The best way to reduce the stress related to moving house – and the best way to reduce the stress related to any kind of complex activity planned for the near future – is to plan ahead and to stick to that plan. Packing an entire household in a way that keeps your belongings safe and easily retrievable at your new location is no small task, so here are a few tips for you about putting together a great and efficient moving plan.
When to Start
The preparations for the upcoming move should ideally start 4-8 weeks before the planned date of the move. You can spend the first few days or the first week just brainstorming and looking for a suitable moving service or figuring out some other way to transport your items to your new place.
Tasks to Handle Each Week Before the Move
The next task to handle is to make an inventory of your belongings. Start entering everything that you want to move into a list – the process is an excellent opportunity to sort your belongings and to get rid of anything that is not functional and of any item that you don’t want to use anymore. If you cannot make up your mind whether a specific item should stay or go, think about the last time that you used it – if the item has not been in use for over a year, chances are that you don’t need it and you can give it to someone else or toss it. Parallel with the sorting process, the second week of the preparation is also when you should call your Wheat Ridge movers to schedule the exact date of the move.
The third week of the preparations should be spent getting packing supplies. You will need boxes of various sizes, sturdy plastic bags, preferably transparent to make the identification of the items contained easier, tape, glue, wrapping paper and/or bubble wrap for the fragile items, string, markers and labels. Try to develop the packing system that works best for you – you can either choose to pack the items that are in one room at a time or you can pack clothes on one day, household appliances on the next and so on. Don’t forget your utilities either, dealing with utility companies is not always as fast as you would like it to be – contact your utility providers to cancel the service or to move them to your new address.
The final phase of the packing process starts when you have everything packed. Go through your rooms one more time to check whether there is anything left to pack, then clean the home from top to bottom.
Things to Pay Attention to
Don’t forget to prepare for the first night or for the first couple of days spent at your new location. Pack a large bag or a suitcase with the items that you might need in the beginning, such as toiletries, bedding, towels, some instant coffee, pajamas, whatever you need to start your new life in comfort and to help you prepare for the unpacking.