Are you expecting another child this year? Are you looking for a better and safer school district for your kids? Are you planning to give your kids their own rooms? If these questions make you nod, this is the right time to consider moving to a better home.
However, moving with your family can be stressful, especially if this is your first time doing it. You must be ready to pull all your hair out because you’ll have a never-ending list of things to prepare—enough to give you a headache.
But don’t worry because you’re not alone in this fight. It may be a stressful event, but there are plenty of ways to make your first family move as successful and efficient as possible. After all, it doesn’t have to be a tormenting experience but an enjoyable, fun, and exciting one.
All you need to do is follow the steps below to ensure that the entire moving process runs smoothly. This post will guide you through the process, so read on to learn more. You can also visit thebigboymovers.com or other similar sites if you need help from professional movers.
Here are the 12 steps to moving with your family:
- Gather Your Family Around
Gather your family around and have a meeting. Order something to eat like pizzas, pasta, and hotdogs and have a lot of conversation at the dining table. The best time to present your proposal is when everyone’s having a good time, and that time is now!
If you’re planning to move because you’ve been promoted or hired recently, tell your spouse and kids how excited you are about it. Regardless of the reason, explain how it’d benefit and how it could affect the entire family.
Let them express their concerns and opinions about the family moving to a new location. This can be difficult for first-time movers, particularly because of all the sentiments, feelings, and memories they’ve created and shared with their homes. Tell them that you need everyone’s participation to make sure that the first family move isn’t only successful but also enjoyable.
- Determine Whether To Hire A Mover Or Not
Once you’re done with the family discussion, it’s time to come up with a sensible decision. Should you hire a professional moving company or do the entire moving process yourself?
Here are some pros and cons of do-it-yourself (DIY) moving you might want to consider:
Pros
- Total Control: A DIY move gives you complete control over the process. This means you can choose the truck you want to use and decide how to keep your belongings safe and protected.
- Save Money: Hiring a moving company can cost you bucks. If you want to save money, you should consider moving yourself. Even if you just need to move a few blocks away from your current home, the costs can add up faster than you realize.
- Pack Things Your Own: With DIY moving, you can pack all your belongings however you want. With this, you can be sure that all your valuables are safe. You don’t have to worry about them being broken through the process.
Cons
- Heavy Lifting: Since you’ll be doing the entire process yourself, expect to lift a lot, from small appliances to heavy pieces of furniture. You might also injure yourself during the process.
- A Lot Of Planning: The moving process isn’t as easy and simple as you could have imagined. You have to plan everything, from logistics and packing to moving and unboxing. If this is your first time, you’ll probably be exhausted.
On the other hand, here are the pros and cons of hiring professional movers:
Pros
- No Lifting Required: When you hire a mover, you don’t have to worry about lifting all those heavy furniture and appliances. They’ll take care of the entire moving process. All you need to do is wait until you’re ready to unpack your belongings.
- Efficient Moving Process: Hiring a moving company offers an efficient move. Everything will be according to what has been planned. They’ll create a moving timeline to ensure that the entire moving process is completed in a timely manner.
- Reduced Stress: Moving can be stressful, and there’s no doubt about that. You don’t have to worry about planning the entire move yourself or looking for a good truck to rent. By hiring a moving company, you won’t have to be stressed thinking about these issues.
Cons
- Less Control: When you hire a moving company, you’ll have limited control over the entire moving process. You can’t choose the date and time of moving and handle all your belongings yourself. You just have to wait until the move has been completed.
- Expensive: Hiring a moving company can be expensive. Even if your new home is just a few streets away, you’ll need to pay different fees. These may include hourly rates, flat fees, and others.
Review all these pros and cons to help you decide the best option for your family. If you don’t have enough means to hire a moving company, you can ask your friends and relatives to help you move. But make sure to reward them by giving them gifts or treating them to a nice restaurant.
- Prepare As Early As Possible
This step is something you wouldn’t want to ignore. If you want your move to be as successful as possible, make sure you have everything prepared and organized. Otherwise, the entire moving process will be one hell of a ride.
First, determine when to move—consider the month, day, and time. Experts suggest moving during the months between September and April. Moving demands during this period usually slow down, so expect low truck rates and professional moving charges. Then, determine which specific day and time you should move.
It’s best to move during weekday mornings, except Fridays, around 8:00-10:00 a.m. This is because most people are busy with their work, so you can expect light to moderate traffic on the road. Also, moving companies prefer to move in the morning, so they might offer you exclusive rates and discounts.
