It takes up to 13 hours to pack up the average home for a move. Costs have also gone up at least 10-15% in the last few years, reaching approximately $1,250 for local moves and $4,890 for long-distance.
Time and money; the perfect storm for a stressful event. The once-exciting move to a new home can leave you paralyzed with dread.
Read on to learn a few moving tips on how to make the process less stressful.
Start Minimizing Stress Early
A lack of time is one of the most common causes of an increase in stress levels, so make sure you have as much of it as possible. Start preparing for the move even before you know you’re definitely leaving or have sold your house.
Give yourself as much time as possible for every step. This includes:
- Packing
- Cleaning
- Researching homes
- Selecting moving and packing companies
- Setting up utilities in the new home
Make a Moving Checklist, Folder, and Inventory
Put all the documents you’ll need for transferring to your new home into a folder. This includes:
- Addresses
- Rental and property purchase papers
- Moving contracts
- Records of agreements or payments
Having them in one location will minimize stress because you won’t have to run around looking for them.
A moving inventory is a list of everything that you have to pack up. It makes packing easier, keeps everything organized, and prevents moving theft and fraud.
A moving checklist is a list of everything you need to do during the move. You won’t have to stress out about forgetting anything, and checking off each item is like its own form of stress relief.
De-Clutter and Consolidate Boxes
One of the best packing tips is to make sure that your possessions take up as little space as possible. They’ll fit into the moving truck more easily and take less time to take from one place to another.
Fortunately for movers, decluttering reduces stress. It has other mental health benefits that help with the process, such as sharper focus and increased productivity.
Put anything you don’t want to bring to your new home in its own box. Consolidate the boxes you’re keeping to fill any space. Put smaller items into larger boxes and small boxes into larger boxes.
Hire Professional Movers
One of the best ways to minimize stress levels during any overwhelming event is to get help. That’s why 650,000 people hire professional movers every year.
Choose a reputable company and get quotes to make sure they fit into your budget. Hire them as soon as possible so they’ll be ready when you need them.
They’ll literally do the heavy lifting on the day of the move. If the idea of moving a fragile item is stressing you out, don’t worry. They’ll safely wrap and pack everything onto their trucks for you.
Where to Find Movers
Minimizing stress during the most overwhelming periods of our lives is essential for our bodies and minds. Moving to a new home is one of the most stressful, but starting early makes it more bearable.
Write each task you need to do on a moving checklist and gather your documents in a folder. Take an inventory of everything you need to take with you, get rid of the rest, and consolidate the remaining boxes.
Get a free quote from Tri-Star moving today for a stress-free move.
