Plan Earlier Than You Think
We started planning a few months out from our move, and it was the best thing we did. Once you know where you're moving you're going to want to scope out a place to live (if you don't have one already) and how exactly you and your stuff are going to get there. It's better to have everything completely lined up so you don't have to worry about it once moving day comes! Even if you're just writing down ideas for apartment complexes or neighborhoods, it's better to go in with an idea than going in completely blind.
Visit Your New City (And Housing Choices)
I'm a firm believer that you should see whatever place you're going to live in before you sign a lease. Websites can be completely misleading for apartments and homes, so it's ideal that you can get your eyes on a place and really see if it's as good as you thought it was. My best friend and I spent about 2 months making a spreadsheet of apartment complexes so that when we visited Seattle we could narrow down a list of ones we wanted to visit. Two months is a bit much, but we were just excited to move, haha! Make a list of places that are of interest to you, do some pros and cons, and then create a smaller list of places that you can actually visit if you were to make a short trip to your city. Our number was 5, but you can do more or less depending on how many days you're there.
Make sure when checking out each place to look around the neighborhood. What restaurants are nearby, what can you do for entertainment, are there any parks, etc. Really take a good look around because this is a huge part of your moving process!
Start Packing Early
Similar to planning, if you think you've got a head start on packing, you probably should have started a week earlier. We started packing about 3 weeks before the move and I wish we had started earlier. At the beginning it seemed like we had so much time, but once it got to the last week it all felt so rushed. You could tell when unpacking boxes at our new place what time the boxes had been packed since the first boxes were carefully organized and labeled and by the end practically everything was "Miscellaneous." Give yourself a ridiculous amount of time to pack and start early with the items that you know you won't use like Christmas decorations or extra clothes.
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One of our pods! It was packed completely full. |
Now this doesn't actually have to be a separate fund, but you should have an idea of all the expenses moving will come with plus any extra obstacles along the way. After doing your research on how you're going to move (We used a place called U-Pack since we were driving ourselves and our pets up, and it was the cheapest option!) set aside that amount of money plus 25-50% of that cost. Add that to any cost of boxes shipping off from your house, the cost of gas and hotels along the way (if you're driving to your new state), and moving supplies. You should have a solid chunk of change for all these costs and hopefully anything else that pops up. We signed up for one 'pod' but had so much stuff we had to reserve another one! Definitely not a cost we anticipated, but glad that we had set aside some money just in case something like this happen.
And Plan For A Little Extra Once You're There
We trashed or sold some items that we couldn't take with us, and ended up doing a good amount of home shopping once we arrived. Simple things like utensils, cleaning supplies, groceries, etc will all be an added expense once you arrive, so have a little more money stored away for this kind of thing!
Have The Pets All Set
We were traveling with both a cat and a dog and for a while we weren't exactly sure what we were going to do with the both of them. Since we were driving we realized that the only realistic option for us was to put them both in the car and hope for the best. We didn't have enough space for Henry's carrier, so he and Khaleesi had free reign in the car the whole drive up! Yeah, it was as crazy as you can imagine. That being said, have a plan for your pets if you have any. Are you flying and can you take them with you? If you're driving will you be using a carrier or not? If your trip is taking multiple days you'll need to arrange hotel stays with pet friendly hotels, this can be a tricky issue if you have cats! Many pet friendly places don't specify on their website, so you'll need to double check and call places along the way so you aren't blindsided when you arrive!
Have Supplies On Hand
I constantly make fun of my best friend for saying that we would only need 8 medium boxes for our move between us. HA. We completely underestimated how much stuff we had and ended up using 40 medium boxes, hence the reason we needed to reserve another pod! So with our underestimation, we also didn't buy enough supplies and made about 15 trips to home depot. Save yourself a few trips and just buy more than you think you'll need, most likely you'll use everything! What we ended up using most were boxes, bubblewrap, moving saran wrap, and packing tape.
