Moving to a new state can be adventurous and fun; yet, if you are not prepared, this can become pretty painful for you. It is very important to know where to start and how you should organize things before your move.
You can always hire a long distance mover, but it is not beneficial for you oftentimes. If you have a concrete plan and are prepared, you can do it quietly and without spending a lot of money.
In this article, I am going to share some of the checklists you should follow to get things done in the most effective way.
Table of Contents
1. Decide Exactly What to Take
List your most essential things and move them only. Get rid of big furniture like shelves, desks or sofas which could be a hassle for you to move. Try to move only small handy furniture, clothes you need and kitchenware along with you. Only take important furniture like your bed, tables and chairs with you.
Arrange items which are needed to be donated. When it comes to moving, you always have to be picky about what is coming with you to your new home. The more things you bring with you, the more expensive it becomes for you to move them from your old place to the new place.
Go through all the items you have in your home and make a pile of what you need and what you don’t need. You can donate anything which is small in size that you can buy later on or anything which is very large. Old items such as shoes, worn out clothes, utensils should be left behind.
Get rid of any materials which are hazardous. Items which are flammable, corrosive or explosive should be avoided during the move. These are very dangerous items to move along with you which most of the long distance movers won’t even allow you to pack.
Also, house cleaners should be used up or given away before moving. Gasoline or propane tanks should also not be packed along with you.
2. Choose Your Moving Company Correctly
Do some research beforehand about the long distance mover you want to hire. See their rates and the way they deliver their services. Call them up and see if They are willing to inspect your belongings and give you a quote.
This shows professionalism and how committed they are. Asking for referrals is a good idea. Ask your friends and family about the long distance mover and if they have taken their services before or know them anyhow. You can also look into the internet. This can give you confidence in knowing the authenticity of the long distance mover.
Also, research on how much space you are going to need. You need to know how big of a truck you need to hire so that you don’t pay extra for any unused spaces in the truck.
Also, estimate your space needs by measuring all your big pieces of furniture.
3. Budgeting Your Move
Once you shortlist your preferred long distance mover, try to get price quotes from them. At least target three different quotes from three companies so that you can compare their prices and have an idea about how much it would cost.
You can also ask the long distance mover whether there are any other extra charges which you may have to pay after your move. Calculating the cost of getting to your new home is also very important. If you want to move by your car, you need to calculate how much you have to spend on gas.
Moreover, if you are flying to your new destination you need to calculate how much it would cost for the flying ticket for each of your family members. This way you can be well prepared before the move.
Budgeting for hotels before you move is also necessary. If your destination is too far and you can’t manage to reach there by one day, you need to consider staying at a hotel for the night.
In this case, you need to have a budget for your stay including your family members. Also, you must have extra budget for your meals and snacks during the move.
4. Packing Your Home
Packing your belongings is one of the most important parts of moving. To do your packing, you will need boxes, packing papers, packing cushions and packing tapes to get all your items moving.
Hence, having these materials ready beforehand would make your work much easier and efficient.
You can buy boxes from your nearest hardware stores. You can use recycled packing papers of your friends and family to pack your things up.
Also, you can use free hand towels to pack up glass materials such as your plates, glasses etc.
5. Dealing With Moving Difficulties
Moving to a new state requires you to secure a place. When you are moving a long distance, it is obvious that you may need to stay for several nights at your friend’s or family member’s place if you can’t afford to stay at the hotel.
Hence before your move, try to manage your stay ahead of time, so that you don’t face any difficulties during your move.
Also, do some research on how much it would cost to buy groceries, insurance or housing in the new state you want to move.
6. Updating Your Information
This is one of the most important things you must do after you move. You need to update your information according to your new home where you would move. You may have to change your postal address by going to the local usps office or online.
It is also important to update your credit card’s address to the new one where you intend to move.
Moreover, you should also update any club memberships, subscriptions or billing addresses to the new Address.
You also have to change your car’s insurance to the new state you are moving into. If your car has national insurance, tell your insurance company to start the insurance policy to the new place you are willing to move. You can also start a new policy at your new state later on If you feel like.
After changing your car insurance, you need to change your car’s license plate and your driver’s license in the new state. You can research beforehand to know how much it would cost for you to change your car’s plate and get your new license.
It is also very important for you to register to vote in the new state you have moved into. If you haven’t registered, you are not allowed to vote and hence you would be deprived of most of the government facilities in your new state.
In conclusion, start your moving process early and try to have at least a month or two for planning, organizing and packing.
