Congratulations, you’ve finally found your dream home! After months of thinking about it, and taking the necessary steps, you are ready to start life in a new space. But then where do you start? The best way to make your move less stressful is to have a plan that ensures your success and helps you build your excitement about the new accommodations. Read ahead for 7 ways to de-stress your move.
1. Plan the Move
As with anything, having a plan is the first and most important way to take the stress out of the situation. Whether you do this digitally or on paper, you need to have a checklist to stay organized. There are several available online, or you can create your own. Your plan should include a detailed timeline and a to-do list that will include items such as booking a moving truck, reserving service elevators, picking up keys, and getting moving boxes. You should also include your utility information for connecting and disconnecting. Check things off as you complete them and include the details so you can refer to them later, such as the dates and times of bookings or contact info for services.
2. Organize Help
Whether you need someone to help you pack, helping you to wrap and move large items, selling off furniture you no longer need, disassembling furniture, making trips to donation centres or the landfill, and for actual moving day, ask in advance and try to get some commitments. Hiring movers for moving day can have you refocus your family and friend help into the packing and organizational tasks that many people forget about. Have a packing party and make it fun! You want to ensure that you are completely organized and ready on moving day in order to make it go as smoothly as possible. Check out our other blogs on the benefits of hiring movers!
3. Start Packing and Labeling Right Away
There are few tasks as time-consuming as packing up a home. Start by trying to acquire the same-sized boxes for your move. You can try some local shops that have a lot of stock (grocery, LCBO, and Dollar stores) or a local factory that has supply boxes. Don’t underestimate the importance of having good boxes and tape for moving—there is nothing worse than finding out on moving day that your boxes aren’t holding their contents. Using the same size boxes provides ease of storage, loading, and unloading!
Labels are so important especially if you start packing early. Getting pre-printed stickers with your address and contact info to stick on every box will ensure they arrive at the correct location. Labels that include the contents, and their destination will help on move day. Outline the specific room they are going to in the new location and whether there are fragile items inside. If you will be purchasing any plastic moving containers, choose clear so you know exactly what’s inside!
4. Pack One Room at a Time
If you choose the rooms you use least frequently such as dining and spare bedrooms, you can not only check things off your list but also create some storage locations for packed boxes. Focusing on one room at a time, and especially with help, you can reduce your stress and break down your end goal into smaller achievable tasks. This helps you feel accomplished and keeps you excited about your move. It will also help you stay organized if “like” items are packed together.
5. Sell, Toss, Donate
Now is the time that most people choose to declutter their lives as they uncover boxes of unused items or things they thought they got rid of years ago. Be unforgiving with your purging. Have three bins labelled sell, toss, and donate and try to fill them up as you go. Ask a friend to help you sell and donate to take something off your plate. If you haven’t used an item in a year, it’s time for it to go.
6. Important Things Last
As you get close to the move date, pack an overnight bag or box with items for your first few nights in the new house. This should contain all important documents relevant to the move and your identity, toilet paper and toiletries, a few changes of clothing, a towel, bed sheets, pajamas, and maybe your coffee maker. Cleaning supplies, garbage bags and box cutters will be needed for unpacking so those can be packed in the overnight bag as well.
7. Make the moving day work for you
One way that most people don’t realize can significantly cut down on moving stress is to move on a less popular day. If you can be flexible, adjust your potential moving dates to get great deals on expenses like your truck and movers. If possible, stay away from weekends and the beginning of the month. Get enough sleep in the nights before your move to ensure you have the energy to last through the gruelling task of hauling boxes and take short breaks as needed to drink water or calm down. Walking slowly through your new space while sipping a beverage might be just the thing to recharge your batteries!
If you take the time to plan and organize your move in advance, you will find that much of the stress is removed before you’ve even filled a box. Reach out to Mike the Mover for your free quote today to find out how we can remove the stress of packing and safely moving you into your new location. We can’t wait to help you start your new life!
