Are you planning on moving soon? Will this be a long-distance move to a new state or even a new country? This can be a stressful situation but doesn’t have to be if you are well prepared.
Keep reading for a helpful long distance moving checklist that will keep you organized and reduce your stress levels.
Table of Contents
Plan What You are Taking
If you’ve been living in your current location for more than a few years then there is a good chance you have accumulated quite a few things. Getting ready for a move is the perfect time to go through your things and decide what you want to keep and what you no longer need.
Start by decluttering one room at a time. Go through your things and decide what you are going to keep, donate, or throw away. If you are having trouble deciding how much you are willing to bring, calling professional movers like the moving company in southlake tx, is a great way to get a quote on just how much moving your stuff is going to cost. If it turns out that you would like to save a few dollars and leave that ping pong table or sofa behind, You might also want to consider having a garage sale to make some cash on the decent items that you aren’t planning on bringing with you.
Once you are ready, gather up your donations and taking them to either a charity or donation center, and then dump the items that aren’t worth saving or giving away. Start this process as soon as possible so you can narrow down the stuff you will be packing up and make things less stressful.
Packing Up
Once you have gotten rid of the items you aren’t intending on keeping for your move it is time to get ready for packing. Before you start gathering your things together you should make sure you have plenty of packing supplies ready to go.
You can purchase standard moving boxes at most of the big box stores. They also have fundamental items like packing tape, bubble wrap, and large permanent markers that you can use to label your boxes. You might want to keep the sizes of the boxes in the medium or small range so you can easily carry them yourselves. If you have a lot of stuff you might want to hire long distance movers to do the heavy lifting for you.
When you are packing, make sure you leave out the essential items that you will need between moving day and arriving at your new home. This should include some changes of clothes, toiletries, important paperwork, and some snacks for moving day.
Transfer Addresses
Once you know when you are moving and what your new address will be it is important that you begin transferring your old address to the new one. This should be done for your banking institution, credit card companies, insurance companies, and your place of employment.
If you have any children you should start arranging their transferring of schools and all of their school records. This is especially important to start early if you are moving during the middle of a school year.
This is also the time to begin scheduling the disconnection of your electric service, water, cable, pest control, or any lawn maintenance services that you might have. You should also arrange these things to be installed or started at your new home so that at the very least you have electricity and internet service when you arrive.
Last-Minute Prep for the Big Day
Leading up to the day of the move it is time to rent a moving truck and make travel arrangements for any family members and pets that won’t be traveling with you in the truck. Whether this means that they are riding in a separate vehicle or staying with a friend or relative and arriving after your things are settled, its time to make a plan.
Now is also the time to start eating up all the perishable foods you have, boxing up the pantry, and cleaning out the fridge. Make sure any of the breakable pantry items have been packed in safely and marked “fragile” on the box. Hopefully, this will keep the foodstuff from breaking and potentially spoiling and ruining other things during the move.
Next, go through your home and wipe down all the surfaces, clean the shower or bathtubs, and vacuum the floor. Don’t forget to clean the stove and wipe out the inside of the cabinets. Now is also the time to say goodbye to your neighbors and anyone else in the area that you have grown close to.
The Day of the Move
On the day of the move, make sure you have a clear path leading from your home to the moving truck. Clear any obstacles or objects out of the way, and if it’s snowing be sure to clear out any snow or ice. Have all your boxes stacked and ready to load in the truck by order of heaviest to lightest so it makes the process quicker.
Keep your suitcase and other essential items separate from the things that are going on the truck so that they don’t get mixed up in the fray. If you have friends and family who are helping you move, make sure you have plenty of drinks available and order some lunch to thank them for all their hard work.
Once all of your things have been loaded onto the moving truck, do a final walkthrough of your home and make sure there wasn’t anything missed. Then close and lock and doors and windows that are open, and if necessary turn off the thermostat before leaving and locking the door.
Learn More About Long Distance Moving Today!
Hopefully, you have found this long distance moving checklist helpful with keeping you organized and ready for the big day. The key points are to make sure you start packing early so you have a chance to sort through your things and pack your items in an organized manner so they are easy to load and unload in your new home. Make sure you transfer all of your information and turn on and off your services before arriving and finally, clean up and say goodbye.
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