Are you moving soon?
Just the thought of moving and packing can be exhausting. Here, professional movers share some strategies that will help you save a significant amount of time and money.
Make Your Move Easier and Cheaper With These 6 Tips
1. Start with the Basics
Waste no time in the moving process by planning the packing of your belongings as soon as possible. This will also help you achieve maximum results even with little effort and resources. Create a schedule based on the amount of time you have left until your move.
Divide all your household items into groups depending on the room they are located in, frequency of use, and material they are made of. Start packing those that you rarely use.
Furthermore, discard and donate or sell the items you no longer need. When making choices, you need to keep a balance between logic and emotion — a principle that is easier said than done, but crucial nonetheless.
As you pack, you must put together an open-first box containing all the essential items you will need as soon as you arrive at your new home like basic toiletries, a tool kit, a first-aid kit, a flashlight, and towels.
2. Be Resourceful
Do not spend money and time on buying packing supplies until you have checked what you already have. Your house is full of improvised packing materials which may include bed linens, suitcases, clothing, laundry bins, and pillows. There are many creative ways to use these items.
First, you can use towels and linens to protect glassware and other fragile items. Second, pack your books inside your suitcase for easier transport. Lastly, use some shower caps to wrap your shoes before stacking them in a box.
3. Use Plastic Bags
Garbage bags, sandwich bags, and plastic wrap are your secret weapons for painless packing. You can use cling wrap to keep your bracelets and necklaces from tangling. You just have to lay several pieces of jewelry on a length of the plastic wrap and then fold the wrap over.
Also, you can use plastic wrap to cover shampoos and other liquids. As for bolts and screws, you can securely place them in sandwich bags.
Do not remove your clothes off the hangers. Get a garbage bag and make a hole in its bottom area. Put the hooks of some hanging pieces through the hole. Then pull the bag down to cover your clothes. Don’t forget to tightly snap the drawstring at the bottom.
4. Label. Label. Label.
Don’t underestimate the importance of labeling. Labels will help you easily and quickly find the items you need. Clearly mark the boxes containing breakable items as fragile. Also, label the cords of all your appliances, entertainment systems and computers so you can easily connect them upon arrival to your new home.
When labeling, it would be better to use duct tapes in different colors. This will help you easily identify the boxes and their contents.
Organize all cables and cords by wrapping them individually and stuffing them inside an empty toilet paper roll. Whenever possible, you must pack your electronic devices in their original box.
5. Get Multiple Estimates
The cost of moving will depend on various factors like the total weight of your belongings, how far you are going, and how much packing and loading is done. Never assume that moving by yourself is the best option – obtain multiple estimates so that you can compare the benefits and costs of different alternatives.
The cost varies depending on the moving service you need. For instance, a moving company that packs, moves, and unpacks all your belongings will ask for a higher fee than a mover that will only load and unload your boxes.
Portable storage units are a popular DIY option today. These are huge weatherproof boxes that will be delivered to your home so that you can load them with your belongings. The mover then picks them up and delivers them to your new home where you can then unload them. Some moving companies also offer services for re-delivery.
6. Negotiate
Ask your moving company if they can provide you with free packing materials and boxes. Professional movers purchase these supplies in bulk, so it costs them much less. If you are relocating for work, ask your employer if he can pay your estimated moving expenses upfront.
Packing can be a time-consuming task, but if you approach it wisely, the results might surprise you. Take your time to carefully plan what you need to move, get several estimates, and negotiate expenses whenever possible. This will not just save you time and money but will also make the relocation process as stress-free as possible.
AUTHOR BIO
Chris Humphrey brought his management and marketing experience to Dubai’s moving and storage industry when he and his wife Natalie launched Easytruck Moving & Storage in 2009. Chris’s creative flair and passion for customer service appears throughout the business and saw it win the Stars of Business Award for its category in 2014.
The company began as a professional moving company and branched into the storage business in 2011. In 2013 they combined their expertise in professional moving services & storage to create an entirely new approach to the business – and mobile storage was born! Easytruck now operates over 30,000 sq.ft. of air-conditioned facilities in three convenient locations in Dubai and is the only Mobile Storage operator in the UAE.