Planning Your Move
When most people think about moving, they immediately feel stressed out and exhausted. The best way to prepare for a move is to PLAN. Plan ahead. Allow enough time for each step and try to stay organized throughout the process. Here are 11 tips to plan a stress-free move:
1. First things first, determine your desired move date.
2. Shop for movers: give as much detail as possible in regards to the amount of items that need to be moved for an accurate estimate. At Aaron Bros. we pride ourselves on our flexibility to meet our customers’ needs and situations. We provide all our customers with estimates so you can make the best decision. To get more information about our estimate process and its importance, click here.
3. Schedule the move date with the movers. When scheduling, keep in mind that the summer months, especially in Chicago, are busy times for moving companies. The beginning and end of each month are also busy for movers, and the possible slots tend to fill up rather quickly. If applicable, there is always more flexibility with time slots and rates during the middle of each month. Key takeaway: schedule as early as possible.
4. Purchase packing materials including boxes (small/book, medium, large, wardrobe), packing tape/tape guns, permanent markers, packing paper/bubble wrap. Buy more rather than less. Last minute trips to purchase additional materials definitely stop your packing flow and take extra time which you may not have.
5. Pack! It’s never too early to start packing and often times, people underestimate the amount of time it will take to pack up all their belongings. This can result in extra stress and sometimes rescheduling of the move date. Start with the rooms you use the least.
6. Moving is a perfect time to get rid of unwanted and unneeded items. Organize a garage sale or donate your items. Aaron Bros. works with Zealous Good, a Chicago-based non-profit organization which will assist in donating your items to local charities in need of the exact items you are donating. Ask your Aaron Bros. rep for more information on Zealous Good.
7. Use floor plans to determine how your furnishings will be placed in the new home. For more information, click here.
8. When you’re packing, organize your items based on your new home, not your current one. For example, a bookshelf in your current home may be in the living room now but you may decide to have this placed in the den in your new home. Think ahead and know your plans to save time, frustration and stress on moving day.
9. Submit your change of address notice to the post office. This often gets forgotten but is essential.
10. Notify utility services and accounts (i.e. credit card, cell phone provider, Netflix, magazines, etc.) of your change of address.
11. Get your new home ready ahead of time! If you are able to, schedule to have your new home professionally cleaned, painted, etc. It’s much easier to have this done before all your boxes and furnishings arrive.
This article was written and submitted by Magnolia Atelier’s Principal Owner, Ms. Margaret Williams. Magnolia Atelier specializes in Event Planning, Marketing and Company Organization and Branding. For more information regarding their services please visit www.magnoliaatelier.com.
