Moving is one of the things in life that I hate the most. I seriously loathe moving and I have been known to stay longer in a house than I intended just to avoid moving. I only planned on being at my last place for one year but ended up staying longer. Lately, there were some issues with the staff, the people they were moving in, and the gate. It was no longer the “luxury apartment” that I moved into and loved. So, it was definitely time to move.
My latest move was a temporary move until my house is finished. Trust me when I say I want to roll around on the ground and have a temper tantrum like a two-year-old. I just went through moving hell and I have to turn around and do it again. Lord help me!
The plus to the recent move is that I learned a few things and I know how to make the process a hell of a lot smoother. I want to share what I learned to help you from diving headfirst into a bottle of vodka. What? That’s just me? LOL! Anywho, here are my five moving tips for stress-free moving.
- Map Out Your House Hunt – Whether you are renting or buying, create a list of houses sorted by location. I made the mistake of not taking a look at Google maps while house hunting and I was all over the place, literally. I had a friend that was from the area helping but trust me when I tell you the person wanted to choke the living daylights out of me. I had us running around everywhere until I finally took the time to map things out. Once I grouped the locations together, the house-hunting process was easier.
- Create A Plan Of Attack – Pull out a calendar and make deadlines for each task on your moving to-do list. I would suggest starting the process as early as possible, at least two months before your move. Please know that moving during the summer is the worst time of year to move. Most people move during the summer while their children are out of school and there is normally a mad rush for moving right before kids go back to school. If possible, move during the winter. It is easier to reserve rental trucks, movers are cheaper, and housing inventory is higher so property managers give bigger discounts to meet their quotas and promotes winter move-ins. But you didn’t hear that from me.
- Start Packing Early – The first step to getting packed is purging. Once you pare down your items, begin packing the items that are not used on a regular basis. Go through one room at a time and create three piles: take, donate, and trash. Once you determine which items were going with you, you can figure out how many boxes you need to buy. If you don’t want to purchase boxes, stop by your local Dollar General, Family Dollar, CVS, Walgreens, etc. They normally have a stash of boxes that they are willing to give you for free. I purchase most of my boxes from Uhaul, but I knew that I needed to stop by Family Dollar to grab big boxes for my shoes. Don’t ask…the paper towel boxes are the largest and they make packing my plastic shoe containers super easy.
- Enlist Help– I recommend enlisting help throughout the process. If you are new to a city, have someone from the area help you in your house hunt. They are your best source of places to check and hidden gems that don’t show up on house hunting sites. Have friends come over and help with the purging process. You may have a few items that they have been eyeing and they can take those off your hands. Plus, having someone help discourages you from keeping items that really need to be tossed. If it’s in your budget, hire packers to ensure your fragile items are properly packed. I had a few casualties during this move. Plus, I noticed I got tired of packing and started to randomly throw items in boxes. Somehow, my coffeemaker ended up in the box with my photo lightbox, an air purifier, an umbrella, my laptop tray, and a few fake flowers. I have no idea how that happened or why. LOL! In all of my packing craziness, I managed to leave my pots, loaf pans, cooling racks, and other baking pans. I’m so sick about leaving those things because I had stainless steel pots that were not cheap. I digress!
- Set A Budget With Realistic Must Haves – I thought my ultimate must-haves were simple, a dishwasher and washer/dryer connections. However, where I am living now doesn’t have a connection but I quickly created a plan for laundry that allows me to avoid the laundromat. I purchased a portable washer and I’m on the hunt for a portable dryer. I realized that I spent a ton of time house-hunting because my original list of must-haves was unrealistic. Honestly, I’m picky and it started to feel like I was never going to find anything. In the end, I had to adjust my list and raise my budget. I also remember to tell myself that I wasn’t moving into my forever home.
Hopefully, these tips and my little tidbits help make your moving process easier. I also created a checklist to help you with planning…click the link below for your printable checklist.
What moving tips do you have to add? When are you planning your big move?
Moving checklist is very useful for moving work. Moving is not easy work. I am reading your blog and really I get very helpful information. Your blog reduces the moving stress. Great blog and really happy with your blog. Thanks!
My sister and her husband and planning on moving this winter. So, I liked that you pointed out that they should figure out if they are going to hire a professional to help them move or if they are getting a friend to help. It might be smart for them to rent a truck at the very least. That way, they don’t have to make multiple trips back to the house.