10 Tips for a Successful Move

13 Jan 10 Tips for a Successful Move

Moving can be very stressful, even if you’re just relocating within your own city and you’re using a nearby mover. These 10 pieces of advice can help you streamline the process.

1. Get Rid of Items You Don’t Need
   
   There’s no sense in packing and hauling things you no longer use. Plan ahead and take plenty of time for this task. Go through all of your belongings twice. Pack the essentials and give the rest to charitable organizations accepting donations. Alternatively, you could hold a garage sale to raise funds for your move. Since moving company fees depend in large part on the weight of your furnishings and boxes, you’ll save money by lightening the load.
2. Give Yourself Extra Time to Pack
   
   You don’t want to rush the process of securing your belongings. Packing can be challenging, especially when it takes more time than you anticipated or you don’t have the right materials on-hand. Pick an earlier start date so that you’ll have ample time for organizing and for dealing with the difficult stuff. Get boxes, packing tape, and bubble wrap in abundance. In most cases, you should gather 25% more moving materials than you believe you’ll use.
3. Label Every Box
   
   Merely writing the name of the room where items go won’t help you sort boxes once they arrive. If you list the contents on the box, you’ll immediately know that a given box contains office supplies or kitchen utensils. This system keeps the floor from being randomly cluttered with boxes. You may want to skip the word “miscellaneous” altogether since it doesn’t even hint at the room where the box should end up. This will allow the unpacking process to go much more smoothly.
4. Pack Rooms Separately
   
   Don’t risk mixing up items that belong in different rooms. Pack an entire room before you start on the next. Otherwise, you’ll spend a lot of time sorting items as you unpack, instead of actually setting up the rooms and enjoying your new space. You can even close doors to sequester yourself in one space to minimize distraction.
5. Nest Your Boxes
   
   You don’t want to end up with piles of little boxes that could get lost or damaged. Gather small objects in small boxes and put them together into a container big enough to hold them all, but without too much space for jostling. This can ensure everything you need ends up at the final location.
6. Secure Your Personal Information
   
   Don’t pack financial documents, birth certificates, or anything printed with your Social Security number. Carry these papers with you to protect your identity and prevent the potential loss of documents that are difficult to replace. Even if you completely trust your moving company, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
7. Take Extra Care in Moving Valuables
   
   You may have faith in your nearby mover, but movers often prefer not to transport valuables. Take high-price items with you in your car or look into getting moving insurance that would cover the loss or damage of these items. If you have expensive antiques or priceless pieces in your collection, it’s also a good idea to take a detailed inventory for insurance purposes prior to a move.
8. Designate a Box for Essentials
   
   Figure out which items you’ll need as soon as you arrive at your new home, like your children’s favorite toys, and pack these in a box clearly marked “essentials.” This box should be the last one on the truck so that it’ll be the first one to be taken off. You could also bring it with you in your own car if it contains medications or items you might need while traveling.
9. Write a Moving List
   
   As much as you may trust your nearby mover, it helps them and you to have a list of the things being transported. Write down all items and boxes and check each one off each as it’s loaded and unloaded. That way, you’ll be sure nothing will get left behind.
10. Get Plastic Storage Bins
    
    If some belongings are going straight from the truck to storage in a closet, garage, attic, or basement, put them in storage containers made of clear plastic. You’ll immediately see what’s inside, and you’ll know you won’t need to unpack these containers.

These 10 pieces of advice should help moving day go smoothly, whether you’re driving and loading the truck yourself or engaging the services of a nearby mover. You’ll worry less about loss and damage, you’ll feel saner amid the inevitable chaos, and you’ll begin to enjoy your new surroundings sooner.