No one enjoys moving, but it is truly a fact of life. The average person in the United States will move about 6 times over the course of their life! If you are planning an upcoming move, it is likely that there are a lot of decisions that you need to make, and a lot of details that you will need to remember. The first big decision is the type of moving company you want to hire: full service movers, moving pods, renting a truck, or filling your car to the brim and driving to your new home. Many people who are looking for a combination of affordability, reliability and convenience choose to rent moving pods.
Once the decision about the type of moving service you want to use has been made, you probably still have quite the list of small, yet essential details to take care of before you leave your old house, and settle in your new home. With all of the chaos that comes with any move, it can be difficult to remember everything that you will need to finish. One of the most effective ways to plan your move is to create a timeline of all of the things that you will need to do, and a deadline by which they need to be completed.
What to Do One Month before Your Move:
- Call around to get price quotes for the moving and storage pods that you will need for your move. Many times, you will have better luck getting the date of your choice if you call early. This is particularly important if you plan on moving during the summer months, as this is the busiest time of year for this industry.
- Make sure that you have copies of any important records that you will need, such as legal and financial records.
- Get all of your medical and dental information in one place, particularly immunization records and prescription information. If you are relocating to an unfamiliar city, ask your doctor to recommend someone in your new city. This will alleviate the stress of finding a trustworthy doctor on your own.
- Start looking for items that you will not need in your new home, and consider donating them to a local shelter or consignment store. For larger furniture and heavy items that you do not want to move, consider selling them through online classified advertisements.
- This is also a great time to begin the packing process. Packing knick-knacks, decorations and out of season clothing now, will make packing easier in the next few weeks. Make sure that you clearly label the boxes with your name, the contents inside, and the room where they will go in your new home.
What to Do Two Weeks before Your Move:
- Notify the US Postal Service of your upcoming address change. You can either do this online, or at your local USPS location.
- Notify and schedule disconnection of all utility services at your old home, and schedule connection of them at your new home.
What to Do One Week before Your Move:
- Contact your moving company to confirm the time and date of your move- you can never be too careful!
- Make sure that you have ordered locks, dollies, moving boxes and any other important supplies that you need to have delivered with your containers.
- Pack a box of all of your most important things- the “essentials” if you will. Include any necessary medical items, legal documents and moving related contracts.
What to Do the Day before Your Move:
- Sort the boxes that you will be moving into your pods: keep light boxes and fragile items in one area, and heavy items in another area. This way, it is easier to pack your pods securely!
- Separate the items that you do not want in your container, and keep them in a room where they will not be confused with the items that you do want to pack.
- Pack a change of clothes and any necessary cosmetics in a bag for each of your family members. This way, if you are too exhausted to unpack when you arrive at your new home, you have some essential items available to you!
What to Do On Moving Day:
- If you can, be at home when the moving containers arrive, in order to make sure that the driver knows where you would like them to be placed.
- Take a look at the packing tips and other information listed on the inside of the door of your moving pod. These tips will give you a general idea of the best way to pack your container!
- Have your locks handy for securing your container. For safety purposes, it is important to secure your container when it is unattended, as well as when you are done with the loading process.
Regardless of the service that you use for your move, planning ahead can make a big difference in the overall stress of moving. Moving day will be much easier if you have already packed you belongings, have your utilities scheduled to be disconnected (after moving day, of course!) and connected at your new home. If you keep track of these details, this move will be far less stressful, and hopefully easier!