Moving Checklist: What To Do Before You Move?
Moving is ranked as one of the most stressful events you can experience in your lifetime, alongside divorce and the death of a loved one. This statement might sound pretentious since the two mentioned events can cause extreme depression. However, moving isn’t just about relocation but includes multiple tasks, including packing, loading, transport, unloading, and unpacking. Besides these most common tasks related to moving, there are other things you should think about along the way, which can be very frustrating, especially for first-time movers. Yet, there are certain measures you should think about to make the whole move easier where proper planning and organization are crucial. Furthermore, we recommend creating a moving checklist that will contain all the critical tasks related to the move. So, if you want to read about what do do before your move? Check out the following text below.
1. Preparation
As we already mentioned earlier, proper planning and organization are vital for the move to be conducted in the best possible manner. The same goes for preparation. Now, you might think there isn’t anything to prepare, but for instance, preparation refers to a period of around 3-4 weeks before your move. What does this mean? Well, for starters, you need to think about how many items you plan on transporting, how to transfer utilities, cable, etc., whether you want to sell your old property and buy a new one, and sign a new lease if you plan on renting, and so on. So, preparation serves a higher purpose in terms of thinking about all the tasks you should perform before the actual moving process begins. In any case, if you have no prior experience on the subject, we highly recommend taking enough time to think the whole move thru. This way, you’ll prevent a lot of confusion related to a rush move.
Also, another question you should answer is whether you want to perform the whole move by yourself or hire a professional moving company to take care of the whole thing for you. In any case, make sure to explore all available options before making a final decision.
2. Declutter
Another task you should definitely put on your moving checklist is decluttering your home of any unneeded items you surely own. Let’s face it, most of us have numerous items that we don’t use or are way too old to have any purpose rather than holding memories. If that’s the case, moving is a perfect opportunity for you to declutter, which can be done in several ways, including throwing away anything you don’t need, donating, or even throwing a yard sale. If you choose to throw away all the items that cannot be put to good use, make sure to consider other options before you do it, but only if those items are functional in any way. Second, you can throw a yard sale and even make some money, especially since you’ll have to spend a vast amount of money to conduct the move in the best possible manner. Lastly, suppose you want to feel like a part of the community. In that case, we recommend donating the objects you don’t need to a charity or an unprofitable organization as long as the objects are usable.
In any case, make sure to include decluttering in your moving checklist, as it can greatly influence the moving cost.
3. Conduct a Budget
Now, when you’ve prepared for the move and got rid of any items that cannot be put to good use, it’s time to conduct your budget. Although the majority of people don’t realize the importance of conducting your budget, we assure you that it is quite necessary. First of all, it is always better to know what amount of money would help you conduct the move in the best possible manner without draining your funds. Second, conducting a budget will help you decide whether you want to perform the move by yourself using various DIY methods or hiring a professional moving company to take care of the whole thing for you.
Also, make sure to leave at least 10 to 15 percent of your budget for unexpected expenses that might occur. Although you might think that there is no need to leave this percentage of your budget unattended, you’d be surprised how often unexpected events occur. So, the next thing you need to take care of is conducting your budget. If you are having trouble with conducting your budget, ask family and friends for opinions on what else you should take into consideration while performing the task.
Don’t forget to make a final decision whether you want to hire professional movers or go for a DIY move. Of course, make sure to explore all available options before making a choice.
4. Pack
When you’ve taken care of technicalities and chosen which moving option would suit your needs best, it’s time to start packing. However, packing doesn’t mean you should grab all your things, put them in boxes, and go, which is why packing should be taken very seriously. So, make sure to underline this task while placing it on the moving checklist. Also, before packing, you’ll have to obtain packing supplies which include bubble wrap, packing tape, duck tape, packing paper, furniture dolly, sliders, etc., depending on the type of items you plan on moving. Keep in mind that some items need to be handled with extra care and attention, which can be tricky if you have no prior experience on the subject. Luckily, there are various moving guides online for packing antiques, clothing, furniture, etc.
