Moving to a new home is exciting, but let’s face it, it can also get very stressful.
The worse mistake someone can make when a move is over the horizon is to procrastinate.
Do yourself and your family a favour, plan and start preparing for your move at
least a month in advance. It will save you undue stress, and it will make
moving to your new home a more enjoyable experience.
When you have set your moving date, you should contact your utility, cable, gas,
phone and other service providers. Have the cut off date at your old residence for
the day after you plan on moving out. You should also arrange to have your
utilities turned on at your new home the day before you will arrive to unload. By
doing this, you won’t be caught at your old or new home without power and water.
You can also stop by the post office and fill out a change of address form. You
can do this weeks in advance. Your mail will not be redirected until the date
that you write down on the change of address slip.
You should decide right away if you plan on hiring movers, or if you are going
to do it yourself. If you do plan on hiring movers, you need to check about
moving insurance. This will cover any damaged or lost items. Some moving companies
will not insure items that they don’t pack or load themselves. You should make the
decision as soon as possible. This will decide what steps you need to take
from here on out. If you decide to move yourself, you may want to look into
renting a truck. You can also check your local newspaper. You can hire individuals
who will help you move. Some even come with their own truck. Check out all of your
options.
You can never, ever have too many boxes. You should start collecting the boxes
that you will use on your move at least three weeks in advance. You can call your
local grocer and speak with the manager. Tell him you would like to have all
the boxes that he can supply you with. These people are usually very friendly
and more than willing to accommodate you. You can set up dates and times to come
out to get all the boxes that you will need. Some moving companies provide
boxes, at a charge of course. If you are using a moving company get their
prices for this service. Along with the boxes, you need to acquire a few rolls of
packing tape and a tape gun. You will also need to start acquiring a supply
of newspaper, bubble wrap, and garbage bags for when the packing begins. You
should think about getting colored stickers to attach to your boxes. These
stickers will go with certain rooms in the home. Kitchen boxes can be green, a bathroom
can be blue, living room can be black, etc. You should also have a black permanent
marker on hand to write more specific details about each box on the top.
Now that you have made arrangements about your utilities, decided if you will
move yourself, gotten your boxes and supplies, it is time to take a good hard look
at the things in your home. Questions you need to ask yourself as you start
to purge out your belongings are: Is this sentimental? Is it really worth packing
and moving? Do you really need or use it? You will be surprised at the things
that you can let go. Some things may simply go in the trash, others you can
set aside for a garage sale that you can do a week prior to moving. If you don’t
want to fool with having a garage sale, simply call a charity and they will come
and remove the unwanted things from your home.
After you have weeded out your home of the clutter, you will have a better idea
of how much you actually have to move. You can go ahead and start packing
things that you won’t need the last few weeks of living at your old residence. Books
are a good thing to start with. When you pack books, try not to pack them
into too large a box. No one will be able to lift them. After you have packed the
books, you can start on the clothing. Start with the off season clothing first.
If it is summer, pack up those boots, coats, hats, sweaters, etc. Be sure to mark
the boxes with the colored stickers according to whose room they belong in. Closer
to the move you can go ahead and pack all clothing except what you can fit into
a duffle bag and suitcase for the last couple of days before the move. Pack all
linens. Only leave out what you absolutely have to have. You can wash
them as needed.
When packing electronics, it is important that you pack them in sturdy boxes,
and that you don’t overload them. You can tape cords to the back of electronics,
and store any extra cords in zip lock freezer bags. Wrap your equipment with
bubble wrap prior to boxing. You should double tape all boxes to assure strength.
You should keep at least one radio and television unpacked in the home until the
night before the move. Go ahead and box up all DVD, CD’s, albums, etc.
During this time, you can go ahead and start wrapping the legs of your chairs
and furniture in bubble wrap. This will keep them from getting dented, banged
or scraped during the moving process. You can also go ahead and take down photos,
artwork, mirrors, etc. You can tape an X with masking tape across glass items
to strengthen them during the move. You should then wrap them individually
in bubble wrap.
Start packing up the kitchen. Pack all things that aren’t essential. (You may
want to get a supply of paper cups and plates once you have cleaned out your cabinets.)
Breakables should be wrapped in bubble wrap, or tea towels and packed with newspaper
around them. Do not overload the boxes. Be sure to add your color sticker.
You may also want to put a label on the box, such as “china” or “pots and pans.”
This will help you if you want to get to a certain box in record time when unpacking.
You need to start eating all the food that you have stocked in your refrigerator
and cupboards, or give it away to a friend or neighbour. The last things you should
be packing are canned goods!
You should have all-important documents such as insurance papers, birth certificates,
bank records, etc. in their own box. These items need to stay with you, and not
put on a truck. You can also put the valuables in this box. Cover the top
with a few bath towels. Label the box “bathroom closet” or “linen closet” with a
special symbol. That will make certain that you know where that box is at all times.
If you are travelling cross country, you may want to consider having this one box
mailed to you by certified mail. It will save you worry in the long run if
you are going to be on the road for a few days.
A day or two before the move, each person should be given a piece of the family
luggage, or a duffle bag. In it they will place clothing and items that will see
them through a couple of days. Mom can live out of her cosmetic bag, and Dad will
be satisfied with his shaving kit. Everything else should be packed. You should
have one box prepared for items you will need upon your arrival at your new home.
This will include phone numbers, coffee, plastic utensils, toiletries for the bathroom,
and any prescriptions or medications. You can pack your pets food dishes and food
in this box, as well as any comfort items of small children that they cannot do
without for one night.
The only things that shouldn’t be packed at this point are sleeping items, such
as pillows and blankets, and possibly your coffee pot if you need that morning dose
of caffeine. Just make sure that you have a box ready to place all of that
into the morning of the move.
Now that moving day has arrived, you will either have a moving company pulling
into your driveway or a group of family and friends will be coming to help you.
If it is, indeed, loved ones that are coming to help, be very friendly and upbeat.
No one wants to volunteer for a job and have the person they are helping turn into
a grump. Moving is not fun for anyone, especially for the volunteers! After
the move is complete, you can treat them to pizza, or have pre purchased goodies
for them of their favorite things. Set back and sigh, you have arrived.