Moving to a new home definitely brings new emotions. On one hand, you know that you'll be having new experiences and making new friends. On the other hand, you might be sad about saying goodbye to familiar locations and dear friends and family. On top of that, packing up and moving your belongings can be a very difficult procedure. Here are some ideas that might make the move easier for you.
Have A Family Meeting - This is definitely a time when each family member can take part in getting ready for the packers.
- Think about asking each family member to go through personal belongings. Tell them that there will be a stack for things that are going to charity, another one for items that will be placed in a yard sale, and another one for garbage.
- Designate a day when the preparations will be made. Be sure to check your calendar to make sure there won't be conflicts, or you may lose momentum when you stop to leave the house.
- Give each of your children his or her own suitcase for things that will be needed before the movers arrive to unpack. Remind them to pack favorite stuffed toys, blankets or other objects they think they can't live without.
- Before moving day, consider making two large poster board diagrams of where furniture and other large items go. One of the diagrams will stay with you and the other one will go with the movers. That way, if the movers arrive at your new home before you do, they can just look at the diagram and know where everything goes.
​Packing Day - Hopefully everybody has cooperated and everything that is not being moved can be placed in a strategic location. Your car would be a perfect place to put those things.
- It would be great if you could be on hand to give initial directions. This is the time when you give the household movers the chart you created so they'll put things in the right place when they arrive at your new home.
- Point out antiques, fragile decorative figurines, and other items that need special attention. Those things will be wrapped and crated in a special way so the danger of damage is minimized.
- If it's a rainy day, your furnishings will be protected by special coverings and packing materials.
- If damage does occur, report it to the moving company as soon as possible. Think about taking pictures and putting in writing everything that needs to be repaired or replaced.
When the movers arrive at your new home, you'll have the options of having them unpack your belongings for you or just moving furniture and boxes to the rooms where they will be unpacked by you and your family members.
