Summer is a popular season to move. So much so that many Quebecers treat July 1st as their unofficial holiday to move.
Not only is the weather nice, but it’s also convenient for families – as most kids are out of school or planning to head off to university and college. This makes it an ideal time to transition to a new home and neighbourhood.
However, no matter the timing, moving can be an overwhelming experience. So, depending on what you’re looking to get out of your move:
The Good Hands Advice team has prepared its tips to help make your move as stress free as possible.
Tips and Tricks to Get Started on Your Move
It can be a daunting task just figuring out how to get started, we found that the following tips can help:
- Decide who will help you move. The moment you confirm that you will be moving, the next step is to identify who will be able to assist. There are usually one of two options you can decide – hiring professional movers or enlisting the help of friends or family. If you choose the former, start doing your research early, solicit referrals, and get quotes in writing. If you choose the latter, be sure to confirm with your friends and family their availability.
- Set a budget. Moving can be a lot more costly than you might think. Take the time to create a budget and set a spending limit. Figure out what items you need to consider for your move and allocate the necessary funds.
- Book your moving truck as soon as possible. The benefit of hiring a moving company is that it often comes with its own moving truck. However, if you decide to have your friends or family help you move, it’s important that you book your moving truck in advance as many people tend to move-out at the same time. To avoid this potential headache, consider moving mid-month as the demand for trucks may not be as high compared to the beginning or end of the month.
- Make a moving checklist and check it twice. Take the time to conduct an inventory of your home. Keep track of the items located in each room that you plan on taking to your new home. Not only will a list help to keep you organize and informed of any potential items missing from the move, but it can also help identify the number of moving supplies needed.
- Gather moving supplies early. This is certainly not something you want to wait until the last minute to get started on. Estimate how many cardboard boxes you’ll need then add 10. While you might not think you need a lot, we tend to underestimate how much stuff we have. So, start collecting them several weeks in advance, you can also check with local retail and grocery stores as they might have some to give away.
If you’re helping your child move out, the Good Hands Advice team offers additional tips!
Minimize the Stress of Moving
While we can’t eliminate the stress of moving in its entirety, there are simple steps that one can take to help minimize the potential of stress while coordinating a move.
- Take Your Time. If you don’t have to rush to move out, it is best to take your time packing. Instead of dedicating one day to move everything, plan ahead and use the time you have available to gradually move out. Start by packing up the less essential rooms, leaving the most essential for last. This way, you can reduce the disruption to your daily routine.
- Get the kids involved.If you have children, allow them to take charge of packing their own things so they’ll feel like they have some control and gain confidence about the move. Review your packing tips and strategy with them and let them at it. Provide supervision, when necessary.
- Inspect the new home. If you haven’t already, speak with your landlord or relator to see if you can do a walk-through prior to moving in. Use the opportunity to identify what would be needed for your new home.
- Stay in contact with your movers. If you’re hiring movers be sure to connect with them a week before to ensure that they are still on track to help you and your family move. If you are getting help from friends, create a group chat as a simple way for everyone to communicate and provide updates.
- Come up with a contingency plan. Sometimes no matter how hard you plan, something can still come up. Whether it’s bad weather, movers falling ill, dealing with traffic, missing items, etc. Take the time to consider all the scenarios that could possibly impact your move, and plan accordingly.
If you’re moving with pets, check out our tips to help reduce their stress.
Life Hacks – Packing Tips for Moving
Nothing eliminates the stress of moving more than planning efficiently, and these packing tips can help you make your move as seamless as possible.
- Use existing furniture and storage items to pack your belongings. Why not make use of all your suitcases, baskets, hampers, grocery bins and coolers? If you’re moving a whole chest of drawers, consider leaving all contents inside and taping the drawers shut. If the chest can be moved while fully loaded, this will save you a lot of time and space from folding and packing items into new boxes – and then out again.
- Create an “open first” kit. In a clear plastic bin, pack items that you’ll need right away (such as kitchen utensils, scissors, phone chargers, toiletries, and medications). The clear bin will stand out among all the cardboard boxes so that you can easily find your essentials.
- Take plenty of pictures. It can be annoying trying to remember how certain appliances – like a TV – are supposed to be connected. Taking pictures of the plugs connected to your TV will save time to reinstall them. You should also take pictures of the items in and around your house as a good way to keep track of all your belonging.
- Colour coordinate your boxes. While we recommend labeling your moving boxes, assign a room a colour and the corresponding boxes the same, that will make it easier for your movers to quickly identify where specific items need to go.
- Plan a housewarming. Many people may delay unpacking for a variety of reasons. One way to ensure that you are still on track to unpack is by planning a housewarming party a week or two after you move in. That way, you will have a deadline to make sure all your items are unpacked.
What If I’m Downsizing?
If you’re moving from a traditional home to an apartment or condominium, keep the following tips in mind:
- Purge. It is essential to make a list of items that you do not wish to take with you to your new home. You can clear out these items in several ways, such as having a garage sale, selling them on Facebook Marketplace, or giving them to charity. Not only will this help you make some money, but it will also save you space.
- Consider a storage facility. For the items that you do want to keep, consider storing them in a storage facility. It’s an easy compromise for you to maintain your items, without cluttering your new home. If you’re renting, your landlord may have additional lockers you can also rent at an additional cost.
- Look into purchasing additional storage. Many household items can be repurposed into additional storage, ottomans, entertainment units, etc. You can even purchase shelving units or other bins to house any additional items.
- Consider digital options. You’ll be surprised to know how many loose-leaf papers can be floating around your home. If you have paper bills, receipts, or other documents consider scanning them and keeping an online copy of them – or work with your service providers to send you electronic documents moving forward. This can help eliminate unnecessary clutter in your home.
- Measure furniture before moving in. Don’t make assumptions that your new items will fit into your new place. As mentioned before, take the time to inspect the new home prior to moving in. Take measurements of various areas of the home to ensure that your current items can fit. If not, refer to points # 1 – 3.
Additional Tips
Contact Your Service Providers
Finally, be sure to contact all your service providers to let them know you’re moving. Your home and auto insurance company should be among the first you contact as you want to ensure that your coverage transfers over to your new place the moment you walk in. Speak with your insurance provider to see if you will need to be re-quoted or if you qualify for any new discounts.
Change Your Address
We can get so caught up in the move that we forget to update our address. Take note of any service that utilizes your address (bills, subscriptions, post office, etc.) and let them know of the change. It’s also important that you also contact your local provincial government agency to change the address of your licence and health card.
Have any more tips to share? Comment below some of your favourite life hacks for a stress-free move.
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