6 Ways to Be Smart When Moving
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Moving to a new home can either be very exciting or very tedious, but the whole process can seem quite overwhelming. You’d best consider many things while planning to shift your belongings from one location to another. These aspects might be estimating the moving cost, decluttering your current location, packing, etc.
It’s essential to give yourself a certain time window when you start packing and moving. Some movers consider this an opportunity to sell a lot of their belongings before settling into a new place. So if you’re considering moving, these steps should help ensure a smooth transition and smarten your shifting process.
1. Declutter Your Belongings
Decluttering can help you organize your belongings into categories before you start packing. You have to decide what you want to sell, donate to shelters and charities, and which items are useless and have no purpose anymore. Consider some principles of minimalism living to help you decide what belonging you wish to keep. Decluttering enables you to lessen your luggage and eventually reduces house moving costs.
2. Book a Moving Company
Moving your belongings all by yourself can be expensive, strenuous, and time-consuming. Among the many moving options, this may be your saving grace as it significantly reduces the transportation time. When booking a moving company, give yourself time as shorter timelines leave you less time to pack and get ready to move.
Though booking a moving company might be a little expensive on the pocket, it saves you time and prevents you from losing your belongings during this moving process. Moving companies provide packing, loading, and even disassembling/assembling services, though each service may have a different price tag.
3. Create an Inventory
Packing may seem like a straightforward process, but you are more likely to lose or damage valuable belongings during your move if they weren’t packed properly. Creating a detailed inventory of your belongings as you pack helps prevent the loss of any of your belongings during the moving process.
Additionally, if you’re booking a moving company, they’ll likely make an inventory for you if you hire them to pack your belongings. This service may be something your moving company may not cover, so you’ll have to consider the cost.
4. Start Your Packing
Once you have booked a house moving company and given them a date, it’s time to start packing. However, before you roll up your sleeves, it’s advisable to make a checklist of all the necessary packing material you’ll need. Packing materials include cardboard boxes, packing tape, foam, bedding, serene wrap, etc. However, you can easily skip this step if you opt for packing services from your moving company.
If you’re willing to pack by yourself, a good starting point might be to start with the room you use the least. For example, begin with packing your belongings in the attic or garage. It’s also advisable to pack your belongings in classifications such as rooms, seasonal, or giveaways, so they’re automatically organized when you start unpacking in your new accommodation. Then, move to the items you can go a couple of weeks without using, leaving your everyday essentials to the day before the move.
5. Arrange the Utilities Early
This part will most likely skip your mind in the bustle of sorting and packing. But it is essential to set up your utilities at the new home early on. You’ll want to have utilities such as gas, water, tax, home insurance, mail, internet, etc., working before moving your belongings to your new accommodation. Doing this early will save you more time to relax and make settling into the new home a more effortless experience.
Furthermore, moving experts suggest carrying essential items with you on the move day. These include medication, chargers, keys, spare clothes, paperwork, pillows, and snacks to prepare yourself for situations like your moving truck breaking down. You’ll thank yourself later for having these essential items in case disaster strikes.
6. Label Everything
One of the common mistakes people make is packing as boxes arrive and forgetting to label them immediately. Finding specific belongings can be a tedious task amidst the moving process, and as a consequence, you will have to open every box. Therefore, labeling the boxes and a summary or an inventory list of the things avoids confusion once you unpack. Similarly, labeling boxes with fragile items helps the moving professionals handle them delicately.
Conclusion
Moving homes can be a very hectic yet fulfilling process. Whether you’re moving locally, for business purposes, for college, or moving to a new home, consider it a fresh start. Hence, your first few weeks at your new home will set the pace for a lot of things. These tips will help smoothen and streamline the process of moving.
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