Moving is one of the most stressful tasks you can take on in your lifetime—but this doesn’t stop people from packing up and relocating time and time again. In the past two years alone, millions of people have moved to new homes despite the pandemic. Whether it’s for a new job, family or simply for more space, sometimes moving just can’t be avoided.
While local moves may not have as many logistical elements to consider as long-distance moves, they are still the source of plenty of headaches. Even moving just a few miles requires plenty of planning and hard work. Luckily, there are a few ways to simplify your local move that will help you ease the strain.
Read on for five hacks that you can use during your upcoming local move in Charleston.
1. Start as Soon as Possible
It’s no secret that moving requires a lot of effort. From packing to transporting, relocating your home and family is one task that takes a lot of planning—whether you’re traveling a few miles or a few hundred.
When moving locally, it’s easy to underestimate the stress of the task. But even if your new home is just on the other side of town, you still have your work cut out for you.
Assuming you have more than enough time to get everything done in time is likely to cause you additional headaches along the way, and sure to leave you rushing to get out the door on moving day.
To avoid the rush and set yourself up for a smooth moving day, start preparations as soon as possible. As soon as you know you’re moving, start planning, organizing and getting ready to pack. This way, on moving day, all you’ll have to do is watch everything get loaded onto the truck.
2. Don’t Take More Than You Need
Moving provides a great excuse to reassess and reorganize the items in your home. For long-distance moves in particular, downsizing can be a great way to save money on moving costs. However, when you’re moving locally, it’s easy to hold on to things you don’t really need since they’ll only be traveling a handful of miles.
Unfortunately, throwing everything you own into boxes can end up being a major headache. Once you’ve arrived at your new house, you’ll be stuck trying to find space for things you don’t really need anymore. Then, you’ll be forced to either find room or get rid of it all as you’re unpacking.
Make the experience of setting up your new home an enjoyable one by only packing the things you really want to keep. Since you’ll be going through all the nooks and crannies of your current home to prepare for the move, taking a moment to decide if you truly want something will not only save you the energy it takes to pack it but will also leave your new home feeling refreshed and decluttered.
3. Map Out Your Strategy
If there’s one thing that will decrease the stress of your local move, it’s having a plan. Without one, you’ll almost certainly become overwhelmed by the sheer number of tasks you have to complete before your deadline. Mapping everything out on paper makes it easy to remember what has to get done, and helps you take on an organized mindset.
A checklist is one of the greatest tools you can make for yourself. It can be divided and organized any way you like, and can be a place to keep track of even the smallest tasks. Some things you may want to put on your moving checklist include:
- Find the right moving company
- Donate gently used items
- Sort through old papers
No matter what you put on your list, having a dedicated place to write things down will make it much easier to map out your moving strategy.
4. Transfer Your Services Early
There’s a lot to keep track of when moving, and when you’re relocating locally, transferring utilities and other services may fall to the bottom of your list. While this may be one of the most boring and repetitive tasks to complete, it’s also one of the most essential. Some of the services you’ll need to transfer include:
- Water
- Electricity
- Gas
- Sewer
- Recycling and trash pickup
- Internet
- Home security
The best way to tackle this task is to start as early as possible. You’ll need to contact each provider separately to let them know you’re moving; ideally, this should be done at least a few weeks before your moving date. By starting early, you can break the task up and make one or two calls every few days to avoid being weighed down by the number of calls you need to make.
5. Enlist the Right Help
One benefit of moving locally is that you’re able to stay close to your friends and family. Lucky for you, this means you’ll have no shortage of helpers when it comes to relocating your family.
Instead of a lunch date, have close friends come over to help you sort through your belongings. Or, consider hosting a packing party and let your favorite people help you box up your things. With help from friends and family, the task becomes not only more manageable but also more fun.
Smooth Move: The Best Partner for Your Charleston Move
While there are plenty of ways you can simplify your local move, the biggest way to ensure things go according to plan is to hire the right moving company.
Smooth Move is the number one moving company for those looking to move locally in Charleston. Contact Smooth Move and get started on your local moving journey today.