One of the biggest tips you will hear when it comes to making your big move significantly easier is “be organized”. Yet, that is often the whole tip, with nothing else to explain what is meant. Are they talking making sure that you have a complete inventory of what is in every box, color coding each label by room or do they mean something completely different?
So, let’s talk about some practical ways in which you can ‘be organized’ in order to make your moving day run much smoother. Starting with picking your moving firm.
Picking The Right Firm For You
Normally you’d get three or four quotes from different moving firms in order to compare and get the best overall deal (which isn’t always the cheapest!). This is the first step to being organized. Often you will call a few different companies, but then they don’t all get back to you, then you can’t remember who you spoke to – so you just end up with a random company.
In order to make sure you are working with the best moving companies write down the name and phone number of each firm you speak to, and ask them the same questions on the phone:
- Do they charge for quotes (if so, how much, and does it come off the final bill)?
- Are they going to be able to meet your deadline?
- Do they have insurance or is that extra?
- Do they have an estimate for your house size and distance (just in case someone is way out of your ballpark, in which case there is no need to waste your time or theirs)?
- What type of moving do they specialize in (short distance, long distance or international; residential, commercial, industrial or retail)?
If you have other questions that relate to your situation specifically, write them down so that you don’t forget to ask everyone.
As you make appointments for the company to come and quote, write the salespersons name, and date/time of the appointment on the piece of paper (or spreadsheet) that you are keeping track of your move. This way you will know at a glance who you have spoken to, who has responded, and who should be written off as completely unreliable.
It’s Time To Downsize
While you are waiting for your moving companies to come and give you a price for them to move you to your new home, you have the perfect time to start decluttering. A lot of how you should best attack this job will depend you your personality type and what you intend to do with the items that you are getting rid of – and how much space you have to store the items you are getting rid of.
Often people will have a yard sale to get rid of their unwanted stuff, but this requires time to set up, and space to store everything while you are gathering your excess things together ready for sale. Then there’s the advertising, and actually dealing with people who turn up to buy things. If this sounds like your idea of fun, then go for it. If not, there are other options.
The easiest way is to contact your local charity shop, many of which are able to come and collect your unwanted belongings. Be aware that they do not need or want garbage (like this), so chipped crockery, Windows 95 for Dummies, clothing that you’ve been meaning to repair or jigsaw puzzles missing a piece or two is better off elsewhere. Another option is somewhere like Freecyle.org or your local Facebook group – often these are perfect places to offer broken bits and bobs, as people are very clever at reusing items in all sorts of interesting ways. But if you’re the sentimental type that couldnt get rid of the items easily, finding a self storage space to store your items can be a viable choice too.
Downsize Systematically
If you have a spare room or a garage, start with that room first. Get your boxes labeled and start packing – even if you are going to be getting professionals in to do your packing. This way you will have one room cleared which provides a space for you to start accumulating boxes of things to pass on to other loving homes (or dump if you’re feeling a bit over it all). If you can, clear out the boxes of items you wish to move with you – if you don’t have the space, put them all in one corner and label the boxes really, really well.
Now that you have your storage area sorted, start going room by room. You don’t need to do this in one evening! Often you will find that the easiest place to start is your own wardrobe. Be brutal and get rid of anything that is three sizes too small. If (when) you lose weight, you’ll need to buy new styles anyway. Generally, you will also want to get rid of anything that you almost never wear – this includes items that only come out when you’ve missed wash day. These are probably clothes that are either unflattering or uncomfortable, and life is too short for either.
Decluttering advice columns will often say that you should discard anything that you haven’t worn for over a year, however this doesn’t take into consideration specialty items. You may only wear your beautiful sequined dress or tuxedo jacket once a decade, but if it still fits, keep it. Likewise, for bikinis that you only wear on holiday but look great (if they look dreadful throw them out), insulated tramping jackets and similar sorts of clothing that is expensive, but which you would regret getting rid of.
This approach will generally work for most rooms in your house. If it’s broken advertise it on www.freecycle.org, if no one wants it throw it away. If it works but you never use it, sell it. If it works, is expensive, and is used for special occasions, keep it. Although, be a little more discerning with rarely used sports equipment. Yes, you could keep your skis, but chances are they are old technology, haven’t been maintained and you’d be better off hiring next time you hit the slopes.
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