Making a move to a new location involves a great deal of planning, physical labor and a certain amount of psychological disruption. If you plan on moving yourself, you can make the task easier by doing tasks far ahead of your moving date. Here are five tips that can help make your move easier, both physically and emotionally.
Have a Master Plan
Make a plan of your moving schedule, your route and how you will do your packing. Leave the most critical items, like your bed and bedding, chairs and tables, for the final actions. Know where you are going, whether it is to your new home or to a storage facility where you will bring your household goods.
Eliminate as Much as You Can
Moving is the perfect opportunity to ruthlessly go through your possessions and eliminate what you don’t use on a regular basis. You can give away, donate or sell the items you no longer need, which will make your packing and moving job much easier.
Use Appropriate Boxes and Supplies
Get the appropriate sizes of boxes, packing material and markers, and carefully wrap items that may be broken during transport. Mark all boxes according to room or type of goods, such as “dishes,” “kitchen utensils,” “books,” “electronics,” and other categories. At the other end of your move, you will more easily be able to place these items in their appropriate locations.
Make a Box of “Essentials”
Put aside one of your moving boxes for essential items that you are likely to need as soon as you arrive at your destination. This box could include a change of clothing, grooming supplies, toothbrush, medications, coffee pot and whatever else you need to feel normal after the disruption of your living environment.
Transporting Vehicles
If you are doing your own moving, you will probably be faced with the problem of transporting your vehicles to the new location. In this case, you might consider getting a car trailer for one of your vehicles or your moving truck, so you the entire move can be made in one, efficient trip. In this way, you can avoid the troublesome “caravan monitoring” on the highway or recruiting a non-family member to drive the additional vehicle and then flying back home later.
A move is a disruptive event, but the chaos can be managed if you do a bit of planning and take actions, step by step. If you pace yourself and follow your plan, you will get through your DYI move easily and efficiently.
