Moving with Ease

Spring has sprung, and along with flowers, you’ve probably noticed a fair number of ‘for sale’ signs popping up around your neighborhood.

If you’re one of those contemplating a move in the coming months, read on. Whether you are heading across the street or across the country, the task of moving brings with it an enormous amount of preparation and responsibilities. If you’re not careful, what should be an exciting time in your life can quickly turn overwhelming, as you try and manage the huge number of tasks needed to be done to complete the process. The good news is that, by staying organized and on top of things, it doesn’t have to be as stressful as it may sound.

Alicia on ‘One Step At a Time’

‘One reason the moving process tends to get manic is the number of disparate duties that are suddenly on your plate. Just hiring a mover is enough to keep a person preoccupied for weeks! Now add to that the life-altering tasks of selling your home, closing on your new home, then packing and finally settling in and making the new home, your home. By taking each of these on tasks one at a time, however, you can make sure that each gets the attention it deserves, and lessen the chance that you’ll forget something that will come back to bite you later.’

Sarah on ‘Trust’

‘When you move, you end up relying on a lot of different people to get things done, so being able to trust them is key to relieving you of a huge amount of stress. This is especially true with movers. Since these are the people who will be in charge of all your most personal belongings, it makes sense that you should feel secure in that arrangement. Get recommendations from friends, talk to the movers themselves, and, most of all, don’t just choose your mover by cost! The more you feel you know and trust your movers, the more attention you can focus on other tasks.’

You know to pack the weights and china separately, and to lift with your legs. But here are some other helpful moving hints.

#1. Calendar
A move doesn’t just sneak up on you. The little things that make up a move, however, usually do. When you decide you’re moving, the first thing to do is to buy a calendar, mark your move date, and work your back to the present day. Establish dates by which certain things need to be done, and who exactly should be doing them. By parceling out all the to-do’s to different people in an organized (and visable!) fashion, not only do things get done more efficiently, but everyone shares the load, and reduces your stress.

#2. Addresses
Changing your address is one of the more annoying tasks of moving. Fortunately, nowadays you can take care of most of the changes online. Your official US Post Office change of address form is available at: https://moversguide.usps.com. A helpful hint: a few months before you move, start making a list of the magazines you receive in the mail, then once you’ve compiled your list, take an hour at the computer and update your addresses at the websites of each magazine.

#3. Boxes, Boxes Everywhere
The boxes are off the truck, the movers are gone, and the end is near. But then you realize, we have to unpack! One way to simplify that process is by thinking ahead and keeping track of what went in each packed box. You can either mark each box with where it came from/needs to go (kitchen, bedroom, bathroom), number each box and keep track of it’s contents on a separate sheet of paper. You’ll now have the right boxes in the right area, making it an easier, quicker task to settle in to your new home.