Congratulations! Moving is a big milestone in life, and worth celebrating; big change is happening, and change is good. But that exciting change isn’t without stress.
The Storage Place understands the challenges that come with moving and we want to be there in your corner, whether you’re jumping to a different school district, moving to a new city for work, or catapulting yourself in a cross-country departure from your old home. The ifs, buts, and hows of this process can be daunting, but we’ve gathered a few tips that will help as you’re planning a move.
First thing’s first: figure out what you have. We really mean take inventory. You should know what you have in your attic, beneath your basement stairs, the whole nine yards. It’s important to have a good idea of all your belongings, as well as which ones you use regularly, even if just on a seasonal basis. This will help you determine how much space you’ll need from choosing the right moving truck to choosing the right size storage unit.
If at all possible, sell your unused items! Clothes, toys, books, furniture—if you don’t use it, consider parting with it. If it’s been gathering dust for a couple of years and remains hidden away then it’s not only useless to you, but it will cost you extra money during the moving process to find space for it.
How about instead of losing money, you sell those things, and put the profit towards off-setting the cost of your move? Now you have more space and more money to use when figuring out how to plan your move.
Use your best judgment. Unless something has particularly sentimental value, if you haven’t used it in at least two years, you probably don’t need it.
Now that you’ve taken inventory and sold any unwanted or unused items, it’s time to start packing and planning your move. However, the planning process will sometimes differ based on the type of move you’re making:
Before you start planning a move, you should research where you’re going. What’s the culture like there, what are some of the major attractions, which neighborhoods are in your budget, and how will your family fit in there?
Assuming you’ve already figured out all the paperwork on whichever house/apartment/condo you’re moving into, it’s time to start packing and organizing your items so that nothing gets left behind in your move.
Organize your belongings in a way that makes sense to you. A popular method is to split up your home into boxes based on the room where the contents of those boxes belong. These boxes can be labeled by writing their designated room on them, or by color coordination. It doesn’t matter, as long as you don’t get them mixed up when moving to another city, otherwise you’ll create more work for yourself later.
Depending on how many belongings you have, taking everything in one or two vehicles usually isn’t feasible, especially if your new home isn’t already furnished and you’ll need to provide your own furniture and appliances. In these cases, your best course of action is to rent a vehicle or vehicle attachment to help extend your available space. These can range from moving trucks the size of a small closet to giant moving trucks. Knowing the size of the trucks available can help you understand how big of a truck you need and how many trips you might need to make.
Moving across the country isn’t too different from moving from one city to another, but there are some important differences when you’re figuring out how to plan a cross-country move.
Obviously, you’ll want to take all the same steps as we’ve previously listed, remaining mindful of your calendar, your moving plan, and how much time it will take for you to pack, move everything, and unpack. The downtime between your current home and bringing your next home to a fully-operational level will be considerable, so make sure you prepare in advance and prioritize the rooms you need to put together first, such as your bedroom.
For some, the prospect of driving all the belongings themselves isn’t appealing. Some moving companies will have entire teams dedicated to packing and moving your belongings for you, as well as a long-distance driver who can make the journey to deliver everything to your new home. This way, if you don’t want to make a 16-hour car ride, you can fly to your destination, enjoy a nice night at a hotel, then await the arrival of your stuff the next day.
If you aren’t sure how much space you’ll need or how much it might cost, a moving cost calculator will help you answer these questions. This is another reason why it’s important to take inventory at the beginning of your moving adventure, so you can accurately calculate these details.
Whether you’re planning a move down the street or to the next time zone over, you don’t want to scramble for space or critical moving vehicles like moving trucks. Featuring facilities throughout Texas, The Storage Place is ready to welcome all residents, new and old. With our selection of U-haul truck rentals, moving supplies available for sale, and a variety of storage unit sizes available, you’ll have no problem getting everything you need for your move. Feel free to contact us for help reserving a truck or unit for your move or find a Storage Place facility near you to store a few items or the contents of your home today!
Rent or reserve your unit at a location near you today!
