There are few things in life that can be as potentially agonizing as moving. No matter how many moving tips you read or how many moving lists you make, there's always the possibility that something catastrophic will go wrong. And even if nothing goes wrong, just the act of packing everything up and transporting it to your new home is pretty daunting in itself. And if you're trying to make a cross country move, most of the anxiety and stress double. Should you hire a moving company? Should you use portable storage rentals? These are just a couple of the questions you'll have to grapple with. However, there is some hope. Here are just a few tips for moving to help make sure your next move goes as smoothly as possible.
- Take this time to relieve some of your stress by purging as many of your unwanted or unused possessions as possible. There will be no better time for you to get rid of all those clothes you haven't worn in years or the skis your parents bought you when you were 13. So get rid of as much stuff as you can. You will feel lighter physically and spiritually without so much stuff weighing you down. However, make sure not to go too far when you start your purge. Take into account the sentimental, as well as monetary, value when you throw out or donate things. You don't want to end up getting to your new home only to realize that you've thrown out a priceless family heirloom.
- If you want to make your move as painless as possible, you'll definitely want to check out some cross country moving companies. The internet is a great place to get some idea of what moving company you might want to use, but don't trust any moving companies that claim to offer free quotes or estimates. This is usually just a cheap ploy to get your personal information without offering any real service. Any moving company that you consider should come to your house or apartment and evaluate the size of the job in person. No movers, no matter how good, can give you an accurate estimate without seeing what needs to be moved.
- If you don't feel like entrusting your things to a moving company, consider portable storage rentals to help you move your things. Most providers of portable storage rentals will drop off a container, allow you to pack it at your leisure, and then have it shipped to your final destination. Portable storage rentals allow you to move at your own pace, and are generally cheaper than other alternatives.
- Of course, there are other options if you don't feel like using movers for every part of your move. You can always do a hybrid move in which you only have the moving company handle the parts of the move that you don't want to. There are generally three parts to any move: packing, loading, and transporting. While you can have the movers handle any combination of parts, one of the best ways to go about a hybrid move is to pack up your own stuff, have the movers load it into a truck that you have rented, and then drive that truck to your destination yourself. This lets the movers handle the most physically intense part of the move while you focus on the somewhat easier parts.