5 Tips to Stay Organized When Moving or Storing

The more organized you are before storing or moving, the better the outcome. Of course, that is much easier said than done. Moving can throw even the most organized household into chaos. Getting organized beforehand is a commitment, but is well worth the effort in the long run. Here are some moving tips to help you on the road to an organized move:

• Start planning as soon as you find out you have to move: The more time you have, the more organized you can be. Come up with a storage and moving list that you can follow and amend from now until moving day. MyMovingChecklist can help you put together the perfect moving check list and allow you to add everything you can think of. When things get busy and hectic as you dismantle your house and get closer to your moving day, your very detailed moving to do list will assure that you will not forget anything.
• Get rid of things you do not need: Go through everything in your house and put aside items to either donate or sell. Have one of our units delivered early and use it as a staging location for unwanted goods. Most charities will send a truck to pick-up donated items. If everything is in our unit, you'll make it easier on them and you. You can even hold a yard sale of the items to earn some moving cash!
• It is never too early to pack: Begin packing non-essential items as soon as you start writing your storage and moving to do list. That moving day will sneak up on you before you know it. If you plan to put some of your belongings in storage, pack those items first and move them to storage.
• Label everything: Label the contents of every box and in what room the box belongs. You can take your moving organization a step further by tagging all boxes with tape color coded for each different room. This organized pack will make it easy for you and the movers to see quickly where things belong and help you spot misplaced boxes.
• Leave a few boxes for last-minute items: You will want things like bed linens, toiletries and cleaning supplies readily available when you are unpacking. Label them clearly with "open first" so you can spot them.

read the full article

Moving House Checklist for Pet Owners

Updated July 2014: Moving with pets can be a little complicated. The needs of moving pets are often overlooked on the huge list of priorities that have to be taken care during moving.  Pets do get anxious when the boxes come out and the packing begins.  Adding some line items for your pet to your moving house checklist can help make sure you are taking good care of your pet during the transition and will make it easier once you move in.

Moving House Check List Items for Pet Owners:

1.  Decide how your pet will travel to the new home.  If you are flying, be sure to book arrangements with the airlines.  Pets cannot always fly on all planes and there are some restrictions on layovers and times of year.  There are services that will walk, feed and give water to your pet during layovers. If you are driving, be sure to pack a bag with all their necessities, including food, medicine, water bowls, toys and pillow.
2.  Arrange for boarding after you arrive at your destination, if necessary.  Add the contact numbers, cost and dates of the reservations to your moving house check list.
3.  Make sure you have the appropriate carrying kennel for your pet at least a month before you move so he or she can get used to it.
4.  Find out what vaccinations and records will be needed by the airline and for the location where you are moving.  It is much easier to take care of those things with your current veterinarian. 
5.  Make an appointment with your current veterinarian and take care of all necessary vaccinations and prescription needs 2 weeks to a month prior to your move.  Pick up a records transfer form for your new veterinarian. 
6.  Add any details you might forget to your moving house checklist. For example, you may need to give your dog food and water no more than 6 hours prior to his flight.  Or you may need to give a cat a prescribed tranquilizer at least 1 hour prior to an international flight. 
7.  Assign one person in the family the task of taking care of your pet on moving day.  This helps eliminate confusion and assures that the pet will not get lost in the shuffle. 
8.  Take some time to give some love to your pet in the ramp up for your move.  Take your dog out and play fetch.  Snuggle with your cat.  It will be good for both you and your pet.  (It seems silly, but you can put this on your moving house check list as a reminder to simply take time out from the stress of moving.)

read the full article

When you are in the military, you become very good at moving.  Most families make a permanent change of station (PCS) every 2 to 3 years, depending upon their branch of service and specialty.  And storage and moving seem to go hand in hand when you are moving with the military.  If you take an overseas assignment, you often store furniture and other belongings that either might not survive a long trip or will not fit into the quarters where you will be living.  Taking a remote assignment is another common reason to combine storage and moving.  Your maximum allowable weight limit for household goods may require that you store a great deal of belongings stateside.  Deployments also create a need to combine storage and moving for many families and individuals.  Regardless of the reason, portable storage units offer military members and their families a convenient and stress free solution for storage and moving.

You can utilize portable storage units for both your storage and moving needs, if you are doing a DITY move.  Or, if the government is handling your move or you are using a full service moving company for your actual move, you can utilize portable storage units for only the belongings you wish to put in storage.  The units are delivered to your curb, driveway or parking lot.  You can take your time loading your belongings into the units.  They are weather proof, secure and easy to load and pack.  Once you have loaded everything, the storage and moving company who provided the units will pick them up and transport them for you.  You do not have to unpack anything that is going into storage.  Your portable storage units will be placed in the storage facility just as you packed them.  When you no longer need to utilize storage, the storage and moving company will deliver your units to your desired location.  The convenience offered by portable storage units give military families and individuals a stress free solution at a time when there is enough stress in their lives. 

read the full article