Moving from one place to another is never easy, but if you prepare for it well and pack properly, it can lessen the burden. It is reported that most people choose to move in the summer. While the summer heat may make the process even more unbearable, most people move in the summer because it is more ideal in terms of time and availability, especially when children are involved. Summer marks the time between the end of one school year and the beginning of another and if switching schools is necessary, this would be the best time. Also, children are on holiday and can spare more time to help with the packing and preparation. Here are 11 tips to help with packing for a move in summer.
1. Secure Packing Supplies
Before you even start organizing or packing, you should start sourcing boxes. You can start doing this up to a month before your move. You can source boxes from your supermarkets, liquor stores, and other places that receive items in bulk. They tend to have clean boxes of various sizes and often do not have any reservations in giving them away or saving some for their customers. While you are at it, pick up a few rolls of packing tape, markers, and bubble wrap.
2. Organize and categorize
Go through your items and make a list of what will be going with you and what will remain behind. This includes everything from furniture and clothing to books and toys. Once you have broken them down into those two categories, go ahead and do a further breakdown into what can be donated or sold and what needs to be discarded.
If possible, you can go ahead with the donation from a month before and put the items that need to be discarded in the trash at that time as well. If you are unable to discard or donate before you start packing, you should create a specific pile for those items so that they do not accidentally get packed up.
3. Put Your Documents Together
During summer when its peak moving season, you want to ensure that everything is easy to find because any mistake or losses during that period can be a pain to recover or replace. Locate and compile all documents such as travel documents, medical documents, school documents, files relating to your new home, and anything thing else that you may need to access before you fully unpack in your new residence. You should also have some cash that you may need for stops along the way or to tip movers if applicable.
4. Reserve Your Moving Company
Many people move in summer, so its best to reserve your moving company early. However, you should do some research and/or get recommendations from families and friends to ensure that you select a company that is most suited for your needs. Check to see if the companies are registered before considering them and find out their payment plans and processes. Some will ask for a deposit when you book while others will ask for full payment.
This is also the perfect time to see which days are cheaper as weekends can sometimes be more expensive than during the week. Also, check their list of services to see if there have any services you can combine or utilize to make the process easier, such as packing and unpacking or the supply of packing equipment. Another thing to pay attention to is their policies including their insurance and the way they handle damages and packaging. Some companies only accept boxed packages and won’t allow the transportation of bags or baskets.
5. Create a Schedule to Disconnect Utilities
Based on your moving date, set a time to schedule disconnection of your electricity, cable, gas, etc. You want to ensure that you are not racking up extra bills to pay after you have left. You can mark off a day on the calendar or set a reminder to call each company to have the service disconnected. If there are any equipment to be returned or picked up, ensure to make a note of that as well and put it into the schedule.
6. Update Your New Address
If you generally make purchases online or have your physical bank statements sent to your address, you should update these accounts with your new address at least a week before you move. This way, the next bill will go to your new address and if you make a purchase online, it is less likely to be accidentally sent to your old address. This will minimize or eliminate issues with forwarding or returns.
7. Label and Number Your Boxes
It goes without saying that you should label your boxes, but to make things easier, you should be thorough. Label the boxes with the category of items as well as the room that they are packaged from. For instance, you can have “decorations from living room. Box #1”. Also, number each box so that you know exactly how many boxes you should have and which boxes are missing if that should ever occur. Once the boxes are numbered, make a list of the box number as well as its contents. This also makes it an easy reference for unpacking and recovering loss.
8. Acclimate Your New Home
If you have access to the new home or can contact someone to access it the day before you arrive, have the home aired and then have the AC turned on, so that it is nice and cool when you and your family arrive. If this option is not possible, try to turn the AC on as soon as you enter so that it starts cooling down while you get comfortable.
9. Pack with the Heat in Mind
Many things do not do well in heat, but will be fine for the trip to your new home. However, electronics or more susceptible to heat damage, so you should ensure that these items are packaged properly and packed in the moving truck last. You should check if you have the original boxes and use those first. If, not, try to use a box that is as similar to the original packaging as possible. When the truck arrives at the new residence, ensure to remove, unpack, and inspect these items first.
10. Consume Your Groceries
Use the last two weeks before you move to utilize groceries that were already bought. Try not to buy new groceries unless they are products that can be used up within a day or two. If there are things that cannot be packaged for the trip and you can’t use them up by yourself, you can maybe host a moving party and cook for friends or neighbors to utilize them more quickly, or give them away if that is an option.
11. Avoid Heatstroke
Last but not least, ensure that you stay hydrated throughout the entire process. Bring water on your journey and take breaks periodically. You should also try to book your mover early in the morning so that you can start moving before the sun is high and extremely hot.
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