10 Tips to Make Moving a Snap

If it’s time for you to move soon, you’re probably starting to get that sick feeling in your stomach, starting to panic about how you will get it all done and overall dreading the move. On the bright side, you are probably looking forward to your new home and jazzin’ it up to reflect your cool stylings, right?

Well, let’s talk you off the ledge and get you through the move, okay? I have moved many, many times and have learned a thing or two about surviving a move to get to the other side (the fun part). Here are my top ten tips and tricks to glide through a move as easily as possible (knowing there will be unexpected bumps along the way).

1. Plan your moves: If possible, get the room dimensions of every room in your new home. Extra credit points for snagging the window and door locations and sizes, as well as where the outlets and heat vents are.

2. Plot out your apartment on a piece of graph paper: This may seem tedious, but you’ll thank me later. Be sure to pick one scale size and be consistent throughout.

3. Measure every piece of furniture you plan to move with you into your new home: (Bonus tip: Now is a good time to sell or donate unwanted/unneeded furniture and other items.)

4. Apply the furniture measurements to another piece of graph paper and cut them out: (Ladies, it’s like playing with furniture paper dolls!) Now you can decide where all of your furniture will go in your new home without having to move it ten times to get it just right. You can do your “rearranging” on the graph paper, rather than in a crowded living room. Your movers will thank you!

5. Get prepared: About three weeks before you move, get all of the boxes, packing tape, newspapers and bubble wrap you will need for the move. Line up your moving truck and movers. If you are having friends help you move, be sure to line up two extra helpers, because without fail, a couple of them will flake out on you and “forget” they were supposed to help. By being proactive, you will still have enough help to sail through the day. You’re welcome!

6. Change your address and transfer utilities to the new address: You will need to know the exact date you will no longer need the utilities at your current place and the date you want to start receiving mail at your new home.

7. Start packing: Two weeks before the big day, begin packing the stuff you don’t need every day. Linens, extra towels, knickknacks, books. Next, go through your kitchen and pack anything that you don’t expect to use before the move. Each day, pack a bit more until you have boxed everything that can be done in advance. (Bonus tip #2: Label or color code each box so your movers know which room each box is assigned to. Why move a box any more than necessary, right?)

8. Get strategic: Stack your packed boxes in a place where the movers can easily haul it out to the moving truck, but not in a spot where you are stumbling over the boxes. Pick an area that you don’t need to access until moving day.

9. Get plenty of rest: Moving is stressful and exhausting. You need to stay calm and rested so you can be ready for the fun stuff of unpacking and settling in at your new place!

10. If you have pets or young children, make arrangements for them to be off-site on the big day: Moving is stressful on pets and kids. To manage their stress (and yours), send them to a friend’s for the day to have fun. Older kids, age seven and up, can and should stay and help (unless school is in session then, of course, they should go to school).

    When moving day gets here, you will be prepared and able to easily survive the day. Because you have your new home furniture layout mapped out already, you will be able to tell the movers exactly where to place the furniture. You might need to tweak your layout a bit, but the majority of your furniture should be in the desired location on moving day. As a result, your new home should begin to feel like home nearly the same day!