Moving to a new house is one of the most stressful things you can do. No matter why you’re moving or where, planning and preparation can take the stress out of a big move with the family. Here’s how to plan and prepare for moving to a new house.
Make a Notebook for the Move
Using a notebook can help keep you organized, simplifying the moving process. You can create a binder of your own, use an old notebook, or use a cloud document to keep everything neat and tidy and safe from loss.
Your notebook can contain everything from your filing system, agenda for move-in day, and to-do lists along with budgets and keeping receipts.
Organize your notebook by color or with different folders if you’re using something like Google Drive so that you have easy accessibility.
The most important thing that should go in your binder is the moving checklist that you’ll need before, during, and after your move.
Calculate Your Costs
Make sure that you create a budget and calculate your moving expenses accordingly. Add up your total estimated costs for the move to make a good starting budget. Calculating how much you’re willing to spend beforehand can help you determine the right ways to move without breaking the bank.
There are tons of expenses to factor in, like hiring professional movers, buying moving supplies, and paying for child care during move-in.
Here are some of the most common moving costs that you might want to factor into your budget:
- Professional movers
- Moving boxes and packaging
- Travel costs
- Emergency money
- Storage units
Hire a Moving Company When Necessary
While many people may choose to rent a truck and move all of their belongings themselves because it’s cheaper, you may find that hiring a moving company offers more benefits like being able to move without worrying whether or not you’ve forgotten something at the old residence or making multiple trips yourself. Moving is hard work, and you’ll be carrying a lot of heavy items like workout machines, pianos, televisions, sofas, decor, and more.
While you might be quite capable of carrying your mattresses from truck to home, you can save yourself time with a moving company. While they’re bringing your belongings inside the new home, you can begin unpacking, organizing, and designing.
Hiring a moving company saves you a ton of hassle, so make sure to shop around before choosing the one right for you.
You should schedule your move with them at least a few weeks in advance so that you can get the proper quote and ensure that they know when and where they’ll be picking up and moving your belongings.
Plan for Children
If you’re not moving too far away from your previous residence, you can take your child to daycare during the move. However, if you are moving far away and don’t have anyone to watch your child, you can bring them with you for the experience. It’s best to tell children that you’re moving beforehand and that your trip to their new home will be a fun road trip. Once you’ve arrived at your new home, have plenty of activities for them to do so that they won’t get bored.
Change Your Address
Changing your address is typically an afterthought after you’ve moved and realized that you haven’t been getting all of the mail you normally do.
Before you begin packing for your move, dedicate a section of your notebook and jot down all the essential utilities, organizations, and people whom you may need to contact prior to moving. If you wait until you’ve already moved to change your address, you may miss out on important bills that need to be paid, so it’s best to change your address before moving.
Make sure to also update your address with doctors, dentist, schools, daycare, and anyone else who would be sending you mail so that you don’t miss any appointments or important notifications. If you’re leaving the city, these professionals may be able to refer to your other options closer to your new home.
Thanks for reading and y’all stay dandy.
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