moving from a house of many years

moving from a house of many years

Smoother Moves: 4 Lists You Need For A Fun And Easy Household Moving Day

by Siiri Salonen

Moving days are often stressful days, but there are ways to make yours a lot more enjoyable and problem-free. Your goal in any new place is your loved ones' comfort in the end so take that comfort seriously on moving day. You'll have plenty of time to decorate and rearrange furniture later, and no one's place looks good right after a move, so focus on immediate moving day requirements.

You can control how happy the crew is by creating lists for these 4 needs: 

Food and Drink

Whether you have small children joining in the move or all of your college buddies hefting your sofas and dressers, working adults and bored kids need meals, beverages, and treats. Figure out the hours when family and friends will be involved in the move, and schedule food delivery or take out meals throughout the day to keep everyone nourished and happy.

Prepare snack bags for the kids, using a large zippered plastic bag for each child. You can let older kids hold on to their snack stash, or let smaller kids pick a treat or two from their bags when they get antsy. Select snacks like granola bars, cheese sticks, and baby carrots to stay on the healthy side.

Place a cooler full of healthy drinks and water bottles where your moving crew can easily access hydration, Find out ahead of time about any special drinks your loved ones may enjoy.

Privacy

Some neighborhoods are busier than others. If privacy is a concern in a busy apartment complex or subdivision, take some steps to keep your home more secure.

If your new place has bare windows that let anyone see inside, you may want to cover them as you set up your rooms. Measure windows prior to moving in if you can, or load a box with dark sheets and blankets. You can tack them up along windows until you're able to purchase drapery or blinds.

There are nosy people who will wander through a new neighbor's home, taking advantage of the extra people and chaos of a moving day. They may be the friendliest people and mean no harm, but they can be a bit creepy. Thieves, too, may use an opportunity to steal your household goods. If you're concerned about the new neighborhood, have two people to as your "security team." One person can stand by the moving truck at all times, and a second person can keep track of who comes and goes in the home.

Entertainment

Kids, people with disabilities and elderly loved ones often have a difficult time during a move. If you can find them another activity to do that day, like having a shopping day or sleepover with friends or family, it can help your move run more smoothly. Hiring a babysitter or caregiver to help is almost a must otherwise.

If they will be part of the day, provide entertainment to keep non-busy people content. Try to learn where the electrical outlets are before you arrive in your new place so you can choose the right room to plug in electronics. Have the TV, gaming equipment and other devices in an accessible container and ready to set up when you arrive.

Situate seating, toys, playpens, high chairs and other necessary equipment to be readily available in the moving van so you can set these items up fast. It's a good time to buy or rent a new video, pick up some coloring books and offer smaller kids a new stuffed animal or small play set.  

Sleep space

If your family or crew will be sleeping in the new home shortly after delivery of your stuff, make a list of the bedding and linens you'll need to pull it off without someone sleeping in their car.

Any nursery or toddler bedding should be set up first, then put together the beds for older kids. If you have no kids, but you do have a lot of friends who will be sleeping over, gather items like comforters and sleeping bags to make pallets on the floor. Keep some floor space clear for this purpose later in the day.

Sofas and reclining chairs make halfway decent beds for some people if it's only for the night. You can also have a tent camp out if the weather is nice and it's allowed on your property, or you can treat the gang to a swanky hotel stay.

Just remember to make lists and plan ahead for everyone's comfort. When you take care of these small but important issues—and hire a competent moving crew (such as one from Pals Moving Service)—setting up your new place is fun and far easier for all.


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About Me

moving from a house of many years

If you are getting ready to move and you've lived in your home for quite a while, you can quickly get overwhelmed with the amount of stuff that you have to move. If you have advance notice of the move, you can start clearing the house out slowly. When I was packing up our home of nearly twenty years, I knew that I was in for a lot of work. I decided to start 6 months before we moved and slowly began clearing the house out and putting what I wanted to keep for the new home in storage. Use what I have included here on my blog to get through this difficult time a little easier.