And that's all I've got for you! If you've moved out of state do you agree with these tips? I'd love to know your thoughts and if you have anything to add! Of course if you're moving soon and have questions I would love to answer them!
I’ve moved so many times & I usually never pack early, even though I know I need to do so!
ReplyDelete-Alexandria
yes i totally agree with this- weve moved 5 times in 6 years and packing early is ALWAYS helpful - esp as our family grew ha! thanks for these great tips!
ReplyDeleteThis has been SO HELPFUL In 2016 I moved across the country and I wish I had these tips!!! GREAT post and tips!!!
ReplyDeleteThese tips are all awesome!! I hate moving and we are currently in that stage too -- thankfully it isn't too far away though. Best of luck to you!
ReplyDeleteIt's all about planning and staying organized for sure!
ReplyDeleteAw thanks for the shout-out Sami! Totally agree to start packing as early as possible- with all my moves I thought I'd have plenty of time but NOPE, haha!! It goes by fast!
ReplyDeletexoxo A
www.southernbelleintraining.com
Yes, moving is a P R O C E S S. I couldn't agree with you more on making sure you give yourself enough time to pack, it takes so much longer than you think!!
ReplyDeleteGreat tips! Having a moving fund is so important cause moving is so much expensive than it seems!
ReplyDelete-Ruya
sweetshortandstylish.com
Oh gosh, I moved last year from Tennessee to North Carolina and I thought I had everything in place. NOT! I moved myself with a Uhaul truck that broke down an hour out of town (my best friend was driving it and it was a brand new truck!) so we ended up in a hotel overnight. My dog and I were in the car behind her and she was a real trooper and kept me sane. I learned three things: 1) Starting to pack two weeks ahead of time is DEFINITELY not early enough; 2) The expense was twice what I thought it would be; 3) Never, ever move yourself. Or at least that's true for me. It was a nightmare and I'll pay a company to do it for me next time. Heck, I might even pay the to pack! Great, informative post!
ReplyDeleteWhat great tips!!!! We just moved from Kansas to Florida, so I can totally relate. Moving can be so stressful!!!! Loved your recs for having a moving fund and getting your pets set before the move. We have two large dogs, which makes travel kind of complicated and moving super hard. I ended up boarding them for a few days while we packed/unpacked, to minimize their stress (one of my dogs gets really anxious with any change...if I move the furniture, he freaks). Once I knew the pets were okay, I could focus on packing...and unpacking. When will the the boxes ever end? LOL
ReplyDeleteVisiting your new city ahead of time is definitely at the top of my list before moving!
ReplyDeleteI won't be moving yet, but this is so helpful! Specially the moving fund. I never thought about that before!
ReplyDeleteThese are such great tips! I'd also add that you should buy essentials in advance instead of trying to furnish your new home all at once as it could get costly.
ReplyDeletexo Deborah
Coffee, Prose, and Pretty Clothes
Thanks for these tips! Having a plan is essential.
ReplyDeleteThese are such great tips! I plan on moving next December and feel like I need to start packing/prepping now with the amount of stuff I have.
ReplyDelete-xo, Azanique | www.lotsofsass.com
These are essential tips for moving, so much planning and work, but it is worth it in the end to be prepared for your move to your new home. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteAwe such great tips! I've moved a bunchhhh of times, but never out of state. A lot of these are super helpful for even instate moves!
ReplyDeletemy biggest challenge was moving my cats from the old to the new country!
ReplyDeletewww.bonjourchiara.com
Moving is such a fun nightmare. I always try to negotiate for relocation if I'm seeking a new job. Moving can be costly and time consuming so having someone else do it for me is always great.
ReplyDelete-Shay
www.shayshaytries.com
oh great tips!!! totally agree, especially since i have moved out of state before :) especially the part about visiting before you move xD
ReplyDeleteHaving a moving fund is such a good idea! Definitely not something I'd think of but SO necessary for sure!!
ReplyDeleteThese are such great tips. During my senior year of college I told my friends to start saving a little every month so they wouldn't be scrambling for moving funds.
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