The act of moving is never easy, whether you’re headed down the street, across the hall, or to the other side of the planet. The challenges you’ll face in packing up and lugging your entire life into a new space can seem inherently frustrating, especially considering the fact that the average U.S. household contains 300,000 things! Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to ease this taxing process; these four tips will save you time, money, and will guarantee a smooth moving experience even for the most unlucky and accident-prone movers.
Creating The Perfect Moving Experience: 4 Tips To Help You Out
Plan Ahead
This is the most important aspect of a successful move: the more time you have to sort out all the nitty-gritty details, the less likely you are to encounter problems, not to mention the fact that you’ll have plenty of time to act should something go wrong. You should be figuring out when your gas and electricity will be shut off, going through your belongings and determining keep, donate, and destroy piles, and comparing multiple moving companies to discover which one best suits your needs.
It’s never too soon to start packing as it’s obviously better to be several days or weeks too early than too late! Be sure to gather all the requisite packing materials — ask friends, neighbors, and even grocery stores to collect boxes for you — while remembering to add 25% extra materials than you think you’ll need. Again, it’s better to be over-prepared than panicking within the final days and hours of the move. This will also give you enough to time to give your current home a thorough cleaning before you hit the road.
Purge, Purge, Purge
You may love the 300,000 things you own, but trust us, “love” is not what you’ll be feeling when they all need to be individually wrapped, labeled, and transported in a short period of time. Those keep, donate, and destroy piles will become your lifeline in a big move, especially if your new home has several flights of stairs.
In fact, purging whatever you don’t use, think about, or even see is a great opportunity to get rid of ratty old furniture: if the sofa that belonged to your three brothers before getting handed to you is along for the ride, consider chucking it and replacing it once you’re fully settled in your new place. Around 91% of sofa-buyers say quality and durability is important to their purchasing decision, so you’ll be able to find a much better option after the stress of the move is over, all without having to pay someone to transport and haul that nasty old one around.
Travel During The Summer
Timing is just as important to an easy move as planning and purging; the summer, with its relentless heat and constant traffic, may not inherently seem like it offers the ideal conditions for a move, but it has its perks. The risks of winter travel, from snowstorms to black ice, could put a disastrous spin on the entire experience. Timing your move for the summer months will help you avoid weather hazards; however, you will need to keep all the additional road users in mind during the summer. An accident is more likely to occur when the roads are busier, so be extra careful and vigilant. If you are involved in an accident, you should contact a car crash lawyer as soon as possible to avoid any legal complications.
People may drive the least in the winter months at around 25.7 miles daily (meaning less traffic), but there doesn’t need to be a single car around you in order to lose control of your vehicle — and when that vehicle is a moving truck filled with your entire life, the risk simply isn’t worth it. Though you may be sweating your butt off moving dozens of boxes on a sweltering August day, we think there’s no option between the two — plus, the heat will just make the after-move beer all the more refreshing!
Account For Space
Not all moves are equal in terms of size: although it seems unlikely, it’s actually quite easy to forget about the size differences between the current place and the one you’re headed to. Obviously, the best and easiest choice is to purge until you fit, but sometimes that just isn’t an option.
If you’re downsizing but just can’t part with some large family heirlooms, whether they’re pieces of furniture or paintings, look for extra storage in your new area. Better yet, install some on your own property: wooden sheds last an astounding 15 to 20 years and will be as practical as they are beautiful.