How do you move smartly?

Moving is a chore. You must organize your belongings, throw things out, and then pack everything up and hope you can get help from friends. Next comes the task of transporting the contents of your home to a new location, whether it's down the street or across the country it is stressful. Luckily, we have some tips and ideas to help your move go better.

5 Tips to Make Your Move Go Great

1. Throw out your clutter - Every home has amassed some clutter, and even if you think there is no way that your house can have any clutter, we guarantee there are items you will find that you won’t feel the need to bring to your new home. Moving is a great "excuse" to go through your belongings and decide what needs to be thrown out, donated, or even sold to help make your move much easier and more efficient.

2. Get moving boxes – You can get moving boxes from all sorts of places. We recommend (if you decide to purchase boxes) buying boxes from either Home Depot or U-Haul. Their boxes are high quality, and they won’t break the bank. If you choose to get free moving boxes, you can find them listed on Facebook and Nextdoor. We recommend staying away from Craigslist since that website has had so many issues in the past (Craigslist killers, etc.).

Tip: Color code your moving boxes by room. This will help you offload your boxes even easier

3. Pack an essentials bag – Inevitably, there are items you will not want to be packed up in boxes. These items can include:

• Electronics: laptops, phones, tablets
• Chargers for electronics
• Medications
• Important documents:
  • Birth certificates, social security cards, marriage license, divorce papers, title, registration, etc.
• Wallet
• Small tool kit for any repairs you might have to make during your trip
• Change of clothes
• Kids items – pack things that your kids might need either with your bag or in their bag
• Pets’ items – Include food, medications, toys, snacks, and water for your pets
• Drinks and snacks – It is recommended that you bring water, although any drinks will do (definitely non-alcoholic!)

4. Avoid stress by scheduling everything – If you are feeling overwhelmed or extremely stressed, try scheduling things in advance and then follow that schedule. For example, plan out what days you will pack certain rooms. If you have two weeks to move, you can schedule two days to pack the kitchen, one day to pack bedroom one, the next day to pack bedroom two, etc. This will help you stay focused and will help cut down on any extra stress you may have.

5. Decide on using movers or a rental moving truck – Moving is a big deal, and if you don’t have help readily available that can make it even worse. While hiring movers makes moves convenient and much easier, they can be very expensive, and items can go missing. On the other hand, renting a moving truck can be nerve-wracking, especially if you don’t drive larger vehicles like trucks or SUVs. Using a rental truck also means you have to load and unload it yourself (unless you hire labor-only movers). What you decide to do needs to fit within your own budget and should work for your family.

Overall, moving efficiently doesn’t have to be a challenge. It just takes some preplanning and know-how to make everything work together. Of course, if you have any questions or need to look up mover reviews, check out Movers.com where you can find all the latest information about moving.