Things You Might Forget To Do Before You Move

Moving is a huge event and often comes with plenty of stress. The "to-do" list for moving from one home to another is a mile long. Even with helpful residential movers, it can be a very stressful process. While professional movers and packers can help with packing, moving and unpacking, there are many tasks you need to tackle, when moving, they can't help with. Here are some of the things you may forget to do before you move, if you're not careful.

Cancel Recurring Charges

This should be done about a month before you move and often people forget about things, such as a gym membership. Sometimes, you can just transfer to a gym closer to your new home, but you still need to make the changes with any recurring charges.

You should also be aware that some mail-order medications may cancel and not arrive if you don't update your address on the billing information. Make sure you create a list of any recurring charges you may need to cancel or change an address with before you move.

Switch Car Insurance (If moving to a new zip code)

If you're just moving down the road, you may just need to change your address with your car insurance company. However, if you're changing zip codes your rates may change. You need to call your insurance company a couple weeks before you move to make sure your address is up-to-date and you'll remain covered.

Change Your Address Early

Waiting until you're in the new home to change your address isn't a good idea. Even doing this online with the USPS won't make it happen instantly. If you want to make sure your mail arrives at your new home on time, change your address about two weeks ahead of time.

Keep Your Finances Organized

When moving, you want to make sure you have a system for your bills and keeping everything paid. Without a good system in place, you may lose something in the whirlwind and forget to pay it. This could cause damage to your credit or cause you to fall behind on something.

Take Pictures and Create an Inventory

When using professional movers, you want to make sure you take pictures of all your expensive items and create an inventory. This will go a long way if something were to happen to any of your items during the move.

Create a Go-To Box

The day before you move, you should create a go-to box with things you will need when you first move into your new home. This could include toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning supplies, towels, paper plates, silverware, clean sheets and anything else you think you will need when you first move in.

There are several things people tend to forget about during the stress of a big move. You are less likely to forget things when you hire a residential moving company to help with packing, moving and unpacking. However, use this list to create a checklist of things needing to be done so that you don't forget anything important.

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How to Relieve Stress During a Big Move

Chicago Professional Movers

Moving is stressful. Even when you hire a professional moving company to handle loading up your things and taking them to your new location, the move is still packed with stress.

When you go into a move, it's a good idea to have a plan of attack. You should not only plan for how things are going to get packed, moved and unpacked, but also plan in some ways to eliminate stress. Here are some of the top ways to relieve stress during your move.

Breathe

This is the easiest thing you can do on the entire list, but often forgotten. Whenever you start to stress out about a move, just take a few deep breaths. This will help you slow down and it will help to relieve stress immediately.

Meditate

If you need to take the breathing a little further, you can meditate. When you meditate in a quiet place with your eyes closed, you have the ability to destress very quickly. Don't dwell on your thoughts, however. Just let them pass through your head while you're meditating.

Exercise

While exercise may seem counterproductive, it's a great stress reliever. When you exercise, you actually release stress. If you're starting to feel the stress of your move, take a little break and hit the gym. Even just a walk around the neighborhood can do wonders for your stress level.

Take a Nap

Sometimes, you're tired from the move and it makes stressing out a faster process. If this is the case, take a nap. Even just 30 minutes can rejuvenate your body and spirit.

Get a Massage

Sometimes, the simple things won't take away the stress we feel. However, getting a massage is sure to relax you. With the right massage treatment, you can take a temporary break from the world and enjoy a stress-relieving treatment at the same time.

Turn off the Electronics

Too much of your phone, computer and TV can cause over-stimulation. This is especially true right before bed. If you're feeling stressed out during a move, take a break from your electronics for a few hours.

Take on a Small, Fun Project

Sometimes, crafts or other small projects give us a good and healthy distraction. If you need to forget about your move for a little while, take on a small project, such as a crafting project, puzzle or something else you enjoy doing.

Other ways you can relieve stress during a big move include:

• Taking a hot bath

• Listen to music

• Watch a funny movie

• Take a break to visit friends

• Write

• Eat

You can use all of these techniques to keep your stress level down when moving. However, the best way to relieve stress is to allow a professional moving company to handle everything. With the right moving company, you won't have to worry about packing, moving or unpacking. Taking all of these tasks of your plate is sure to relieve some of the stress you feel from the move.

Should you Hire a Sitter When Moving?

Kids While Moving

You've scheduled your moving date, you have a professional moving company coming to pack everything up, but you're worried about your children getting in the way. Should you hire a sitter to watch your kids, while the movers are doing their job?

Spending time with your children is very important, but there are times when you simply cannot have them underfoot. During a move is one of those times, especially if your children are young and require entertainment of some sort. Here are a few reasons why hiring a sitter when the movers arrive is a smart investment.

Saves you Money

If the movers are charging you per hour for every worker, you will pay more if it takes longer to get you packed up and moved. Getting the kids out of the way by hiring a sitter may cost you a few dollars, but it may actually save you time you'd pay for with a professional moving company.

More Packing will Get Done

Even if you only have the moving company coming to pick everything up, hiring a sitter can really benefit you. If you're doing the packing, you'll be able to pack much faster without your children in the way, asking questions and demanding your attention. A sitter will allow you to concentrate on packing and getting everything ready for the big moving day.

Handling Changes Becomes Easier

Even with the best moving plan and the top moving company, changes to your plan may occur. If children are involved in the move, they may not adjust to the change very well and it could cause an issue. For example, if a change occurs pushing back lunchtime, your children may throw a fit because they are hungry.

You can avoid the issue of dealing with changes by hiring a sitter and taking your children's need for stability out of the equation.

Children will be Busy, Entertained and on a Schedule

When you have a sitter taking care of the children, they will be kept busy, entertained and on a schedule. Most children really need a routine and when you go against that routine, it can be difficult for the kids to adjust. However, when you hire a sitter for your children on moving day, they won't have to adjust.

