A Guide to the Stressless(ish) First Day of Your Move
Cross-country moving is an adventure filled with lots of different emotions, from nostalgia and anxiety to happiness and excitement, but it can become overwhelming and chaotic. However, with a bit of a positive attitude and a lot of planning, the first day of your move can be surprisingly stressless. And here is the guide that can help you achieve exactly that.
Moving day involves efficient packing, detailed cleaning of the house, and good preparation in advance. To have a stress-free first day of the move, you will need a good plan in place, proper supplies, and the help of professionals.
Getting Ready for the Moving Day Must Start Weeks Before
A moving day preparation is a process that needs to start well in advance. But can you move out of your house on the first day? To achieve that, you will have to have the help of cross-country movers and do a lot of organization in advance. Make no mistake, from house hunting and packing the household to selling a house, there will be a lot of things you need to arrange. If you are relocating with kids, you will have to find them a new doctor and health insurance and transfer their medical records. Also, they will need to enroll at a new school.
And the list doesn’t end there. If you are relocating without a job, it would be best to find a new job before the move. If this is not possible, you will have to make a good budget and plan ahead all the expenditures. Here is a list and timeline of all the things you need to do before the move.
| Timeline | Tasks |
|---|---|
| 6 weeks before | Find a new home and arrange to sell the old one |
| 5 weeks before | Declutter and sort belongings, notify utility companies of the move date and update the address with the government |
| 4 weeks before | Book long-distance movers and start packing non-essential items |
| 3 weeks before | Pack essentials for immediate use (kitchen items, toiletries) |
| 2 weeks before | Update address with banks, insurance companies, and USPS and request medical records |
| 1 week before | Finalize packing and labeling and arrange daycare for kids |
Long-Distance Moving Services Should Be Booked Well in Advance
One of the most crucial things on the long-distance moving checklist is hiring a moving company. And it would be best to do this one month in advance. Of course, if you are moving at the last minute, you will still be able to book a long-distance moving company, but you will have limited choice.
When searching for movers, start by asking for recommendations from friends and family. Maybe someone moved recently and can give you some advice. Secondly, before you choose a company, make sure you check if it’s legit to avoid relocation scammers. You should also check if a company has a USDOT number – all movers must be registered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and have this number.
When choosing the company, pick the one that can provide you with all the services you need, from moving services to car shipping and packing. Also, ask if they provide any special deals. For instance, Flat Price Auto Transport and Moving offers free packing of large items and furniture, so if you don’t have a budget for full packing services, this offer can be of huge help on this stressful day.
Decide Whether You Want to Drive or Ship a Car
There are many reasons why you should ship a car. For starters, driving cross country can be exciting and adventurous but also dangerous and expensive, especially if you are relocating in winter. Driving through blizzards and icy roads is something you should try to avoid. Many people avoid hiring an auto transport company because they are afraid that this service will cost a fortune, while in reality, the cost of car shipping has become so affordable that most Americans choose to transport their cars this way.
On the other hand, if you have more than two vehicles you can drive one car to a new destination and hire a car shipping company and its auto transport services for the remaining vehicles. This way, you get to keep one car with you and transport all the items movers won’t move, valuables, and essentials you will need once you are at the new home.
Pack Everything Before the Big Day Arrives
A cornerstone of successful relocation is a good packing organization. The ideal scenario would be to start with packing non-essentials weeks in advance. Non-essential items are the items you don’t currently use. So if you are relocating in winter, non-essential would be summer clothing, for instance. Once you have finished packing these items, you should start making plans to deal with other belongings.
Declutter and Downsize Before Packing
The first step to efficient packing is perhaps the hardest – downsizing and decluttering the household and getting rid of all the items you don’t need, use, or want. Go one room at a time and divide the belongings into two piles to keep and to go. Then, gather all the piles from all rooms that are set aside for throwing away and start another sorting – to donate, sell, or throw away.
