Moving to a new home can become an incredibly stressful experience without enough preparation. The moving day can be very long and tiring, so it’s important to know what to expect and plan around making things more straightforward. Make sure you know everything that will happen on your moving day, including the time of your scheduled arrival at your new home.
That’s what the Move, Store & More live for (dramatic tone intended) – to soften the blow of relocating and using storage. We’ll go through five reasons why you should start planning your relocation now, with suggestions on what actions you take. We’re going to walk the walk and jump straight into the action.
Planning Your Relocation – An Overview
There are many aspects to a move that can leave you frazzled, but it’s possible to have a stress-free relocation by following these five tips:
- Plan Ahead – Make sure you organise everything before your big day, including every task for your relocation and what help you need from others. Moving is stressful, so the sooner you can start planning, the better.
- Organise beforehand – Gather all your boxes and supplies ahead of time so they’re ready for when it comes time to pack up your things and head off to your new home. Packing your belongings in advance is easier than during a busy move day.
- Employ professionals – Hiring movers will make moving day less chaotic and more enjoyable for everyone involved. It will also prevent potential accidents or injuries during transit. Three weeks gives you enough time to find a moving company and book their services.
- Use Storage – You’ll find it beneficial to use self storage when moving. Additionally, try reducing your overall volume of items by decluttering. Use this simple rule: get rid of what you wouldn’t pay to store something.
- Prepare for arrival – Work out what will happen when you arrive. You won’t stress on the moving day because you’ll tackle every duty beforehand. This way, if anything goes wrong with your move – like an accident or bad weather – you’ll still have plenty of time to reschedule without losing money or getting stuck with extra fees due to last-minute changes.
Start Planning Your Move At Least Three Weeks in Advance
Preparation is a numbers game. You only get so many hours in one day, which scales to weeks and months. If you think of this as an equation – calculate how much time you have between now and your relocation. Unless it’s an emergency that is out of your control, you should aim for a minimum of three weeks before your moving day. And that’s pushing it.
Suppose you leave it and have less time, the chances of you forgetting an important task increase significantly. This is where mistakes creep in, and you’re rushing around like your feet are on fire, trying to organise everything in one week. Don’t be that person who starts spamming everyone they know with chaotic messages and phone calls pleading for help.
For better or worse, this is all your responsibility. Take control of the situation to ensure your possessions remain in perfect condition during and after your relocation. This is especially true for anyone who’s planning on doing this themselves. You’ll need additional time to pack everything correctly and learn how to arrange the removal vehicle to avoid objects colliding during transit. And your first task is to start sourcing suitable moving boxes.
Organise – Gather Boxes and Supplies Beforehand
Organising your moving supplies can be tricky, particularly if you’re moving house or apartment yourself. If you don’t have the skill of packing efficiently yet want to reduce your spending, you’ll need to learn how to do things properly. There are several benefits of relocating without professional help, but it requires planning and effort.
If you are relocating with a team of experienced people, following their instructions will help ensure your relocation goes to plan. To make the process go as smoothly as possible for yourself, it is best to have all the supplies ready before moving day, including tape, boxes, and markers. You can purchase the moving supplies at a do-it-yourself store, online on platforms like Amazon, or you can request assistance from family members or friends.
If you are purchasing the boxes yourself, bear in mind which materials are strong enough for use during your move. New cardboard boxes work great for storage and moving items. Second-hand cardboard boxes should be okay for lighter objects because they can rip or tear easily. We recommend buying other moving supplies such as bubble wrap, packing paper, and stretch wrap. These materials are helpful when packing fragile items like glassware or porcelain dishes.
Another tip when moving by yourself is to purchase customised labels. These are very useful in preventing items from being lost or misplaced, particularly when unpacking. They can be applied directly onto boxes to show what room each box or container belongs to. By following these tips, you will have easier organising your moving supplies and boxes ahead of time, making the process less strenuous for you.
Move Store & More Tip #1 – Source suitable packing materials.
Hire a Reliable Moving Company or Enlist Helpers
All relocations come with challenges and unique things to consider. But it can be even more difficult if this is your first move and you’re unsure of where to start. Professional movers have many benefits, such as their knowledge of packing correctly and handling delicate objects. That said, there are other factors to consider, and you should weigh them up before deciding.
