words Al Woods
What can possibly be more exciting than moving out of your home? When it’s finally time to pack your things to start over in a new place, it can get quite interesting, but also overwhelming. True, you’re probably going to a better house or apartment, but to get there, you’re going to have to go through the process of moving out itself.
And that entails packing, cleaning, transporting your belongings, and a whole lot of other details that are pretty taxing. If you calmly go about it, though, you’ll find that the process of moving out can go smoothly when you know what you’re doing. These are some moving hacks to help you get things going.
Inventory
Whether they’re doing it themselves, or getting a moving company to do it, most people would pack their things directly without first identifying what it is they need moved. This is definitely a big mistake, because you need to do a thorough inventory before you start boxing your things. That way, you can declutter around your place and get rid of any items you don’t really need when you settle down in your new home. The inventory will make your life much easier, because you’ll have a clear idea of the exact things you need to take with you. That way, you’ll be certain nothing gets lost in the bustle of it all, and you’ll throw away a ton of useless stuff that would just make your moving process much more complicated.
Remember the utilities
While it’s very easy to cancel the utilities at your old place and move them to the new one––a few phone calls away––if you postpone his step, you most likely will forget about it once the moving madness begins. This is why you need to take care of this step as soon as you set a moving date, because the last thing you want is to finally settle down in your new home to find out you don’t have electricity or internet.
Hire a moving company
A lot of people shy away from the idea of dealing with moving companies, and it’s mostly because of the cost. While those companies might cost you some money now, they will definitely be saving you tons of it in the future. Let’s not forget the fact that you could sustain serious injuries if you try to move your belongings on your own and the hospital bills that come with that. You will definitely break or damage several of your belongings when you try moving them yourself, because you simply don’t have the manpower or the equipment needed to take care of such a task. And that will cost you quite a lot of money, not to mention grief. So, it’s always best if you hire someone to help you with the move, because it’ll make your life much easier.
End of tenancy cleaning
While it may be tempting to try and move house all by yourself, it’s even more tempting to try and handle the cleaning process at the end of your tenancy by yourself. After all, it’s only mopping the floors and doing the dishes, right? Well, it’s actually much more than that. Your end of tenancy cleaning needs to be done by professionals who will have their own top-of-the-line detergents and the latest equipment in the business. An experienced cleaner won’t miss the spots and areas you most likely will, and they’d pay much more attention to details. Why is all of this important? Well, if you left the property in bad shape, the landlord might not be inclined to give you back the security deposit, and you definitely don’t want that.
Create a budget
Most people start the entire moving process sort of blindly when it comes to money and budgeting, which is a big mistake. It can be very expensive to move out from one place to another, and this is why you have to create a budget so you could move within its restrictions. When you know there’s a specific amount of money you can’t go over, you’ll be much more selective with your choices. You should also create separate budgets for each phase. For example, the moving company shouldn’t cost more than X amount of pounds, which will allow you to choose one based on your limitations.
Forget about the bubble wrap
You could spend hundreds on bubble wrap to secure your belongings, because you will need a lot of it. A better option would be using your own clothes, towels, sheets, and even socks. That way you can save the money spent on bubble wrap, and you’d also be saving a ton of space that it usually takes.
Labels
Labelling your boxes while packing is crucial, and it will make your move exponentially easier. You shouldn’t just stop at numbering and labelling the boxes, but also create a catalogue with an index with specifics of the content of each box. That way, when it is time to unpack, you’ll know where each object is––trying to randomly unpack is a nightmare, and it could even be worse than packing itself. This also helps to keep track of any boxes that might’ve got lost.
Create an essentials bag
There are some things that you’ll be needing throughout the move, and you want to have easy access to certain belongings. It could be quite problematic if you can’t find any of those when you need them. So, you should put together a specific bag with all your essentials that you know you’ll need like phones, chargers, laptops, documents, medications, and so on. That way, you can always have them with you wherever you go.
Moving out does come with its complications, but following these steps and keeping things organized will definitely make your life so much easier. It’s important that you know when to ask for help, because there are several steps along the process in which you are going to need professional help, regardless of the cost. The money you spend during the move is well spent, and it’ll save you further expenses down the line.
