Moving Advice: Tips for a Smooth Move

Moving can be a nightmare for anyone, especially someone who hasn't moved for a number of years. You get comfortable in your home, you tend to collect things. You tend to not realize just how much you actually have until you are trying to move. Moving can be made easier, if you are willing to take a few tips and think about what you're doing ahead of time.

Save boxes
When you're getting ready to move, don't throw away any boxes. Even the smallest shoe box can be useful when you're packing your things. For instance, if you've purchased new shoes, save the box to pack your kitchen drawers. If you don't have a silverware box, you can pack your silverware into a shoe box. Pack your spoons, spatulas, knives, etc in smaller boxes to save you from having to hunt them down in larger boxes when you try to unpack. If you use one box per drawer, you can easily unpack your things into the drawers separately without having to figure out which drawer things go into.

Reuse common items
Egg cartons are another great thing for when you're packing. Have small screws for different furniture pieces? Put them in a slot in the egg carton, label the slot and you'll have them when you need them. Taking furniture and/or fans apart when you're moving can be frustrating if you don't know what to do with the screws. They aren't that easy to replace, either. For instance, the screw for a desk can look identical to a screw for a table or an entertainment center.

Take your time
Seriously, plan your move far enough in advance that you don't have to pack everything in a day or two. Pack a box or two daily, pack slowly and make sure you're only packing the things that you don't need before you get moved. If you try to pack everything at the last minute, you tend to throw things into boxes and you don't know where anything is.

Label everything
I can not say enough about labeling the boxes because if you don't label, you won't be able to find anything when you get done. If you pack something away that you need, you can check the labels and you can easily find the box that you need. If you label when you're packing, when you move the boxes, they can be placed in the room that they go in easier when you're moving them. Kitchen boxes don't go into the bedroom on accident and vice versa.

Plan ahead
Start collecting your boxes as soon as you know you're moving. Figure out if you're going to rent a truck to move, reserve it well enough in advance if you are. Get friends and family lined up in advance to help. Make sure the power, television, phone, water, etc is turned on in advance. Make sure your new home is ready. Make sure you know exactly what day you're moving. Give yourself enough time to make your move go smoothly.

Rent a truck
If you don't own a vehicle large enough to move everything in, rent one. It may seem like it will be expensive, but it's worth it. You can rent from U-haul, Budget or any variety of companies in your area for a fairly low daily rate. You can pay as little as $20 day in some areas for a vehicle and you can load more into one trip so you aren't using as much fuel or adding extra wear and tear onto your vehicle.

Moving doesn't have to be a complete nightmare. You can make it pleasurable, no matter if it's across town or across the country. Don't let it overwhelm you and make sure to stop to take a breath.