Moving can be a stressful experience when you’re in charge of packing and transporting everything. And this is where DIY relocations have an increased risk of damage occurring. The best way to approach this is to ensure you work out how to lift and pack things properly. If you’re confident that you (or someone you know) can do this, finding a suitably large vehicle for the final removal job is the next option.
The truth is that this sounds easier than reality. That’s why we lean towards working with a reputable moving company. Their teams employ movers with expert handling and packing skills to take care of the specific details with the proper training. This will ensure that your most valuable possessions reach their destination intact.
Also, you may be required to get professional movers from the insurance company that provides your policy. This is because movers are experienced in packing and transporting items without causing breakages. So, if you want to avoid possible damage claims, hiring professionals to move homes is recommended. Remember to check with your insurance broker to check your coverage and to see if they stipulate using a professional moving company.
Move Store & More Tip #2 – Get three quotes from moving companies and check out their Google and Trustpilot ratings.
The Benefits of Using Self Storage when Moving
The biggest dilemma is always how you fit all your belongings into a small space when it comes to organising a move. Many people end up shifting boxes and furniture around as they try and pack. That creates issues when trying to lead a somewhat everyday life amongst the chaos of boxes and appliances while you organise your relocation.
There is a solution you can consider that will solve this problem. Self storage units have many benefits that allow you to pack without this hassle. Instead of giving yourself additional work, the best option is to free space in your home and put any full boxes into storage until the moving day. You can keep doing this regularly until the final week before the relocation.
You can move full boxes out of the house and free up more space before your moving day. Doing this will keep your belongings safe and secure while you prepare to move. The movers can load your items from the storage unit on the day of the big move and coordinate everything, so you don’t have to. Self-storage units can help with your move without you having to worry about all the extra work.
Move Store & More Tip #3 – Get three quotes from self storage provider and check out their Google and Trustpilot ratings. The likelihood is the same company can perform both services.
Know What to Expect on Arrival
Relocating can be an overwhelming process but being prepared is key. One of the best things you can do when you arrive in your new home is to take a moment and look around. You may have already done this when visiting with your real estate agent, but it’s helpful to do it again on your own. This gives you an opportunity to check for any minor repairs and upgrades.
When you start moving boxes in, you want to make sure they are bottom-heavy to avoid toppling over. A good way to achieve this is by packing items together (i.e., heavier items on the bottom with lighter ones on top). Additionally, ensure your fragile belongings are safe and separate from the bulkier items. We suggest taking them with you in the car and then settling them somewhere secure in your new home.
Moving is a great time to take inventory of what you own and how much space you have for your possessions. This way, if there’s anything you don’t use or only occasionally, it will be easy to decide whether you can let go of it. It will help if you declutter before your arrival in your new home, so start taking that into consideration now.
Once you settle into your new home, take time to get out and meet your neighbours. Not only will they be great resources for local information, but you’ll have created a support group that can help you get through any bumpy roads during this transitional period. By being organised, you will easily find your unpacking boxes when ready to put things away. This makes the whole process less stressful, allowing you to enjoy your new home sooner.
Move Store & More Tip #4 – Create a moving checklist and use a blank calendar to set deadlines. Also, start thinking about decluttering to avoid taking your problems with you.
Move, Store & More – Never Fail to Prepare Again
You’ll have heard that one before – fail to prepare, prepare to fail. While this falls into the realm of cliché, there’s a lot of truth here. If you don’t put enough effort into the planning stages, it’ll inevitably affect you later. Hopefully, this doesn’t result in any major consequences, but it’s worth reducing the risks, especially since most of this is avoidable.
Starting early is putting your best foot forward, and you’ll rarely go wrong when you put the time in when organising a relocation. And we hope this article gives you some helpful pointers for your next move. One of the key reasons for starting Move, Store & More was to provide information that helps people enjoy successful results, whether moving home or using storage.
If you still have questions regarding this topic we haven’t covered, please get in touch, or leave a comment, and we’ll do some additional digging. Wherever possible, we’ll seek answers and will revert.
We’ll be back with a new blog shortly. Until then, go well, and we hope you’ll Move, Store & More with us soon.