Moving is rarely a positive experience. Although a new job, house, and city may be a much-needed change, actually packing all of your property and making the move is far from enjoyable. However, there are certain moving tips you may utilize to make the process a little easier for you and your family.
Many of us are not naturally organized people. We may be perfectly happy with a mass of chaos on our desks and about our houses. However, the moving process will be considerably smoother if you commit to some sort of order and do not procrastinate.
On that note, the first tip in having a smooth relocation is to proceed in an orderly manner and have some sort of schedule set forth. If you plan to move on the last day of the month, the process should begin well before the first day of the same month or even as much as three to six months if you plan to sell your house. However, for this purpose, we will assume you have already sold your house and made new housing arrangements.
The most logical and most overlooked moving tip is to not wait until the last minute to pack your house! Begin the process well in advance by sorting through your belongings and decide what you need to get rid of. There is no point in packing things you do not want or need. Set these things aside to have a garage sale, give to charity, or throw away if applicable. Once you have an idea of what is left, begin boxing up these items weeks in advance. Keep out only necessities and pack the things you will not need. Another good idea to keep in mind while packing is to keep items together that will go in the same rooms or locations in your new house. This may seem like common sense, but oftentimes, people are in such a rush to get everything in a box that it is all thrown together. This makes for a disaster when it comes time to unpack.
You may also want to consider using plastic bins to pack instead of traditional cardboard boxes; they are considerably more sturdy, last forever, and actually are not that much more expensive than cardboard boxes (if you have to buy the boxes). However, if you choose to use cardboard boxes, try collecting them well in advance if you want to avoid purchasing them they are somewhat expensive and will more than likely end up in the trash.
Is another common sense moving tip? fill out your change of address form three to four weeks before you move instead of three weeks after you move. This does not only apply to the post office change of address forms but also be sure to change the addresses on all of your bills as well; especially credit card bills as they can be used fraudulently.
And finally, the most useful tip of all have a television and plenty of cartoons available to keep any children occupied when you are moving. If you did not hire a moving service and are lugging boxes yourself, having them occupied is worth the world. Moving is difficult enough without a child dragging on your leg.
