For many people, the very idea of moving home is stressful enough, not the mention the day when the moving truck arrives. However, there are a few moving tips that can help you get through the ordeal without growing a single grey hair.
Get rid of clutter
Clutter is irreversibly connected to stress. The idea of having to pack and move thousands of items without damaging or losing a single one is enough to cause a month’s worth of headaches. The truth is, that you’re going to pack many items that you won’t be needed ever again. Just consider the amount of money you could save on packing materials and transportation if you just left them behind. Of course, you won’t leave all that stuff to the new owners or tenants. You need to filter your clutter by organizing it into three piles – sell, donate, and bin. Items that could bring some money will go to the sell pile. Snap a few photos of each and list them on eBay or Facebook. If you have time to spare, you can organize a huge yard sale. Make someone happy by donating the things you don’t need, or even score a tax deduction by donating to local charities.
Start small
An old Chinese proverb says that the one who has to move a mountain begins with small stones. Deal with the easy things first and before you know, you’ll be halfway into your move. If the moving stress makes you sick, it’s important to get just something done to get things moving. Whether it’s wrapping the kitchen drawer in cling-film, which is an excellent time-saving tip to move all your small items together as they come, or sorting your books into boxes, making visible progress is an important stress-managing tool. Just focus on the task at hand and try not to worry where every little thing will fit when unpacked in your new space.
Calculate your costs
When you’ve downsized your inventory and started packing you need to eliminate another big cause of stress from the picture, which is money. The very day you start thinking about the move, you start worrying about the financial aspect, especially if you have no idea how much it will cost. This concern is real, especially if you’re moving for the first time, so you need to do everything you can to keep the tab low. For example, instead of going with a moving company, hire a truck or van and complete the move with a few helpers. Check out special deals at Budget trucks or browse their list of available cargo vehicles to find the one that best suits your needs. It’s important to know how much the move will cost in advance so you can prepare for hidden expenses that may turn up along the way.
Prepare the packing material
For a few weeks before the big day, start piling up stacks of cardboard boxes and newspapers along with other supplies like duct tape and packing peanuts. If you don’t read newspapers, you can always pick free community newspapers outside your post office or grocery store or use big store promotional catalogues. While it’s always good to keep the original cardboard boxes and the styrofoam shells of your appliances, ask your friends who’ve moved recently if they have any boxes left from their moves. Local grocery stores and retail outlets will often gladly give their boxes which they need to throw away anyway before they pile up to the rafters. Where you’d want to spend a bit are the packing peanuts which are great for protecting fragile heirlooms and electronics. The good thing is that you can use them again whenever you need to ship something that needs extra padding.
Get to know the new house
Finally, you need to minimize the stress of arriving and unloading at your new place. On your second, and perhaps even third viewing of the house, make sure to ask all the questions about the house you need to know. For example, you need to know straight away the location of water, gas, and electricity meters and valves and the main switch. The last thing you need is to finish unpacking late in the night and then don’t know how the water heater works. If kitchen appliances are already in place, you need to know how they work in advance, as well as other location-specific info, for example, on which days are the bins collected.
If the prospects of your next move cause you much stress, remember that apart from these time-and-money-saving tips, much difference can be made by just adjusting your mindset. The move can actually help you build stronger bonds with your family and friends and even get you to meet new people.