Whether you are moving, across the street or across the country, here here are 10 Moving “Dos” and “Don’ts” to help you plan and prepare to move without breaking the bank or your back.
DO SORT AND PURGE: If you haven’t used or seen an item in the past six months, you probably don’t need to take it to your new home. Save yourself the packing (and unpacking) time, not to mention the clutter, by going through each room and grouping items into three categories: keep, trash, donate. Many charities, like Habitat for Humanity and Goodwill, will come to your home to pick up your donations. You may want to check out our recent post regarding the Amazon Give Back Box® program.
DON’T WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE: Whether you’re DIY moving or hiring a moving company, don’t wait until just few days before your move out date to coordinate the move out process. Trucks rental companies may be all out of trucks and moving companies may be fully booked.
DO PACK A SUITCASE WITH IMPORTANT ITEMS: Mistakes happen, boxes get lost, and moving companies take longer than expected. Don’t be caught without your essentials. Pack a suitcase with enough clothing to get you through the week (including work and casual clothes), toiletries and prescription medication.
DO MAKE A PET PLAN: Arrange for a final veterinary visit for your pets. This way you can get a clean bill of health and obtain a copy of their veterinary records to pass on to their next vet. You should also get a health certificate for each pet. It will be required if you are traveling to your new home by air, and though it’s rare, you could be stopped when crossing state lines by car and asked for your pets’ health certificates.
If you’re traveling by car and you have anxious pets or pets who get carsick, make sure your vet has prescribed enough medication to get you and your pets to your final destination.
DON’T FORGET TO TAKE PRE-MOVE MEASUREMENTS OF YOUR NEW PLACE: There’s nothing worse than getting to your new home and realizing there’s absolutely no way to get your couch into the home. Be prepared, whether that means selling furniture that won’t work in your new space or getting to your new home early to take doors off hinges to help furniture fit through the door.
DON’T FORGET TO DEFROST YOUR FREEZER: If you’re taking your refrigerator with you, make sure to empty, unplug, defrost and clean it at least 24 hours before your move. Plan to use up all your groceries before this time so you won’t feel so bad about indulging in takeout on the days leading up your move.
DON’T LET JUST ANYONE HELP YOU MOVE: Look for a reputable moving company with plenty of good reviews. If a friend has had a positive experience with a moving company, try to find out who worked on her moving crew so that you can make a special request. You’re trusting movers with all your personal belongings, so you want to make sure you they’ll keep your belongings secure. For our family, we used PODS for our move, however we hired movers in Texas and Florida for loading and unloading.
When the truck arrives on the day of your move, verify that the truck is from the company you hired. Fraudulent movers and scams are not uncommon. Make sure you protect yourself from losing some or all of our belongings.
DON’T FORGET TO THANK YOUR MOVING HELPERS: Whether you’ve hired professional movers or recruited family and friends to help, remember that moving is no picnic for anyone. Have plenty of refreshments available, especially on hot days, and some easy-to-consume snacks like doughnuts and granola bars.
Once you’ve unloaded at your new home, make sure to tip the professional movers. A tip of 10 percent to 15 percent of the total cost is considered fair, but if you had an especially challenging move (such as lots of stairs), you might want to give more. If friends or family helped you move, have pizza or other special treats ready to thank them for their hard work.
DON’T TRASH ALL OF YOUR MOVING SUPPLIES: Sure, it was a pain to track down all of those boxes, and bubble wrap has definitely lost its allure. Hopefully, you found it not so difficult by reading our recommendations for getting FREE MOVING BOXES. Once the move is over, however, take just a little extra time to give your moving supplies a second life instead of sending them straight to the landfill. If your boxes are in good shape, list them on Free Cycle or you may even consider using BoxCycle where you can buy or sell your boxes. Otherwise, keep those boxes for your next move or recycle them.
DON’T FORGET TO KEEP IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS WITH YOU: Put together a binder of important documents that you’ll keep at all times. Hang onto items like birth certificates, and copies of insurance policies, leases and anything that you wouldn’t want to caught without during your move.
BONUS: Here is a FREE Printable Moving Checklist from Taking the Florida Plunge
What Do’s and Don’ts have you helped you with move? Leave a comment below and let us know what’s on your list.
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