5 important things people forget to do when moving

Moving is a rather challenging undertaking that takes a toll on our bodies and emotions. When the stress levels are quite high, it’s rather difficult to remain fully concentrated and highly organized in order to complete everything on your to-do list and not to forget something more or less important.

Obviously, forgetting to do or to pack something during the moving process is almost unavoidable. However, there’re certain things, which, when forgotten, will make your experience even harder. From basic paperwork and routine moving tasks to hacks you should definitely use when packing and moving houses, this list will remind you to conduct the most essential preparations, which get forgotten rather frequently.

Top 5 moving forget-me-nots

Labeling your moving boxes

I can’t stress enough how vital it is to label your boxes before you seal them and load onto the moving trucks. Labels including the name of the room the packed stuff should go to and the type of things included in each box will save the unpacking process and help you go through it much faster.

If you forget to do that or just refuse to spend time on labeling, you will regret committing that mistake the moment you start unloading the truck, figuring out the designation of each box and trying to sort through them. Labeling boxes with fragile items is even more essential, especially if you decide to hire professional movers but skip on their packing services.

Making a box of essentials

A box of essentials (such as toiletries, a few changes of clothes and underwear, toys for children, food for pets, mugs, snacks, etc.) will eliminate most of the moving-related inconveniences during your first days in a new house. Realistically, you’re not going to start unpacking the moment you arrive at the destination and unload the boxes. And, even if you’re moving a one-bedroom apartment, you’re not going to be done with unpacking by the end of the first post-moving day.

But, if you skip on packing a box of essentials and spread them all over the moving boxes, you will be forced to look into each of them in the search of the must-have items you use on a daily basis. And what if you moving trucks with all of your possessions arrive at your new house later than expected?

So, make a list of essentials your family needs to survive the first week after the move even without digging into the rest of the boxes and pack them separately in the beginning of the packing process. Label the box to be able to distinguish it from the others and take it in the car you’ll use to get to your new house. Don’t load it onto the moving truck not to lose your essentials in a mountain of boxes and other packed possessions.

Collecting personal records

It’s probably one of the most frustrating parts of the moving process. At the same time, this is the task you absolutely have to complete in order to be able to arrange your life at a new place. Preferably, you should take care of personal records (health records of your family members, copies of prescriptions, your children’s school records, documents from the vet if you have pets, recommendations from your previous employer, etc.) well before the moving day, a month or two in advance. You may either collect them to bring to the according institutions in your new place of residence personally or request a transfer to be conducted on your behalf.

Canceling and filing for service subscriptions

In the middle of a hectic moving process, there’s nothing easier than forgetting to cancel your Internet, redirect the mail and cancel your other service subscriptions (cable TV, grocery shopping and delivery, pool services, gym memberships, etc.). This mistake results in unnecessary expenses, which hit your bank account, which has already suffered from the moving process.

So, contact the companies that provide location-based services in advance and ask them to cancel your subscriptions after a certain date so that you don’t have to worry about it when dealing with other arrangements during the moving day/week.

Similarly, if you don’t want to deal with having no Internet at a new place for a few weeks after the move, look for a daycare/babysitter for your young child in an extreme rush or struggle without a parking spot in an apartment complex, contact local companies a few weeks before arriving to your new hometown to arrange the provision of the services you need.

Checking in with the movers

You found a moving company, got your estimate, agreed on the time and the date, signed a contract and shook hands. Now what? A few days before the moving date, don’t forget to contact the movers of choice to make sure that your move is included in their schedule and that there’s no client collision. If you have any updates regarding packing or loading arrangements, notify the movers in advance, but not upon their arrival to the spot. Otherwise, they may come not being prepared to provide extra services (more packing materials, supplies for piano moving, etc.) you didn’t think of prior to the contract signing.

Finally, don’t forget to get the contact information of movers, who’s going to drive the trucks with your possessions, to be able to reach them whenever you need. This will particularly come in handy during the long-distance moves, when the nerve-racking delays happen quite often.