Change is a constant and you can either embrace it or resist it. One of the most potentially stressful examples of change is a big move- the kind of move with floor to ceiling box stacks and multiple rooms filled with a lifetime of stuff. If you’re an owner of a larger home or a spacious condo, the stress can be alarmingly elevated. A large family with many children is a task made even more daunting. No matter your situation, the size of your household, or even your budget, companies from local DC movers to moving companies in quaint Ashburn, VA, await your call. These are professional yet low cost movers who will make your transition all the more easy and graceful.
Getting all that stuff you have accumulated over the years from one home to the next can be an overwhelming endeavor. The idea of planning such a gargantuan task can lead you to the brink of insanity! Diving headfirst into such treacherous waters without proper preparation, praying and hoping that the gods of moving will be merciful, is really a bad idea. Below are some tips to help you come up with a solid strategy well in advance of your moving day.
CHANGE OF ADDRESS
It is helpful to get the incidentals taken care of first. Arranging your change of address requests sooner rather than later will save you from a headache or two. Change of address requests usually take some time, so filling out the forwarding form for the post office should immediately be followed by notifying your financial institutions, magazine publishers, and friends and family about your new location, even before you start your packing.
Check out the Official USPS® Change of Address here.
A “TO-DO” LIST
So much complication can be avoided if you simply sit down and make yourself a list of the things you need to get done for your move. Checking off the items as you go will give you great satisfaction and more importantly, peace of mind. If you have children and animals to consider, a to-do list can be yet another potent stress-reducer. You would be well-advised to make your list in the order of priority by including deadlines. If you have or intend to get insurance for your possessions this is also a perfect opportunity to make an inventory of that which you want covered. This will also be handy for you when you later unpack everything- you’ll know you’re not missing anything.
Be sure to add to your list any utility companies that need to be contacted for shut-off and turn-on at your new home.
Do you have any items that need last minute fixing or services to cancel? Do you need to call a electrician, plumber, roofing company, or cancel cable, phone or security monitoring?
SAVE MONEY
That got your attention, right? Moving is a lot of work and, it can really add up after you have paid for packing supplies for moving, etc. Think about the number of boxes you will need for all your stuff then tack on another twenty percent to be sure. You then can save a lot by visiting your local appliance and department store to find used boxes, from small to large. But be careful, at supermarkets you would be well-advised to avoid boxes that had anything frozen in them, (hence water damage or left-over food residues).
PLAN IT OUT EARLY
Obviously, you won’t be able match everything in your new home exactly the way it was before, but change is good! This is an opportunity for you to create your place from scratch and, to the chagrin of the producers of “Hoarders”, lighten your load of unused, unnecessary, excess stuff you have accumulated over the years. Start by shooting pictures of all your rooms before you start to empty out your old place. This will be enormously helpful in aiding your unpacking process. Via properly labeled boxes and those pics, you will see how it all once worked and remember what is hidden in each. Oh, and remember to have pictures of those spider-webs of complicated electronic hook-ups so as to avoid a techie nightmare. You might even sketch out a floor plan for your new abode, so as to be prepared with an even more detailed plan of action.
HIRE SOME PROS – GET MOVING GUYS!
And finally, if you don’t have the time or you just can’t stand the idea of lugging heavy things up and down stairs again and again, you should hire a professional moving company. Be it 2 dudes with a truck or craig van lines moving and storage, getting it done right will make life so much easier.
PLANTS
Don’t water anything you plan to take for 2 to 3 days before the move. Smaller plants can be put in boxes and moved in your car, while the big plants should be moved in their pots within a big box so as to avoid spilling their soil all over everything in the truck and on your personal items.
TIPS FOR MOVING DAY
Do not let time lapse before you get to packing. To fill a box will take you about half an hour each. That means that an average apartment can be packed up anywhere from 15 to 20 hours. If you have a single family home, we’re talking almost 40 hours.
Make sure you have plenty of packing tape and felt pens ready for sealing and labeling all those boxes. Some of the info to label would be what’s in the box, if it is fragile, and the room where the contents belong.
Pack up stuff you use the least first, like books. Leave the essentials until the very end. A good idea is to pack a suitcase like you’re going away for a week on vacation. You may not be sipping pina coladas on the beach, but you also won’t be wondering where the heck the toothbrush and tooth paste are.
Make sure all the boxes are well-taped, both tops and bottoms and double-tape cartons that contain the heavy items. Pack the heavy stuff on the bottom and the lighter things on top and never put heavy things in with that which is fragile! Wrap paper and add cushioning like bubble wrap or peanuts between the layers of breakable items. Don’t just throw towels and linens in separate boxes. Use them for packing as well.
Although your local movers will be helpful and willing to move whatever you have, they cannot guarantee the safety of glass-framed pictures and artwork, lampshades, mirrors, or your small electronic devices. Packing and moving companies sell bubble-wrap for the fragile things and you might request mirror boxes from them too.
Your mattresses can be wrapped in furniture pads, but specially-made boxes can be bought as well. Request that your movers wrap your furniture with shrink wrap for further protection.
Don’t forget to disassemble any particle board and pressed wood furniture before moving day; if you don’t you will most likely be making another visit to IKEA to replace that which was broken apart by the act of relocation.
FINALLY
And finally, please be sure to complete all your packing before the crew arrives on moving day! Though you can make arrangements to have the movers pack all your things for you, if you choose to forgo the added expense then don’t be caught unprepared.
Be sure to reserve elevators, loading docks or parking areas as needed for the time necessary.
You’re the boss so be on sight to direct the movers and answer questions. Use that floor plan you drew up. Tape it to the doors to show where everything should go and that will be save you time and money.