Relocating Assistance: 8 Tips for a Better Long Distance Move

We all understand about switching on the utilities at the brand-new place and completing the change-of-address kind for the postal service, but when you make a long-distance relocation, some other things come into play that can make receiving from here to there a bit harder. Here are 9 tips pulled from my current experience of moving from the East Coast to the West Coast-- from loading the moving van to handling the inescapable meltdowns.

1. Take full advantage of area in the moving van. Moving cross-country is not inexpensive (I can just imagine the expense of moving overseas), so I did a great deal of reading and asking around for tips before we packed up our home, to make sure we took advantage of the area in our truck. Now that we've made it to the opposite, I can say with self-confidence that these are the leading three packaging actions I would do again in a heart beat:

Declutter before you pack. There's no sense in bringing it with you-- that area in the truck is money if you don't enjoy it or need it!
Leave dresser drawers filled. For the very first time ever, rather than emptying the cabinet drawers, I simply left the linens and clothing folded within and wrapped up the furnishings. Does this make them much heavier? Yes. As long as the drawers are filled with light-weight items (certainly not books), it must be great. And if not, you (or your helpers) can bring the drawers out independently. The benefit is twofold: You need less boxes, and it will be easier to find things when you relocate.
Load soft items in black trash bags. Attractive? Not in the least. This has to be the most intelligent packaging idea we tried. Fill durable black trash bags with soft items (duvets, pillows, stuffed animals), then utilize the bags as area fillers and cushioning inside the truck. To keep items protected and tidy, we doubled the bags and tied, then taped, them shut. Use a long-term marker on sticky labels used to the outside to keep in mind the contents.

2. Paint prior to you relocate. It makes a lot of sense to do this before moving all of your stuff in if you prepare to offer your new space a fresh coat of paint.

Aside from the apparent (it's much easier to paint an empty home than one filled with furniture), you'll feel a terrific sense of achievement having "paint" ticked off your to-do list before the very first box is even unpacked.

While you're at it, if there are other untidy, disruptive products on your list (anything to do with the floorings definitely qualifies), getting to as much of them as possible prior to moving day will be a huge help.

3. Ask around before signing up for services. Depending upon where you're moving, there might be many or very few choices of service companies for things like phone and cable television. If you have some alternatives, put in the time to ask around before committing to one-- you may discover that the business that served you so well back at your old location doesn't have much facilities in the brand-new location. Or you might find, as we did, that (thanks to lousy mobile phone reception) a landline is a need at the brand-new place, even though using just cellular phones worked fine at the old home.

One of the unexpectedly sad moments of our move was when I recognized we couldn't bring our houseplants along. We provided away all of our plants but ended up keeping some of our favorite pots-- something that has made choosing plants for the brand-new area much simpler (and more affordable).

As soon as you remain in your brand-new place, you might be tempted to put off buying new houseplants, but I advise you to make it a concern. Why? Houseplants clean up the air (particularly crucial if you've used paint or flooring that has volatile organic compounds, or VOCs), but essential, they will make your house feel like house.

Give yourself time to get used to a new climate, time zone and culture. After moving from New England back to the San Francisco Bay Area, I've been impressed at how long it's taken to feel "settled"-- even though I've moved back to my hometown!

6. Expect some meltdowns-- from adults and children. Moving is hard, there's just no way around it, but moving long-distance is especially hard.

It means leaving behind friends, schools, jobs and perhaps family and entering a great unknown, new location.

If the brand-new location sounds great (and is great!), even meltdowns and psychological minutes are an absolutely natural response to such a huge shakeup in life.

So when the minute comes (and it will) that somebody (or more than one somebody) in the home requires a great cry, roll with it. Then get yourselves up and find something enjoyable to check out or do in your brand-new town.

7. Expect to shed some more things after you move. No matter what does it cost? decluttering you do prior to moving, it appears to be a law of nature that there will be products that just do not suit the brand-new space.

Even if everything physically fits, there's bound to be something that just doesn't work like you thought it would. Attempt not to hang on to these things read more simply from aggravation.

Offer them, gift them to a dear buddy or (if you genuinely like the items) keep them-- but only if you have the storage area.

8. Likewise expect to buy some things after you move. We just offered so much things away! It's unfair! I know. However each house has its quirks, and those quirks require new stuff. For instance, maybe your old kitchen area had a huge island with a lot of space for cooking preparation and for stools to pull up for breakfast, however the brand-new kitchen has a huge empty spot right in the middle of the space that requires a portable island or a cooking area table and chairs. Earmarking a little bit of money for these examples can help you set and stick to a spending plan.

Moving cross-country is not cheap (I can just picture the cost of moving overseas), so I did a lot of reading and asking around for ideas before we loaded up our house, to make sure we made the many of the space in our truck. If you prepare to provide your new area a fresh coat of paint, it makes a lot of sense to do this before moving all of your things in.

After moving from New England back to the San Francisco Bay Area, I have actually been surprised at how long it's taken to feel "settled"-- even though I've moved back to my home town! Moving is hard, there's simply no way around it, however moving long-distance is particularly tough.

No matter how much decluttering you do before moving, it seems to be a law of nature that there will be products that simply do not fit in the new area.