You can organize a garage sale and earn some money along the way. Or, you can donate to a local charity or give something to friends and family. Keep all of these options in mind when sorting through belongings, and make sure you double-check everything so you don’t throw away something valuable or important.
Packing Will Be Easier With Right Supplies
Like with many things in life, the right tools and supplies make the job much faster and easier. The same goes when it comes to packing. There are so many different packing materials that you can utilize to make everything easier. For example, cardboard boxers with hangers for suits, dresses, shirts, and coats. Not only do these containers prevent wrinkles of the items, but you will also unpack them a lot more easily.
Using specialized materials when dealing with fragile items is also something you should try, especially containers for wine glasses and bottles.
Hire Professionals to Help You Out
On the other hand, if you don’t want to deal with packing, you can always hire professionals to get this done for you. Breaking of valuables and fragile items is probably something you worry about the most, but did you know that you can hire movers only to pack these items?
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Packing Services
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Storage Service
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Read moreSet Aside Boxes of Essentials
Another thing you need to think about when sorting items is setting aside essential belongings, from the items you will need to wear to hygiene products, kitchen utensils, and cleaning supplies. You need to be aware that your belongings may arrive after you move into the new property and that you will need some necessities to function normally. Here is a list of all the items you may need:
- Bedding/sheets/pillows,
- Hygiene products,
- Hair dryer,
- Towels,
- Clothing and underwear,
- Cleaning supplies (cloth, mop, bucket, paper towels, sponges),
- Plastic plates and cups,
- Coffee makers,
- Slow cooker or multi cooker,
- Scissors, knives, and utensils,
- Wifi rooter and chargers.
Have a Smooth First Day of the Move With a Professional Checklist at Hand
One of the best professional tips you will get is to create a relocation checklist. In fact, most people opt for the creation of a moving binder where they can write down all the things they need to do. One of the lists this binder should have is a list of tasks for a couple of days before moving day arrives. Here is what this list should contain.
Clean the Passage
On a moving day, before movers arrive, make sure the passageway is clean from all the debris or items that can get in the way. Pay attention to to walls and seedlings as well, and clear everything that can cause problems for movers, especially if they are moving furniture.
Prepare Cash for Movers
The question about tipping movers is left entirely to you. If you think the professionals have done a good job and took good care of your belongings, then you should tip them. Whether you are going to give cash individually or to the group, it’s up to you as well – just have a couple of bucks ready for this purpose.
Pack the Car
If you decide against shipping a car cross country, now is the time to pack it with the boxes and bags you set aside before. When packing a car, make sure you don’t overdo it so it’s not too heavy and make sure the visibility field for safe driving is not blocked.
Supervise the Loading
Once movers arrive, all you need to do is supervise the loading and make sure all the items you wish on a truck are loaded.
Do a Final Walkthrough and Prepare for Cleaning
Check all rooms, closets, and storage areas to ensure nothing is left behind. Once all the boxes and furniture is out of the way, you can do house cleaning. This shouldn’t take too much time. And, once you are finished cleaning, do a final check of all doors and windows to make sure everything is closed.
Arrange Daycare for Kids or Pets
If you are relocating with kids or maybe pets, the best thing to do is to keep them away on a moving day. If it is possible, ask a friend or family member to take care of them. Or you can hire a babysitter to keep kids away from all the chaos. Make sure you make this arrangement a week in advance so you don’t end up without any help and kids running around asking for snacks and lunch.
Still, if you are not able to keep them away from the house, you can set up one room where they can sit, play, and watch TV. This should be the safe room where you can keep valuables and essentials as well.
Be a Good Host and Sit Back and Relax
Last but not least, on the big day, you need to think about yourself and the workers. So make sure you have enough refreshments and arrange lunch and coffee breaks from time to time. Aside from you being a good host, there will be nothing you need to do while professionals are there. If this move is coming any time soon, contact us, Flat Price Auto Transport and Moving, today and get a free relocation quote so you can begin making the arrangements right away.
