Ten Tips for Making Your Move Less Stressful
Moving can be a stressful time. You have to pack your entire life up into boxes, have to deal with the actual move, and then try to decide what goes where in your new home. While there’s no way to remove all the stress from the move, Baymeadows Movers have tips and tricks that can make the process much smoother. Here are ten tips for making your move less stressful.
Make a Plan
To start the move off right, the first thing you should do is create a moving agenda. Have a checklist of everything you need to do and a timeline of when it needs to be done. Once you’ve completed a task, check it off so you don’t forget it’s done. This will help you keep organized and on schedule. It will also prevent unforeseen headaches down the road, making your move less stressful financially and emotionally.
Start Packing in Advance
The moment you know you’re moving, start packing your stuff. By waiting until shortly before the move, your stress levels will be sky-high. Although there are certain appliances and objects that you constantly use and can’t pack up, you’ll also have a lot of items that you can store away weeks in advance. A good recommendation is to start with rooms that aren’t regularly frequented, like guests rooms or dining rooms. This serves as a great starting point and will ensure when moving day comes around you will only have the bare essentials to pack.
Pack One Room at a Time
Looking around at the hundreds of items you need to pack and deciding where to start can be overwhelming. That’s why you should pack one room at a time. It separates the big moving goal into smaller, more manageable sections. By sticking to one room, you’ll be able to keep things organized and save a lot of time when you have to unpack. Every room will have its box and you won’t have to go searching the other boxes for that one item you can’t find.
Use a Labeling System
Packing one room at a time won’t help much if you don’t know which box goes in each room. Therefore, you should use a labeling system. On each box, write what room it goes in and what’s inside. That way you won’t have mystery boxes that you’ll have to open to discover where it needs to go. An extra step is to use a color labeling system. Assign a color to each room and put a corresponding sticker on the box. When the boxes are stacked on top of each other and you can’t see what you wrote, the stickers will let you know what’s in each box.
Keep Important Documents in a Secured Folder
The worst thing that can happen when you move is you lose something important. This is especially true when it’s an irreplaceable document, like your birth certificate or social security card. To prevent this, put your essential documents in a secured folder and keep it separate from your moving boxes. When it comes time to move, take the folder with you to your new home.
Pack an Overnight Bag
Moving day can be chaotic. By the time night rolls around, you may have only brought your furniture and boxes inside and haven’t had the time to unpack. In this scenario, packing an overnight bag can be a lifesaver. This will keep your essentials easily accessible for your first night in your new home. Your bag should include clothing, charges, toiletries and anything else you can’t live without. You’ll avoid the frantic search for your essentials and won’t have to worry about immediately unpacking.
Place Smaller Items in Bags
There’s a high chance you’ll disassemble your furniture and electronics. To prevent tiny screws or cords from getting lost, have some Ziploc bags and tape on hand. As you disassemble, put the corresponding items in a bag and then tape them to the back of the item it belongs to. Another neat tip is to take a photo before you start so you’ll know where everything goes when it comes time to reassemble. You won’t have to worry about not knowing what cord goes where!
Use Vacuum-Sealed Bags
You don’t know exactly how much space clothing and blankets take up until you’re packing them away. They’ll quickly fill up boxes and cause you high levels of stress as you try to push them down and make more space. A good way to cut down on the clutter is to use vacuum-sealed bags. Vacuum-sealed bags will remove the air from the package before sealing it. They’ll cut down the amount of space taken up, allowing you to pack more items per box.
Decide What’s Necessary
You never realize how much stuff you have until it’s time to move. As you pack each room, decide what you truly need in your new home. If you haven’t used this item in a long time, wouldn’t buy it again or don’t see the use of it, get rid of it. For larger items like furniture, you can donate them to a charitable organization well in advance of your move to get them out of the way. If you purge as you go, you’ll cut down on what you have to move.
Hire Professional Movers
The number one way to remove moving day stress is to hire professional movers like Baymeadows Movers. A full-service mover, we’ll bring the boxes and tape, packing paper and quilted blankets. We’ll also pack for you and dis/reassemble your furniture. A large portion of your moving day tasks will be handled by us. Professional movers remove the hassle of moving and allow you to have a relaxing moving experience. As a local favorite moving and storage company since 1996, Baymeadows Movers will turn Moving Day into Moving Yay.