Moving Checklist- Useful Tips Preparing for a move could be very upsetting. In fact, the Employee Relations Council reportedly ranked moving as the third most stressful life event, following closely behind death and divorce. On the positive side, there are several moving tips or
moving checklist you can take to make the event less upsetting for you and your loved ones.
Moving Tip 1: Start early.
Moving is a time-consuming process, mostly due to the time involved in packing up all the rooms of your current place. People are often surprised by exactly how long it could take to get things organized and ready to go. They end up not having enough time and "slamming together" the last parts of the move. This could result to big problems at the end of the process.
Many people need a minimum of 4 weeks to get ready. That's because it will take several hours to pack every room. In fact, I read somewhere that it takes the average college student 4-5 hours to pack a dorm room before moving. Now remember, that could be les than half a room (although with a lot of stuff). Multiply that by the number of rooms you have to pack, and you start getting a picture of how much is involved.
Moving Tip 2: Use a moving checklist plus a moving organizer.
One of the great things about moving is that so many people have done it before, providing a rich source of wisdom on how to do it well. Movers-Edge.com has scoured a lot of that information to create this article for you.
Universally, people who have moved agree that there are two incredibly helpful tools: a moving checklist and a moving organizer.
A
moving checklist is simply a pre-defined set of "to-do list" items that needs to be taken care of during your move, often scheduled on a kind of calendar. This will do a lot to help keep you on track toward Moving Day and help keep you from forgetting essential steps. You should definitely get a moving checklist and use it to keep yourself on track. We obviously like the Ultimate Moving Checklist at Movers-Edge.com, but you can choose from several free ones available on the web.
A moving organizer is just a 3-ring binder containing all the important papers involved in your move, such as leases and mortgage documents, notes from setting up utilities, etc. It can keep everything together through out a stressful time.
Moving Tip 3: Create "open me first" suitcases and boxes.
One of the biggest hassles in moving is trying to find what you need at your new place when you start unpacking. There are two quick remedies for this.
For each person, create a single suitcase or backpack filled with all the necessities you would need if you were going on a 3-day vacation. This includes 3 changes of clothes that you can either unpack in or go to work in, depending on your schedule, plus toiletries, prescriptions, eyeglasses, and other vital items. Keep these items separated from the rest of the things packed and handy for when you arrive, so if anything else is missing, you will at least have the necessities handy.
Similarly, have an "open me first" box for each room, clearly labeled in red instead of black ink, holding the things you want to have immediately available once you arrive. This could be soap, towels and toilet paper for the bathroom; coffee maker and paper cups, plates and flatware for the kitchen; etc. This will make your first 24 hours in the new place much simpler.
Moving Tip 4: Do not pack it if you can live without it.
Most of the time taken in moving is due to packing and unpacking. So if you haven't used an item in over a year, it's a good idea to lighten the moving load and get rid of the stuff. Here is my general method:
* While packing, separate out the items you can live without into boxes marked "Moving Sale".
* Get rid of broken items altogether.
* Donate all useable toys and clothing to a local charity.
* Hold a moving sale for any items you aren't using that are "sellable." You could often earn between $200 and $2000 on a well-organized, well-advertised and well-priced moving sale.
* Have a charity truck come for pick-up at the hour the moving sale ends to take everything that didn't go.
Moving Tip 5: Have exact payment for movers ready in advance.
If you are using professional movers, you'll often need to have cash, money order or certified check in hand BEFORE they unload a single box. In fact, they could legally drive off with your possessions until the moment they receive their payment in the format they prefer. Most do not honor all forms of credit cards, and several don't accept credit cards at all. Check before you decide to sign an agreement with your moving company, and confirm it again with the move foreman before she or he begins loading.
If you follow these general tips, you'll be well-positioned to make your move stress-free.
Good luck with your upcoming move!