Moms, You Can Move Without Losing Your Mind
Moving sounds all well and good. You’ll be moving to a new home or apartment, and hopefully, the move is a good experience that you actually want to happen. Perhaps the move is a step towards your life goals, but even when a move is for a good reason, it’s a major hassle.
You have to pack clothes, furniture, decorations, photos, dishes – everything.
And if you’re a mom, this means trying to juggle the move with kids. Some teens may be helpful, but younger kids may also drive you crazy. When it comes time to move without losing your mind, there are options.
Start Early: 6 – 8 Weeks
Yes, you want to start the packing and declutter process early. If you plan on hiring a mover and having help with your relocation, you’ll want to enlist moving management companies to help you get started.
I recommend starting with a declutter 6 to 8 weeks beforehand.
What this means is going through your closets and items, throwing away anything you don’t need along the way. This may seem trivial, but if you remove all of these items from your home, you’ll have fewer items that need to be packed.
The following week, start packing all of the items you don’t need, such as:
- Off-season clothes
- Books
- Items you don’t use often
You’ll then want to start packing up all of your less used items in the coming weeks. The goal is to start packing well ahead of time so that there are no last-minute rushes required.
Create a List of Everything You Need to Get Done
Moving is a hassle, but a lot of that hassle is due to poor preparation. If you prepare properly, you’ll be able to move with much greater ease. The goal is to, before the first week or packing or shortly after, to make a list of all of the tasks you need to complete.
Updater has a great moving list, but a few items that will definitely be on your list are:
- Book a mover or truck
- Pick up moving boxes and supplies
- Pack X room (living room, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, etc.)
- Schedule utility hookups and cancellations
- Create a moving budget
- Request time off from work
- Choose or view schools for your kids
- Setup a garage sale or sell items online
- Schedule vehicle transport if required
- Look into moving insurance
- Gather medical records if moving far away
- Consider pet care and vaccination needs
And as you’re sure to find out, you’ll have a lot of other items that you can add to this list. The list will help you make sure that all of your moving requirements are under control.
Plan Errand Days and Tackle as Much as You Can
Errands are going to take up a lot of your time when moving, and if you have a child, it’s important to schedule in errand days. These days, perhaps someone can watch your child or hire a babysitter, will allow you to get as much done as you can.
The goal is to map out all of your errands beforehand, and do one after the other in an optimized fashion (if you have to drive to complete them).
If you spread out your errands too much, you’ll find that there are days that don’t go as planned. Your child may be sick, or your vehicle may break down. Whatever the case, if you do all of your errands in chunks, you’ll find that you can get a lot more done than if you do one or two errands a day.
And when you have too much to handle, ask for help from friends, family, partners or spouses. If you have older kids, ask them to help you, too.
Similar Posts:
- Things Nobody Tells You About Moving House
- How To Make Moving Long Distance Less Stressful
- Moving House: The Pros and The Cons
- 5 Tips to Making Your Move Easy with Small Children
- How Long Does It Take to Pack for a Move?
