Moving can be very stressful, not to mention very expensive. Here are some simple ideas for your move.
Moving can be very stressful, not to mention very expensive. There are ways to save money and to stay within even the tightest budget. A great way to do this is by scaling down. Get rid of any unwanted items. You can either donate what you no longer want or use, or you can hold a yard sale if you have the time. A yard sale is a great way to make some extra cash for your move.
The less that you have to move, the less it will cost you. This is true especially if you get rid of a substantial amount. You will have less to move, and you could get a smaller moving van which will save you money. Many moving companies also charge based on weight. You can also claim your donations that go to charity on your taxes to get a bit of a break later on.
In order to keep a level head when you move, it is a good idea to stay organized. You already have Allied Van Lines taking care of all the heavy lifting, but you are still the one who has to unpack everything and put it all away once you finally get to start settling into your new home. One of the most frustrating things about moving is trying to find everything in the mountain of boxes in every room of the house. There is nothing more frustrating than not being able to find something that you really need and then having to buy it again even though you know that you already own one.
There are many easy ways that you can stay organized so that you save yourself a lot of time and so that you can avoid frustration. The sooner that you begin the organization process, the better. Keep a master list of everything that needs to get done and keep it in a place where you can easily access it and not lose it, such as on the fridge. As you think of all the things that need to get done, jot them down. You will also want to create an inventory of everything as you pack. There are a number of ways that you can do this. You can write each room and mark boxes accordingly. Then on your list, you could write which boxes contain important items that you will need right away. If you can, you could pack the items that will be immediately needed into the vehicle that you will be driving, so it is easily accessible.
Once you know that you are moving, you will want to begin sorting and purging. Have five separate garbage bags or piles: Move, Keep, Sell, Donate, and Toss. If you are strapped for time, you may just want to have two piles: Donate and Keep, and deal with the rest later, but it is ideal to do your sorting now. Moving is a great time to go through what you have and to clean house since everything is pulled out. You may realize that you have many possessions that you haven’t used or worn in years and that you will not miss. You should keep all your lists and moving paperwork in one place such as in a binder since you will need some of the receipts from your move for tax purposes. Your moving binder is a great place to keep all of your important information such as phone numbers and addresses as well.
Packing up all of your belongings can be a big and daunting task, so you should try to break up the big jobs into smaller and more manageable ones. Start in the rooms that you are not using such as the spare bedroom and keep the essential things that you use on a daily basis for the very last. Be sure to label your boxes clearly. You could use a system where you write the name of the room (such as Bedroom) and place a number on it. That number will correspond to the same number on your list which will give you a brief overview of what is in the box. That way when you get moved to your new place, you won’t have to open a dozen boxes to find what you want.