10 Tips For A Smooth Moving Day

There are definitely some moving strategies that make each move a little smoother. This move was no different. These 10 items below really make the process of moving and unpacking so much smoother and I think you will find them very helpful. Continue reading and learn how to move into a new house with as little stress as possible!

YOUR EASY MOVE CHECKLIST:

1. FORWARD YOUR MAIL After closing, go online and visit the US Postal Service’s website and set-up your mail forwarding. Of course, install your mailbox first, but getting your mail forwarded will be one less thing to worry about.

   If you handle all of your accounts online, visit the websites and change your mailing and billing information for your:

   • Credit cards
   • Bank and other financial institutions
   • Employer
   • Insurance companies (health, life, home and auto)
   • E-commerce sites you frequently use such as Amazon, eBay, Etsy or PayPal
   • Apps on your phone with payment information including iTunes. For example, I changed a credit card billing address online and when I went to reload my card on my Starbucks app, an error occurred with my billing zip code. The same goes for your iTunes account. Update your information and avoid issues before they happen. Our lives are so electronic now; it’s easy to forget how many different places our personal information is scattered. Moving definitely will remind you of that!

2. PACK A SUITCASE The day before your move pack a suitcase like you’re going on vacation! This moving strategy is perfect for us. Include clothing perfect for unpacking (nothing fancy and can get dirty). Include a couple of work outfits, toiletries, hair dryer, curling or flat iron, and other essentials you use when getting ready every day plus any prescriptions. This idea is a lifesaver and keep you from searching frantically for personal belongings amidst a sea of boxes. It’s very nice knowing everything I need to resume life as normal is within reach in our suitcase.

3. MOVE SOME ITEMS YOURSELF Move valuable personal items yourself unless they’re too large to safely do so. Include items such as jewelry, watches, family heirlooms, and some expensive breakables such a Baccarat and Waterford crystal. I certainly trust our movers, but I didn’t have the movers pack anything for us and I wasn’t sure if I trusted our packing abilities entirely, so it was worth a few trips hauling items I wanted to ensure made it safely. 

   Move pantry and refrigerated food items yourself. Move houseplants and most of the contents of our garage including gasoline cans, lawn equipment, cleaning supplies, brooms, mops, paper towels, paper plates, and napkins. Then, supplies are readily available if needed. You probably won’t cook right away, so have paper plates and napkins available for meals on the go that are easy and quick to cleanup. Also, have pet food readily available, or you’ll be wasting time making a trip to the store.

4. HAVE A FRIEND WATCH YOUR PET FOR THE DAY Speaking of your pet, don’t attempt to have your pet at your old residence, or your new one the day of the move. It is too easy for them to slip out the door during all of the chaos and then you’ll have much more added stress! Have a friend or family member watch your pet for the day and then once the movers are gone, pick up your pet and transition them safely into their new environment.

5. BE AT YOUR NEW HOME WHEN THE MOVERS ARRIVE, NOT SOMEONE ELSE Have someone at home with the movers so they can instruct what stays and what goes. We had most items stored in a family member’s basement, and of course they have their own items in their basement as well. It’s important whoever is there knows the stuff that needs to be move and nothing makes a trip that shouldn’t. The same goes for the receiving end of the move. I recommend the homeowners be there when the movers arrive to unload. We were there, but so were our parents. They were very helpful when it came time to unpack, but when an item came off the truck and the movers will ask, “Where does this go?” More often than not, they aren’t going to be sure where furniture is to be placed. You don’t label furniture like you do boxes. And, you don’t want the movers wasting time putting furniture in the wrong rooms only to have to move it after everything’s unloaded. Remember, you pay them by the hour!

6. USE THE GARAGE TO UNPACK If you have many boxes stored for quite some time in a basement, instruct the movers to put those boxes in the garage. The last thing I want to do is bring unwanted pests into our new home. Spiders, roaches or even mice can find their way into boxes through the years and they aren’t going to make it through our front door as far as I’m concerned! Although the basement where where our boxes were has been treated for pests, you can never be too sure. Also, our laundry room connects our garage to the house so when linens and towels are unpacked all went right into the washing machine. And, all of the wrapping paper and boxes were right where they needed to be thrown away or put in the recycle bin. Plus, keeping these long stored boxes in the garage kept all of the dust and dirt that had accumulated on them outside of our new home.

7. FIND A ROOM’S OPEN SPACE FOR BOXES Determine a place where you don’t intend on furniture being placed for the movers to stack up your boxes that do make it into the house. The last thing you want them to do is bring in the boxes (which most often happens before the furniture when unloading), and then have to move them again to get the furniture in the right place. If at all possible, have a mental picture of where your furniture will go before the move and things will go great.

8. KEEP THE MOVING TRUCK OFF YOUR DRIVEWAY When the moving truck arrives at your new home, if possible don’t let the moving truck park in your new driveway. This may just have to be the case due to distance from the street sometimes, but if the distance is short, keep the truck off your newly poured concrete. It can take up to 60 days for concrete to reach 100% strength and you’d hate to have cracks and chips occur your very first day. Concrete is expensive, so this will make sure it lasts longer than abusing it the first day you live there.

9. COVER ALL FLOORS Before one box or piece of furniture leaves the truck, insist that the movers cover all floors throughout your new home. Minor scratches and dings on the walls will likely occur when moving large items into your new home, but you can keep your floors safe by having sticky plastic covering spread out onto the carpets and flat cardboard boxes secured over all of the hardwood. Make sure they secure everything and no seams are sticking up. It can be dangerous when people are carrying things in and they can’t see their feet or the floor if there are raised edges or seams that can cause someone to trip or fall.

   

10. DONATE ITEMS IMMEDIATELY IF POSSIBLE Now that all of the boxes and furniture have been moved in, here comes the fun part – unpacking! Because we had some boxes packed for a very long time, so I couldn’t begin to think what was in all of them. So, I had a large empty box open in every room. As I unpacked items I would often decide right then and there if the item would be useful or needed. If I didn’t think so I immediately put it in the box. Sometimes I couldn’t be entirely sure until I determined how everything would be decorated, but for the most part, I knew right away if something would be wanted or needed. Those boxes filled with up very quickly with random items such as misfit towels, souvenir shot glasses, duplicate kitchen tools, plastic cups, old pots and pans that didn’t match the good set, old food storage containers that didn’t have lids, as well as mismatched sheets and pillow cases. Before we knew it, we had several boxes to donate to Goodwill. And, another perk less junk in the drawers and little junk stored in the basement. Also remember to always have a recycle can or trash bag ready in every room so the items not good enough to donate can be discarded. And, I did the exact same process when I unpacked my clothes. Although I did a thorough sweep of my closet prior to the move, a few things still weren’t needed and ended up being donated. Who doesn’t like a tax deduction? Or, donate to your favorite charity; you will be glad you did.

If you stick to these 10 moving tricks, life will be much easier when unpacking begins and you start to settle into your new home! For other great tips, see how to move with ease – https://houseplansandmore.com/resource_center/move_with_ease.aspx

Or, visit House Plans and More on Pinterest for thousands of great ideas!