A dozen ways to make moving easier

1. Start Early
When it comes to moving, there is nothing worse than procrastinating until the very last minute. If you do you’ll be sabotaging yourself from the start and your move will be chaotic, rather than organized and stress-free. So start planning for your move earlier on, rather than wait until later.

2. Start collecting boxes and packing materials early
Always ensure that you have enough packing supplies. Be sure to have plenty of trash bags because this is the best time to purge all the things that are not needed anymore. It makes no sense to take these things to the new house with you if they will just be taking up space. Instead, either donate them or throw things away.

3. Create your own personalize moving checklist
You might want to organize it by room (bedroom, bathroom, kitchen), or by family member, or by types of items (outdoor gear, pet supplies, clothing, etc.). You should begin creating your moving checklist. As soon as you learn that you’ll be moving. That will make the process less stressful and ensure that you don’t forget anything.

4. Keep track of costs
Moving rates, estimates & other moving expenses keep track in a file on your computer.
Create a file on your computer (like an Excel spreadsheet) to keep track of all of the estimates you’ve received. Add any other information that might be necessary when making major financial decisions about your move. This way, at a glance, you can see who has the best prices for you needs, this will save you time and time is money.

5. Check in with your doctor, dentist and vet
Transfer any prescriptions you or your family members may have to pharmacies near your new home. Be sure to ask for referrals.

6. Keep your records together
Store all hard copies, receipts, brochures, and other moving info in a separate file folder.
Anything that you might need to access in the future concerning your move should be kept in one single place, try to keep things within this folder semi-organized, so you’ll be able to retrieve the info quickly when you need it.

7. Important address changes
Don’t forget your bank and credit card Company, and remember to turn in a change of address card to the post office and the IRS
Completing a post office change of address form will allow your mail to be automatically forwarded to your new address for one year.
That is usually enough time to let everyone know you’ve moved and what your new address is.

8. Is there money coming back to you?
See if you will be able to write off some of your moving expenses on your taxes.
Your best bet is to check the IRS’s moving expense guidelines to see if any of your moving expenses can be deducted on your taxes. Being able to get some of those moving dollars back later — in the form of tax credits — is a great thing!

9. Collect important records
Like birth certificates and passports and remain conscious of their whereabouts during the moving process.

10. Return borrowed items
Don’t forget items such as library books, movies etc., pick up items from dry cleaners’ or other service providers, and reclaim any items that have been borrowed from you.

11. Call your utility companies to schedule to shut off dates
You must contact places like the electric company, water company, and phone company ahead of time to let them know you’ll be moving, If you do not you may end up being billed for unused services.

12. Notify a friend!
Give them all of your exact moving route and plans so someone knows where you are at all times in case of an emergency.
These are the best tips to remember and use for more effective packing and moving to a new house. Just don’t forget the packing supplies especially affordable moving boxes because this is a necessity to get everything moved much easier. Time is your friend when moving so be sure to give yourself plenty of time to make the move because this will ensure you have plenty of time to carefully pack and get your items moved.

Photo by tuppus

Don’t let D.I.Y. moving damage you or your home

Moving with a large distance to the door can be a difficult task, as well as moving to a place with quite a few stairs. Stairs or any far travel can make things complicated, and if moving by yourself you have a greater risk of obtaining an injury during the move. This is because you have to carry heavy objects longer, move them at an incline, or try to move items around corners or through a tight space.

The best thing to do in this scenario is to hire a moving company. As they are trained, they will be less likely to injure themselves or damage any of your property. It is a great idea especially if you are moving into an apartment. If you move your stuff in and damage the apartment building while moving you will be charged for the damage. Also, even if you are moving into your own house you do not want to damage it because then you will have to repair the damage. With a moving company you would not be responsible for these things. If damage was done they would have to pay for the damages since they are accountable.

Not only will hiring a moving company make your chances of damage to your property and place of residence less likely, but it will also decrease your risk of physical damage. If you are not used to lifting heavy items like furniture you can seriously injure yourself during a move, even if you get help from friends. Your friends and family could injure themselves as well or not be able to lift heavy items as long as they need to. This could cause your property to break or even injury to yourself. For example if you are moving a couch and your friend cannot hold their side up anymore the couch could drop, and smash your foot.

If you decide to move your stuff yourself, however, be cautious. Do not try to lift something if you cannot, and ask for help if you need it. The best way is to follow easy steps so you do not injure yourself. For information and tips on how to properly lift heavy objects visit http://www.ehow.com/how_2320043_move-large-heavy-objects.html.

Photo by Ken_Mayer