is going to have time to cook while moving, nor while unpacking in the new house. The best way to ensure you won’t be living on fast food for the next weeks is cooking crockpot meals in advance. To do this, just prepare bags with all the ingredients needed for a crockpot meal and freeze them. When you don’t have time to cook, let the crockpot do its job, after tossing everything inside.
2. Set up the utilities
No one wants to move into a new home without utilities. Unfortunately, many people end up doing just that. Don’t be one of them and call the utilities companies in advance, making the arrangements needed to set up everything in the new house. Also, print a file with all the utilities numbers, in case you will need to contact them during the move.
3. Save money on the move
Don’t settle for the first moving company you find; keep looking and, more important, keep playing with the moving dates. Moving services are expensive, but you can save a lot of money by paying attention to the deals. For example, most companies offer discounts for moving during weekdays. The time of the month is also important: most people move at the end/beginning of the month, so companies offer discounts for middle-month movers.
4. Keep all the receipts
Some moving costs are deductible, so keep all the receipts from the move.
5. Wear comfortable clothes
The best moving attire is made of sport shoes, loose and stretchy tops and bottoms with lots of pockets and a hair tie for those who have long hair.
6. Set an area for no-pack items
In the hassle of moving out it’s easy to forget that you want to have certain items with you, unpacked. To make sure you won’t be looking for your purse in the moving truck, set a special, no pack area, where you can leave the items you will be taking with you, inside the car, not the moving truck.
7. Protect the furniture with sheets
Sheets and pillowcases can provide protection from scratches during the move, so wrap your tables and other valuable furniture in them.
8. Protect the mattresses
To make sure your mattresses are going to arrive at the new home clean, cover them in two elastic sheets, one on each side.
9. Conduct a photoshoot in the new home
Before you put anything in the new house, take pictures of all the house. These pictures will allow you to be aware of any existing damages, which might be hard to spot once the furniture is in place.
10. Protect the carpet
Cover the carpet with plastic sheets or another disposable material, to protect it from all the moving in dirt and potential spills.
11. Have a schedule
It’s easy to become exhausted during a move, so make sure you plan food and water breaks. These breaks will also keep your helpers happy – who can resist pizza? It’s also a good idea to leave the radio on, as music can make the atmosphere more pleasurable.
Speaking of schedule, make sure you give yourself enough time to move when you schedule the moving truck. Especially because most moves take longer than expected.
12. Designate tasks
Instead of having everyone do everything, designate individual tasks. This way each person helping with the move will be able to work more efficient and you will all finish the task sooner. The only people you don’t want on the site are kids, especially small ones. Leave them with a relative or hire a nanny for the moving day.
When everything will be in place, it’s time to celebrate with more pizza and some beer. Cheers!
Featured photo credit: domain via domain.com.au