Once you’ve determined the best time to move, it’s time to declutter your home. Get rid of everything that has no value or use to you. This can help you reduce the number of boxes and back-and-forth trips you need to make, helping you save money during the process.
Moving charges may also depend on the total shipment weight. Therefore, if you want to reduce the cost, open a garage sale and sell all the unwanted items you have. You can also give them to your friends as gifts or donate them to the needy.
- Look For Free Moving Boxes
As mentioned earlier, moving to a new location can be expensive. This is especially true when it comes to cross-country moving. That said, you should focus on reducing the costs as much as possible.
One way to lower your expenses is to look for free moving boxes. After all, why buy when you grab them at no cost at all? Ask your friends and relatives if they have large boxes they don’t intend to use. You can also visit supermarkets, shopping centers, recycling hubs, bookstores, home improvement stores, local produce markets, and liquor bars.
- Pack Your Belongings
Once you’ve got all the boxes, you may start packing your belongings. This is actually the most time-consuming part of the moving process. But that depends on how many things and rooms you currently have.
Start by disassembling big furniture—only if they can be disassembled. This will help you save a lot of truck space, allowing you to put more things and shorten your moving trips. Then, wrap other furniture that can’t be disassembled in plastic wrap. This is to protect them from getting damaged during the move. Glass and other extremely delicate furniture can be wrapped in bubble wrap.
Other belongings can be placed in a box. Ensure every box has a label, including which room it belongs to and what kind of items it contains (e.g., cutlery and knives – kitchen). This is to keep everything organized when you unpack them.
- Arrange The School Records Of Your Kids
If you’re planning to move to a new location far from your current home, you might need to look for a new school for your children. In that case, you need to settle everything with their former school and obtain all the records they need for a smooth transition.
In some cases, the school records of your kids can be directly transferred to a new school. This is a school-to-school transaction and can make the post-move school registration easier for you and your children.
Once you’ve gathered all the necessary documents, it’s time to look for a new school. Of course, you want your kids to study in a school with a good reputation. Search across the internet to find schools suitable for your child’s needs. You can also ask your family and friends who might be living around the area for personal recommendations.
As much as possible, don’t make a decision unless you have a conversation with the school principal, tour the school, and meet your child’s future teachers.
- Look For A New Family Physician
Moving to a new home at a new location means looking for a new family doctor. This is especially true if your current family doctor can’t manage driving to and from your new home. Of course, it’d be such a hassle for them, so it’s best to look for a new one instead.
You may ask your current family physician for some recommendations in case they know a reliable and trustworthy healthcare provider. Also, before you leave, get your family’s medical records. The new family physician might need it someday.
- Take Care Of Your Family Car
If you want to move with your family using your car, you want to ensure it’s running in good condition, especially when moving across different states, unless you want your car to stop in the middle of nowhere. So, call a reliable car service station and have your vehicle serviced before you start the engine and hit the long road.
- Change Your Postal Address And Home Utilities
Since your family is moving to a new location, you’ll need a new postal address. You may visit the United States Postal Service or your local postal service center to change your postal address.
Once you’re done changing your postal address, it’s time to change or transfer your household utilities. Otherwise, your new home will have no electricity, water, and heater. How can you possibly live peacefully in a house like that?
- Eat Your Food Supplies
Moving with perishable goods during a long-distance move is a bad idea. Not only do they take up a lot of space, but they’re also heavy and may rot while on the road. All you need to do is finish all of them before the moving day. If you can’t eat them all, give them to your friends and relatives or donate them to charity.
- Do A Final Check Before You Leave
Take a final tour around your home to ensure everything’s clear before leaving. Switch off the power, water, and gas lines as well as secure all doors and windows.
Before you say your last goodbyes, ensure that all doors are locked, especially the front door. After all, you don’t want anyone hanging around inside without your permission, especially if you plan to sell it someday.
- Unpack Your Things
Once you’re done moving everything to your new home, it’s time to unpack your belongings. When you unpack, do it according to the room you want to arrange first. For example, if you want to start with the kitchen, get the boxes labeled ‘kitchen’ (see the packing tips above) and unpack them before others. In this way, you can be organized and keep your belongings intact.
Final Words
Moving to a new location can be stressful, especially for first-time movers. But it doesn’t have to be as long as you know what you’re doing. If you have plans someday, this step-by-step guide can be of some assistance.