Moving is one of the most stressful things people do yet Americans move a lot. The typical person in the United States will move 12 times during their lives. Every year, at least 33% of all renters move from one place to another. Experts say that about 63% of all adults in the United States have made at least one move to a new community while 37% will stay in their hometown. If you are facing a move, these tips from moving and storage company experts can help.
- Save money on boxes. You can buy boxes from storage facilities and residential movers but you can also find free boxes. Most people know about going to the grocery store for boxes but you can also find them on Craigslist. If there is a Costco or Sam’s Club near you, they often have great boxes. You do not have to spend money to get great boxes.
- Downsize. Moving gives you a good chance to go through your belongings and get rid of items that you no longer need or use. You should not throw aways your old clothes or items. Donate them to a local charity. You can then help someone else, pare down your stuff and get a tax write off all at the same time. If you cannot get your donations to the charity, they can often come to you.
- Make a plan. Moving and storage company experts suggest scheduling all of the tasks that you have to get done and make lists of what you have and what you have to do. Get out the calendar and plan each week up until your move so that you get everything done on schedule. There are a lot of details involved in moving. Remember, you have to deal with shutting off services at your old place and starting new ones at your new place.
Use garbage bags to protect you hanging clothing. Keep your items on their hangers but put garbage bags over that to keep them protected from dirt and dust. When you get to your new home, you just remove the bags and you have your stuff all ready to be worn.
- Pack a bag or box for your first night. The very last thing you are going to want to spend your first night doing is rifling through all of your boxes to find your toothbrush. Pack a bag with some clothing to last a few days, your toiletries and whatever you will absolutely need your first few days. You should also have a box of dishes you can use, your coffee maker and just the items that you use every day.
- Use disposable plates to keep your china safe. Moving and storage company experts recommend using disposable plates to pack your china plates. This is a great way to keep them safe for the move. As you stack your china plates, place a disposable plate between each. When you get your disposable plates, go for foam. This is a lot more sturdy than the paper plates.
- Protect your glassware with wine boxes. Cases of wine come in the perfect boxes for packing your glassware. If you have not bought your own cases of wine, you can check with a local liquor or grocery store or a bar to get these boxes. Use newspaper for extra padding to keep your glasses safe and snug.
- Use plastic wrap on your dresser drawers. If you are hiring a moving and storage company, you can leave your stuff in the dresser and just wrap the entire thing in saran wrap. This way, nothing will move during the time they are in the moving truck. This also saves you some time packing those items and you will not need to get boxes for the items that you have in your dressers. This is a real time and space saver. When you take your stuff out of the dresser to pack in a box, that is more room on the truck that has to be taken up.
Most people dread moving. Packing is no fun. Unpacking is no better. The entire experience can be made less painful with some advance planning and work.
