Moving is always stressful, but a cross country move comes with its unique challenges. With careful planning and proper organization, you can pack up your home and move across the country without experiencing mild PTSD. The first thing you need to do is bring out a pen and a notebook, and start preparing your moving calendar. This calendar should be in the form of a checklist wherein every task should be completed until the final moving date. Here is a list of a few important things you need to include in this moving checklist to have relatively stress-free relocation experience.
You should begin the process of relocation by referring to a few cross country moving tips available online, once done, you should then start looking at all the things in your home and categorizing these things as essential and non-essential. If you haven’t used an item in more than a year, chances are you’re not likely to find any use for it shortly. It will help in identifying items that are necessary or useful to be taken along, whereas all the other items can be sold or donated. For selling these items, you can always plan a garage sale or use listing sites such as Craigslist, Facebook could also be used for selling these items. There are several resources available online that can help you fetch better prices for your items at a garage sale as well as online sales. Go through these resources to maximize your money.
Once only those things remain that are going to be part of the move, you need to start measuring things and start buying boxes for move. If you do not want to buy boxes, it is time you begin to collect boxes from grocery stores or your workplace or other such things. Starting early will help you in minimizing this cost. It is also the time when you need to plan your moving supplies such as bubble wrap, plastic sheeting, packing tape, sharpie as well as plastic wrap, among other things.
Many articles on cross country moving tips suggests that you should start packing your things as early as 6 to 7 weeks before the moving date. Don’t wait to pack things till the last week or last date. Start packing early, and you will never know how you were able to pack all those things in those boxes. Begin by packing items that are rarely used. Spend a few minutes packing things each day, and you will never feel the stress associated with packing a whole home.
It’s time to plan a moving budget. Keep in mind that you can also file the expenses for tax return in case you are relocating to a place that is more than 50 miles away. However, you will need to keep track of the receipts from the moving truck, packing materials, toll charges, storage units, and other such things. It is now time to go to your local post office and change your address. You can also do it online if you want the added convenience. It is also the time when you should begin to schedule the transfer or disconnection of utilities.
If you have memberships such as the library or gym, it’s time to transfer or cancel those memberships. Don’t forget to transfer your prescriptions to the nearest pharmacy to your new place. If you have a lot of food in your freezer or pantry, it is now time to clear out those food items by including those in your meals. Thankfully, there are millions of food blogs online wherein you can easily find recipes for the ingredients you have in the pantry. Make use of these resources and plan out your meals using the ingredients you already have.
It is also time to hire a cross country moving company. Please make sure the moving company is reputable and is transparent about their pricing. Ask them to give a written estimate before signing a contract. Don’t leave it to the last minute as sometimes, moving trucks are not easily available, and you might be forced to pay a very high price if you hire a moving truck at the last minute.
Overall, creating and sticking to a moving checklist is essential to plan your relocation, to ensure that you have a relatively stress-free experience as moving across the country is always going to add some stress to your life. Keeping in mind the cross country moving tips mentioned above in mind and use other online resources to plan your move in an organized and safe manner.