Relocating Assistance: 8 Tips for a Better Cross Country Move
All of us learn about turning on the utilities at the brand-new location and filling out the change-of-address form for the postal service, however when you make a long-distance move, some other things come into play that can make getting from here to there a bit trickier. Here are 9 suggestions pulled from my recent experience of moving from the East Coast to the West Coast-- from loading the moving van to dealing with the inevitable disasters.
Maximize area in the moving van. Moving cross-country is not inexpensive (I can only think of the cost of moving overseas), so I did a lot of reading and asking around for pointers before we packed up our home, to make sure we made the most of the area in our truck.
Declutter before you load. There's no sense in bringing it with you-- that area in the truck is cash if you do not like it or require it!
Leave dresser drawers filled. For the first time ever, instead of emptying the cabinet drawers, I simply left the linens and clothes folded within and concluded the furnishings. Does this make them heavier? Yes. As long as the drawers are filled with lightweight items (absolutely not books), it ought to be great. And if not, you (or your helpers) can bring the drawers out separately. The advantage is twofold: You need less boxes, and it will be easier to discover stuff when you relocate.
Load soft products in black trash bags. Attractive? Not in the least. This has to be the most intelligent packing concept we tried. Fill durable black trash bags with soft items (duvets, pillows, packed animals), then use the bags as area fillers and cushioning inside the truck. To keep products protected and tidy, we doubled the bags and tied, then taped, them shut. Utilize a long-term marker on sticky labels used to the outside to keep in mind the contents.
2. Paint prior to you move in. If you plan to offer your new area a fresh coat of paint, it makes a great deal of sense to do this before moving all your stuff in.
Aside from the obvious (it's simpler to paint an empty home than one loaded with furniture), you'll feel an excellent sense of accomplishment having "paint" checked off your order of business before the very first box is even unpacked.
While you're at it, if there are other unpleasant, disruptive items on your list (anything to do with the floorings absolutely qualifies), getting to as a lot of them as possible prior to moving day will be a big assistance.
Depending on where you're moving, there might be really few or many options of service suppliers for things like phone and cable television. Or you might find, as we did, that (thanks to lousy cellular phone reception) a landline is a need at the new place, even though using only mobile phones worked fine at the old home.
One of the all of a sudden unfortunate minutes of our relocation was when I understood we could not bring our houseplants along. We gave away all of our plants but ended up keeping some of our favorite pots-- something that has made choosing plants for the new space much easier (and less expensive).
As soon as you remain in your brand-new location, you may be lured to put off buying new houseplants, but I urge you to make it a priority. Why? Houseplants clean the air (especially important if you've used paint or flooring that has volatile organic compounds, or VOCs), but most important, they will make your house feel like home.
Provide yourself time to get used to a new climate, time zone and culture. After moving from New England back to the San Francisco Bay Area, I've been amazed at how long it's taken to feel "settled"-- even though I have actually moved back to my home town!
6. Anticipate some meltdowns-- from children and grownups. Moving is hard, there's simply no chance around it, however moving long-distance is particularly difficult.
It implies leaving behind buddies, schools, jobs and perhaps family and entering a great unidentified, brand-new location.
Even if the brand-new location sounds fantastic (and is terrific!) meltdowns and emotional minutes are an absolutely natural response to such a big shakeup in life.
So when the minute comes (and it will) that somebody (or more than one somebody) in your house needs a good cry, roll with it. Then get yourselves up and find something fun to check out or do in your brand-new town.
7. Expect to shed some more stuff after you move. No matter how much decluttering you do before moving, it appears to be a law of nature that there will be products that just don't fit in the brand-new area.
Even if everything healthy, there's bound to be something that simply doesn't work like you thought it would. Attempt not to hang on to these things simply out of frustration.
Offer them, present them to a dear pal or (if you really love the products) keep them-- however only if you have the storage space.
Anticipate to buy some things after you move. Each house has its quirks, and those peculiarities require new things. Possibly your old kitchen had a substantial island with plenty of space for cooking prep and for stools to pull up for breakfast, however the new cooking area has a huge empty spot right in the middle of the space that requires a portable island or a cooking area table and chairs.
Moving cross-country is not inexpensive (I can only envision the cost of moving overseas), so I did a lot of reading and asking around for tips prior to we packed up our home, to make sure we made the many of the space in our truck. If you plan to provide your new area a fresh coat of paint, it makes a lot of sense to do this before moving all of your things in.
After moving from New England back to the San Francisco Bay Area, I've been surprised at this website how long it's taken to feel "settled"-- even though I've moved back to my home town! Moving is hard, there's just no method around it, but moving long-distance is especially difficult.
No matter how much decluttering you do before moving, it appears to be a law of nature that there will be items that merely don't fit in the brand-new space.