5 Tips for Keeping Your Cool During a Move

The notion of moving all of your worldly possessions across the country, or even the city, can feel like a daunting task to undertake. It can be stressful physically and mentally, leaving you unable to enjoy the excitement of taking on a new chapter in life. Below you will find tips on how to make the challenges of a move easier on your mind and body

1. Plan Ahead For Your Move

Rushing through something like a move will surely leave you feeling stressed and anxious when it comes down to the final weeks before the big day. While something unexpected will almost surely occur, there are a some steps to take that will help you feel prepared and calm the big day.

• Step 1: Having a guide to walk you through everything you need to accomplish with your move will help cover all of your bases and things that might be forgotten. I recommend printing off this list of things to do so that you have a strong game plan.

• Step 2: Services such as internet and cable can take a frustratingly long time to get appointments scheduled so plan those far in advance to harmonize with your arrival at the new location.

• Step 3: Collecting boxes, tape, markers, cleaning supplies and other bits in the weeks prior will save you the headache of having to run to the store late at night because the tape gun ran out.

2. Packing For Your Move

Now that you’re down to crunch time, and you’ve used HOOD to coordinate your move, it’s time to start packing in an efficient and clear way that will make setting up your new pad a breeze. This is a great time to call in some of those favors that friends owe you and in return, they can be repaid in gratitude and pizza.

• Tip 1: Pack a “Day One” box so that there will be no need to go searching for necessities on the first night. This should include a cup, chargers, toilet paper, cutlery, hand soap and a towel amongst other tidbits you may need.

• Tip 2: If you happen to be moving along with someone else, it can be a tense time coordinating all of the efforts. Think about your personality types, does one of you throw items in a box while the other wraps items in paper neatly? Use your strengths and pack up rooms that fit your skills.

• Tip 3: Color coordinate your boxes to fit within the room they will be unpacked in the new house. Not only does this make things easier for you, the movers will leave it in the correct room so you don’t have to drag it around.

• Tip 4: Keep your important and personal items in a memorable, safe location so that you have all of your account numbers and meaningful documents at hand.

3. Moving

Now that you’re prepped and packed, it’s time to start diving in to the big move with a company you trust to handle your precious items. Losing sight and control of your belongings can be unnerving but with the help of the true professionals, they can ease so much of your mental and physical stress in the process.

Here are a few things that helped me get through the moving process:

1. Finding movers can be exhausting, but services like HOOD can help you get in touch with the best, most safe movers in your area at a price that will fit your budget.

2. If you choose to call around, look up each company to see complaints that have been filed, what hidden fees they may have and how they handle insurance claims.

3. Doing a little legwork prior can save you many headaches. Most moving companies will offer to disassemble and reassemble furniture and larger items for a fee.

4. While this is a luxury, the amount of time, frustration and back-breaking work this can save will help keep your spirits high and daunting tasks to a minimum.

5. Take photos and videos of your items before the movers leave with your items, especially if they are going across the country. This may be your only line of defence if a claim needs to be made in the future.

4. Unpacking After The Move

Congratulations! You have now moved your entire life from one location to another and it is time to pat yourself on the back and start to embrace the next chapter. You might be tempted to dive in right away and unpack but if you’re exhausted and cranky, it can be left to the next morning. So, brace yourself!

Eat something!

You’ll clearly get hungry while you’re moving, but thankfully most cities now offer great delivery services like Favor to get you what you’re craving in a snap. Simply open the app, browse by cuisine, and pay at checkout…it’s that easy! In Austin, a few of our favourites are P.Terry’s Burger Stand, Salvation Pizza, Chuy’s and 888 Pan Asian.

Divide & Conquer

Divide and conquer with the spaces you feel most comfortable organizing. Maybe it is best to leave the office to one person and the kitchen to the chef of the family. If you don’t have any help, it would be a great time to enlist a friend to help.

Pro Tip: Hire Cleaners

One of the most frustrating aspect of a move is that you walk into a freshly cleaned space and then immediately tear through boxes and items, leaving your new pad looking dirty right away. A pro tip is to schedule a light cleaning service three days after you’ve moved in so that you’re reset back to a beautifully tidy spot with all of your items in it. Bubbly Cleaning in Austin has been a great service to work with in the past, we recommend them!

Bring Your Groceries to You!

Use a grocery service to outsource your first round of meals! Instacart is a great option for quick and easy grocery delivery that will save you several hours or time and effort

5. The Fun Part! Time to Explore Your New Hood

You’ve made it through your move and are now settled in to a new part of town or possibly a new city and now it is time to get motivated to meet friends, explore your city and settle in to your new life. Here are some tips on making the transition as easy as possible.

• Tip 1: Most cities have Groupons available and frequently you can find massages and spa treatments for under $50 if you sift through the options. Taking care of your health after this busy time can help reset and refresh your outlook going forward.

• Tip 2: If you’re looking for interesting things to do, Meetup.com is a great place to find like-minded hobbyists in your area that are organizing fun events. If that isn’t your style, Facebook Events is FULL of amazing local options.

• Tip 3: In Austin, we love Do512, The Austin Chronicle and WhenWhereWhatAustin

Written by Andrea Paskert of @AffordableATX

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