Could Actually be Free of Charge

If you have a grandparent, aunt, uncle or friend that loves your children and lives close by, you may not have to pay a dime for a sitter. What's better for the kids, spending time with a loving family member or spending time getting in your way and the mover's way? Let the day be a grandparent day or another relative day and the kids will be happier.

Hiring a Sitter While Unpacking

The same principles apply when you arrive at your new place and it's time to unpack. If the moving company you've hired for your move is doing the unpacking, you don't want to pay more because the kids are distracting and slowing them down. If you're doing the unpacking, you want to get it done and you don't want any delays. A sitter can help make it much easier to get unpacked and settled.

There are several good reasons to hire a sitter when moving day arrives. Even if you get the full service of having a professional moving company pack you up, move your things and unpack everything, you may save money by keeping your kids out of the way. Plus, it will be better on the children if they don't have to adjust as moving plans change.

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How to Protect Your Valuables During a Chicago Move

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Whether you're a student moving out of a dorm and into an apartment or you're a business professional moving across town, you need to protect your valuables during the move. You don't want to lose your most valuable items or have them stolen due to carelessness or for any other reason. Whenever you move, consider these tips to ensure your valuables are protected.

Create a Full Inventory

It doesn't matter if you hire a professional Chicago moving company or you move everything yourself, an inventory list is essential. You should inventory all of your belongings and make sure the most valuable items are on the list. Your inventory list should also include pictures of any valuables you own, especially if they are traveling in the truck of a professional moving company.

Take Your Valuables With You

Whenever you hire a company to move your things for you, it's a good idea to take some of the most valuable items with you, if possible. Of course, this isn't easy to do if your valuable items are large paintings or hard to move. However, smaller items, such as jewelry, currency and other valuable should travel with you, just to ensure they don't get lost or stolen.

Temporarily Store the Items

If your valuable items will fit in a safety deposit box, you may want to use this option during a move. Before you even hire a Chicago moving company to help you out, take your most valuable items and store them in a safety deposit box. This will help to ensure you don't lose the items or have them stolen due to someone's carelessness.

Storing larger items isn't quite as easy. However, you may be able to leave a larger valuable item with a relative or friend while moving. Make sure they are a trustworthy person and can take the item for you until you've moved into your new place.

Hide and Mislead

Maybe storing the items or having them travel with you isn't really possible. If this is the case and you need to pack the items with everything else, use hiding places and misleading labels.

For example, if you have a fine jewelry collection you want to move, but you don't want to lose or have stolen from you, pack it in the bottom of a box with holiday decorations and don't label it as jewelry or valuables. Instead, just label it as holiday decorations. This will help keep some passerby from deciding to swipe the box when no one is looking because it's labeled as "fine jewelry."

Use Declaration Forms

The best and most professional moving companies will allow you to fill out declaration forms for more valuable items. This ensures you and the moving company both recognized these specific items packed with your things and require special care.

Don't Share on Social Media

One of the easiest ways to announce you own something valuable and end up losing it to a thief is to share it on social media. Keep your valuable items off social media. It's best to keep the information that you're moving off social media altogether. Wait until the housewarming party to show off your new place.

There are many good ways to ensure your most valuable items stay safe during a moving. Hiring a professional moving company with a good reputation is a very good start. Make sure you use the tips above and your move will go smoothly, even for your most precious items.

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7 Tips to Help with Unpacking After a Big Move

You've already spent time packing everything up and the moving company has taken all of your belonging away. They are in transit and on the way to your new home in Chicago. Have you considered the best way to unpack when you arrive in your new home or will you just wing it? If you were organized during the packing process or you had the professional moving company take care of the packing for you, then you'll already be ahead of the game. However, you can still make unpacking much harder on yourself than it needs to be. The easiest way to handle unpacking is to allow your moving company to take care of it for you. However, if you plan to do it yourself, here are a few tips to make it much easier.

Find the Time

Before you do anything else, make sure you have the time to unpack. There's nothing more annoying about moving than getting so busy you never seem to get unpacked in your new home. You don't want to be unpacking boxes for weeks or even months.

Take a day or two off from work, if necessary, and make sure you have the time to unpack. If this isn't possible, carve out a few hours and enlist help of family and friends to get the job done quickly. Of course, if you're strapped for time and don't have much help, your moving company will do the unpacking for you.

Unpack Your Rooms in the Right Order

It's easy to think you're going to unpack an entire home worth of stuff in just one shot. While this may happen, it's not always the case. Moving day is draining and so is unpacking. If you unpack your rooms in the right order, you will have the most important things ready for you even if you don't make it to the end.

Start with the bedroom. This is where you sleep, so you want to make sure your bed is set up, made and ready to go for a good night's sleep in your new home.

The bathroom comes second and shouldn't take very long to unpack. Obviously, you need to be able to use the facilities, so unpacking your bathroom and shower items is a must.

Next, you will want to get the kitchen unpacked. This will ensure you have a place to make food when you're hungry. It's often a larger job, but it needs to be operational as soon as possible. You don't have to make the kitchen fully operational, however. Just make sure you have the things you need to get you by until you have the time to unpack everything.

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After the kitchen, the order isn't as important. You've taken care of the essentials, so you're set up for success with the rest of your unpacking.

Other things you should do to make your unpacking easier include:

• Inspect all boxes before picking them up

• Sort your boxes or have the movers deliver them into the right rooms

• Unpack any essentials boxes first

• Set up any large furniture items early in the process

• Clean up throughout the process

If you follow these simple tips unpacking will become much easier. Of course, if you want to make it hassle-free and super easy, hire your moving company to do the unpacking for you.

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