I’ve moved a lot in my life.
I was born into a military family, so a nomadic life is the only thing I’ve ever known. I’ve lived outside the U.S. twice, and five different states since I’ve been back.
Basically, moving has pretty much been a routine activity for me every few years. Sometimes it’s easy; when I moved to Missouri last year, I stuffed everything I needed to bring with me into my little Ford Taurus (sort of an oxymoron, as Ford Taurus’ are not small vehicles) and hit the road. Other times, like when my family and I relocated from Virginia, it was a huge ordeal that required paying actual movers to help us.
If you’ve ever moved before, you might already have a vague idea of what needs to be done ahead of time, but it’s all too easy for things to slip through the cracks as you make last-minute preparations. Because of this, you may want to consider knocking out some of these tasks earlier rather than later.
Cleaning
As a bachelor, this is one of my least favorite tasks to do, but it’s an important one nonetheless. Maybe you don’t routinely dust your furnishings in your current home, but the last thing you want is to open up box after box of dusty stuff to release it all into your new one! Which is a fitting transition to my next point…
Streamlining
Do you really need that lamp that’s been in your attic for two years? Or that serving bowl that occupies an awkward amount of cabinet space but never gets used (you know the one)? What about those clothes you haven’t worn in forever?
Save yourself the hassle of moving boxes filled to the brim with stuff that you’re not even going to unpack! If you can live without it, prune it from your life completely. Donate it to someone in need, or sell it at a yard sale for some extra cash.
All right, but what about the stuff you’re not ready to part with? Well, it can be extremely beneficial to box up unneeded or infrequently-used items early to store them in a storage unit. This can be helpful to accomplish several weeks before you officially move out, so as to lessen the strain of the big day.
Planning
Lastly, it would be prudent to analyze just how much stuff has to go with you and whether or not you’ll need to hire professional movers. All kinds of factors could affect this decision: whether you are single or have a family, how much furniture you own, the distance to your new home, etc. If you do decide to hire professional movers, you should leave yourself plenty of time to shop around and schedule them so that you’re not at the mercy of whatever company is available the day of the move.
Relocating to a new home can feel overwhelming, and rightly so. It is a pretty monumental task to organize everything necessary to manage a big move in such a short time-frame. However, with a little foresight and (cough) expert advice, it can become nothing more than a final hurdle before you transition into the next big chapter of your life.