The Guide to Moving to a New Place

Moving to a new place is an incredibly stressful process, especially for people without prior moving experience. Luckily, a good plan and a detailed checklist can make the moving process smoother and more tolerable.

Written by:

Derek

Last Updated: Fri, August 9, 2019

Moving to a new place is an incredibly stressful process, especially for people without prior moving experience. It is so stressful that it’s commonly ranked just below death or divorce in terms of severity. It’s one thing to be a bystander when you’re a child, but organizing a move yourself is exhausting and difficult. However, when planned properly, moving house is one of the main ways to create a massive positive change in your sleeping conditions and overall lifestyle. In this guide, we will go over advice on how to plan your next move (pun intended), and avoid feeling overwhelmed and stressed out to an unhealthy degree. With a good plan, a detailed checklist and some effort, a move can be made much smoother and more tolerable. So let’s begin.

The Great Moving Checklist

One of the best ways to keep things moving in a controlled and steady fashion is to maintain a checklist that boils down moving into a set of steps. Decide what your moving date is going to be, and then start clearing the checklist at least two or three months in advance. It should give you ample time to find a good moving company if you choose to do so, and a buffer period for dealing with unfortunate events is never a bad thing. We will explain the steps taken during a move, so you don’t feel confused about which activities take priority early on.

Just as with moving companies, rent your truck early in the preparation process. That way, you can snatch up good deals before they become unavailable, and avoid being forced into sub-optimal or overpriced choices. You may encounter special discounts if you’re a student or you’re shopping online, and those discounts can be generous (going as high as 50% or more in some cases).

Packing Advice

If done without preparation or planning, packing is a nightmare of lost items, confusion and stress. It’s very easy to misplace something or have a precious belonging damaged due to negligence and rush. As with everything else when it comes to moving to a new place, planning is key.

An important thing to do when packing and preparing to move is set aside all the things you’re going to need close-by during the whole moving process. For example, you’re going to need a few sets of clothing to switch between while you pack everything else and transport your belongings. These clothes should be kept in a separate suitcase that allows for easy access, and you should treat that suitcase as though you’re on a trip. Everything you use on a day-to-day basis is there, like toiletries and similar items. Once you’re done packing the rest of your things, you can simply close that suitcase and take it with you. This approach prevents you from accidentally packing something crucial for your day-to-day life.

Before packing anything, sort your belongings to make your job easier. A common approach (and one we strongly recommend) is sorting and packing items by room. This makes it very easy to later unpack and distribute those possessions in your new home. While you will typically have to make compromises and sort some things outside of their room-specific boxes, this approach also benefits people you have helping you, when combined with a good labeling habit. If you unload a box labeled “Kitchen – Plates,” you immediately know where to take it and unpack the items inside. It reduces stress and helps you unpack much faster than you normally would.

A lot of homes have some sort of storage room, and in dire situations, a regular room can be repurposed into one. If you have to pack a lot of extra sheets, pillows or similar items, pack them all together, so you’re aware of where you used to keep them, and how urgent it is to unpack them, as well as where they belong in your new home.

As mentioned above, labeling helps save a ton of time, if you are thorough and diligent. We recommend purchasing stickers that allow you to write on them, and marking the following attributes on each box:

The End of the Road – Moving In and Unpacking

It takes time to settle into a new home. The layout of the place is probably entirely different from what you’re used to, and you may not feel completely in charge. Unpacking properly isn’t very difficult if you’ve been following the advice thus far, but we still have some advice we want to share.

 

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