Learning the right and tested moving tips is probably the best thing you can do for yourself if you wish to have the smoothest relocation ever. You don’t have to learn from your mistakes – just read our tricks and be as ready as you can be. We prepared all the things you should know before you start preparing for your move.
Relocating cross-country is a handful, we all know that, but do you know the answer to how can I make moving less stressful? We sure do, and we’d love to share that with you. Read on to find out the best packing and moving tips there are.
How can I make moving out easier? No matter how many times you moved during your lifetime, this question surely appeared each and every time, and the answer couldn’t be more simple – the whole point of an easy and stress-free move is to begin preparing for it early enough. As soon as you’ve finished a where should I move quiz and decided that you’re relocating for sure, it’s time to start preparing.
Eight weeks is an optimal time that’s enough to finish everything for your cross-country move, but there is stuff that can be done even before that. For example, you can learn these relocation hacks, find out some creative storage ideas, and inform yourself on the most common relocation scams. Also, learning how to make friends in a new city can be one of the things you forget to do when you move, but if you start early, you won’t forget it. All of this will help you to be more prepared for the pick-up day.
Even if you think that you’re good at estimating, take your confidence with a grain of salt. Having fewer packing materials for relocating than needed is one of the things that will turn relocation into an unpleasant situation. Do not let yourself end up in a situation where you have to run and get more boxes or paper one day before the relocation truck arrives. It’s truly a disaster scenario. See how much supplies you will require, and add just a bit more over that number. Just in case. Here’s a list of what you’ll need:
It would be best to invest in high-quality materials; there’s no doubt about that. The truth is that you don’t have to spend a fortune paying for brand new supplies – there are many ways to get them for free. If you began preparing early, you’d have enough time to visit local shops, liquor stores, schools, libraries, and all other places that might have what you need – boxes, packing paper, and maybe even bubble wrap.
If you decide to get your supplies this way, pay attention to the condition of the boxes you got. If the cardboard got ripped or damaged in some spots, that box isn’t good for your belongings the way it is. You’ll have some strengthening up to do by adding more layers of cardboard and taping them on the weak spots. It’s generally a good idea to tape the whole box well once you put your possessions inside.
Another great way to save space and money is to wrap your items in other things you’re taking with you. For example, you can take your towels, soft linens, blankets, sweaters, and alike, and use them as cushioning when you pack breakable stuff. Instead of using only cardboard boxes, take your hampers, plastic containers, suitcases, and travel bags, and fill them with the stuff you’re relocating.
Every empty space that you see can be filled with other smaller belongings that will also be safe there during the trip. Put your small electronic gadgets, jewelry, socks, or underwear inside of your sneakers or shoes. Options are endless; you just require a bit of inspiration. You can find lots of ideas on Pinterest and YouTube.
Imagine carrying something for hundreds or thousands of miles, and you don’t even need that thing. Sounds silly, but it’s a quite common thing that will cost you both time and money. If you haven’t already, purge the unneeded stuff in your home and save yourself from unnecessary work.
Taking things that you don’t need with you to another state is simply pointless, but how do you know those items? Here’s a tested method – go in each room, open every drawer and closet, and take out all the stuff you haven’t used for longer than a year. That will mean that all the seasons have changed, and all occasions happened, but you still didn’t have a need for that specific item. Single out all of that stuff and put them in one place. Once you see the pile you won’t have to wrap or carry, you’ll feel a huge relief. After that, decide what to do with unneeded stuff. There are several options:
However, it can be easy to make mistakes when decluttering. Here’s a video on how to avoid them:
Now that you’ve got your supplies and you’ve gotten rid of stuff you won’t be needing anymore, it’s time to create a binder with your future tasks. Relocating to a new state is much more than boxing up your clothes and loading them on a truck. There’s a bunch of logistical things that have to be done. Some of them are:
A relocation binder will be very helpful with keeping track of each of these tasks, but it’s also handy when creating a relocation budget. It should include every cost you’ll have, and that will mostly depend on the type of move you chose. In case you decided to buy a family car and drive to your new home on the famous routes in the USA, you should also include the cost of the gas, food during the trip, motel fees, and everything that goes with that. On the other hand, if you chose to hire a company, you won’t have to worry about all of that, since you’ll have only one cost to pay. Shop around for quotes, find out how much it costs to ship a car and household goods, and you’re all set.
There’s no better way to keep track of everything than to create a checklist of what needs to be done and checking each finished thing. You can organize your tasks with a timeline so that you know what’s due in which week. That way, you’ve made yourself a perfect schedule of events, and you won’t forget anything, be it learning how to change a flat tire during the trip or how to remove dog hair from the car once you arrive.
Successful relocating is all about thinking ahead. When you start packing, be sure you begin with the stuff you still want to have but don’t use frequently. Those are all the extra stuff you own, but you know that you won’t be using them anytime soon. Pack all of your off-season clothes, extra towels and beddings, spare dishes, books, artworks, and similar. Remember to label every box so that you can unpack easily.
When you learn what to pack and move first, continue with learning what to pack last. Your most frequently used items and all the stuff that you need to have during traveling should be singled out in a separate bag that you can carry with you. This bag should include:
Professional movers already know all the moving tips and tricks, so calling them to give you a hand is always a good idea. You won’t have to waste time learning how to pack a relocation truck because you’ll have a team of experts that will do everything for you. If you pick a reputable company, thinking about how to move efficiently won’t be something that will bother you. Your move will be in safe hands. If you were wondering are you supposed to tip movers, the answer is always yes. The team that saved you from struggle and stress and did all the hard work for you surely deserves a tip.
In case you decided to do everything by yourself, be sure you know all of these tips for moving that we listed. Otherwise, a cross-country relocation can turn out to be much more difficult than it actually is. Check out how to wrap and protect all kinds of different things, including breakables, and try to get help from someone when handling big and heavy objects.
Apart from knowing all the best tips for moving, professional movers offer you much more. A trustworthy and reliable company can provide you with household moves, but also with car shipping. That way, you can bring your car with you with the same auto transport company that’s taking care of your home items. Choose between open trailer transportation and enclosed auto transport, and get your car delivered in no time. There’s an option to have door-to-door auto transport, or terminal-to-terminal car shipping, depending on which option you like more. Just call a professional car shipping company, and get answers to all the long-distance car shipping FAQ.
