Are you starting anew this year? Are you currently looking for a new place to settle in and start the next chapter of your life? Well, congratulations! Moving to a new home is always a refreshing experience, but the same can’t be said for the moving process.
That’s right; moving is one of the most stressful parts of settling into a new home. There is so much to do that the entire process can be overwhelming.
Luckily, if you’ve been searching for hacks to make your move more manageable, you’re at the right place.
Here’s an easy-to-follow moving guide to make moving less of a pain.
1. The less you take, the better:
There’s no need to take the entire house with you while moving. Declutter and get rid of what you don’t need before the move or store them temporarily in storage units.
Start packing the essentials while separating the stuff that won’t fit in your car. Stuff like furniture, electronics, or even art can be damaged due to humidity if you’re moving towards the west.
Towards the north, the roads will be slippery, and the last thing you want is to carry a ton of stuff you don’t need.
Towards the southwest, it’s sweet home Alabama, where the skies are smooth, but the roads aren’t, which makes traveling from one city to another challenging.
You can rent a storage unit and store your stuff while you can settle in nicely. Once you’re ready to decorate, start bringing things in. Luckily, you can even find storage units in almost every state of Alabama.
If you’re settling down in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, try searching for the term Tuscaloosa al storage units on Google to find storage units near your location.
2. Make an ultimate moving checklist:
There’s nothing that works better than a moving checklist when you’re relocating. Being organized is the key to a stress-free move because if you don’t prepare, it’ll be chaos. So, start by preparing a moving checklist with details of every task from day one to the final day when you move into your new house.
Make a schedule that follows your packing routine, when to move, how to move, which documents you need, etc. It becomes easier to take care of multiple tasks without hassle when you have a proper timeline to work with.
You can even take help from various moving checklist apps to break down your move into smaller projects so they’re more manageable.
3. Think about hiring professionals:
Unless you’ve moved dozens of times, hire some professionals. There is no harm in calling in the experts and taking care of everything from heavy lifting to organizing the entire move.
Movers are efficient, fast, effective, and way more experienced at getting stuff done – exactly what we need to make our move less of a hassle.
But, before hiring professionals, take quotes from at least three places to get the best services within your budget.
4. Pack like a pro:
Packing is the longest and most challenging part of moving. Putting things in boxes is tiring but can get frustrating if you aren’t following the right packing strategy.
Start by packing one room at a time instead of taking everything on at once. Set a particular time each day for packing and ensure that you follow an easy-to-understand category system.
For instance, set one day for packing clothes, another for packing tricky and fragile items, and the next for packing heavy objects, etc.
Use an efficient labeling system to make unpacking less stressful while marking things you are putting in each box.
5. Don’t forget a moving essentials bag:
What’s the worst thing that can happen to you when you move to a new house? Nope, it’s not a burglary. It’s wanting to go to the bathroom only to realize you’ve packed all the toiletries in a box as well.
Therefore, always keep a bag of essentials with you in the car when you are ready to move. Your bag should have all the things you need, such as phone chargers, money, a fresh set of clothes, medication, toiletries, snacks, an extra blanket, and essential documents.
6. Transfer utilities and update your address:
If you’re moving during the winter, you would want electricity and heating to work when you arrive at the new place, which is why you must transfer utilities beforehand.
Call the water, gas, electricity, cable, and internet services a few days earlier to get everything installed and working before you move in.
7. Use the right moving equipment and supplies:
If there’s anything you want to spend money on during the move, it should be on moving equipment. This includes getting good-quality packing supplies such as cardboard boxes, packing tape, bubble wrap, adhesive bandages, garbage bags, etc.
In addition, buy tools such as furniture pads, tie-down straps, a furniture dolly, and more to make moving larger stuff easier.
We also recommend getting weather-proof packaging for sensitive stuff like electronics and furniture since you must keep your electrical appliances dry.
8. Photograph the electronics and furniture:
Most people overlook this moving hack, but it is incredibly handy. We may consider ourselves geniuses for remembering how we assembled electrical appliances and furniture in the first place.
But when the time comes and we have to set things up, we’re asking ourselves, “how the heck did I put it together?”. So, save yourself the drama and take photographs of all your furniture, equipment, and appliances that need assembling.
Also, take pictures of your rooms to know how you can set them up later in the new house.
Conclusion:
No one can escape the experience (and trauma) of unending packing, crying kids, and the stress that comes along with a move.
A hassle-free move isn’t hard to plan. You need to be creative and plan properly. If you organize and plan to keep in mind your location and other factors we’ve mentioned in this article, you’ll love the experience. So, take a deep breath, follow the process and make your next move a memorable, wonderful experience.
