6 Tips to Reduce the Stress Involved in Moving Homes

As you prepare to move, you start realizing why moving is one of the most stressful life events people will endure.

Between packing your life into boxes and remembering to switch your utilities over, you may be overwhelmed by all the little things you have to handle. Luckily, when moving homes, there are hacks to help make the event more manageable.

If you’re on the hunt for tips to make your move easier, you’ll want to keep reading.

1. Start Early

Remember all those times in school when you were taking a test, and you thought to yourself, “I wish I started studying earlier?” Moving is no different; the earlier you start, the less stressed you will be!

Start by planning your move at least three months in advance. This will give you plenty of time to ensure you have every aspect of your move planned out and covered.

This includes looking into a home moving service, planning your budget, and creating a timeline of when tasks need to accomplish.

2. Create a Timeline Checklist

After you start the planning phase, create a comprehensive checklist of what you need to accomplish before moving day. This helps keep you on track and ensures you don’t forget anything essential.

On the list, be sure to include:

• Hiring movers
• Getting moving boxes
• Packing each room
• Decluttering
• Cleaning
• Canceling or transferring memberships
• Forwarding mail
• Transferring medical records

Once you have your checklist complete, create a timeline on when each of these tasks needs to accomplish. Hiring movers and decluttering should be first, as they will take substantial to complete.

As the move inches closer, begin packing the non-essentials and things you’ll be able to live without for a while.

3. Pack Like a Pro

When packing to move, ensure you make it as simple as possible. Not only will efficient packing make your life easier after you move in, but it will also keep your items from getting damaged in the move.

Before you can start packing, make sure you have quality boxes. Though the recycling in your garage may be cheaper, the material may be weaker. This leaves your boxes more susceptible to breaking.

Next, you can move on to packing items into boxes. Be sure to place the heavier items at the bottom, as this will help distribute weight evenly and keep the box structured.

Another tip is to keep rooms together. Though it may make sense to place picture frames together and all of the knick-knacks in a box, it can be confusing when you unpack. This means packing all of the items in your bedroom in boxes, your living room in another, and so on.

Finally, you’ll want to ditch the expensive and environmentally-unfriendly bubble wrap. Instead, use your clothing to protect your fragile items. Wrapping plates, glasses, and frames in teeshirts and socks can keep them safe.

4. Learn to Label

Now that you know how to start packing for a move, you’ll need to learn the art of labeling!

Is there anything worse than digging through boxes and boxes of your belongings trying to track down one item? This can only exacerbate your stress.

Properly labeling your boxes is a great way to eliminate the stress of moving. Clearly write down the location of each box – bedroom, kitchen, living room – so you know what’s inside and where to place them when moving in.

Another tip is to keep an inventory of what is in each box. As you pack, jot down what is going into the box. You can tape this box on the outside of the box for quick reference or place it inside to avoid movers seeing a list of your belongings.

5. Hire Help

Though your friends might help you move for free, you can suffer expensive damage to your items from inexperienced movers. Hire professional help to get your boxes out of the house.

As stressful as moving is, an injury will only worsen the experience. Instead of throwing your back out from lifting too many boxes, a professional moving company can help make your move a breeze.

Your movers will be able to easily clear your house of boxes and heavy furniture, helping you take it easy on moving day. Plus, you don’t have to worry about your movers breaking your items, as they’re used to handling heavy boxes.

6. Check Out Your New Neighborhood

In your spare time before you move, you should explore your new neighborhood! This will help you feel more familiar and comfortable with the area you’re moving to.

Whether you drive around your new town or check it out on maps, this can help you get excited to move and alleviate some of the stress you may experience.

This includes scheduling an appointment with a new primary doctor. The last thing you want when feeling ill is to wait weeks to get in the office. Scheduling sooner rather than later can help in emergencies.

You’ll also want to look into the cool areas around your home. From parks where you can walk your dog, to a new coffee shop, you’ll want to look into the places you can explore after you move in.

Make Moving Homes a Breeze

Though no one enjoys the work that goes into moving, keeping these tips in mind can help you focus on the new chapter of your life.

Whether you’re buying a move-in-ready home or learning how to pack for a move for the first time, these tips can help make your move less anxiety-inducing.

If you found this guide to alleviating the stress of moving homes helpful, check out the rest of our website. You’ll find more tips and tricks to help you make the most of your home.