How To Prepare For Your Move

When it comes to proper moving preparation, you need to know how to get your home ready. There are several tips you can use to help with preparing for your move. Here are just a few of the most important tips.

• Assign a Notebook to the Move

You will have plenty of notes to jot down during this process. It's best to keep them all in one place. Get a notebook specifically for the move. You can also use a binder with blank paper, if that works better for you.

When you have a place to write down all the notes you have throughout the move, it will make life easier. You never known when you will need to remember something you forgot to write down. Write down everything and you won't need to worry about it.

• Know your Moving Costs

Unexpected expenses happen when you move, but you can still plan for many of the costs. Make sure you know all the expenses from the total you will pay your professional movers, how much you will spend on supplies, the cost for cleaning your prior home, travel cost, cost for vehicle maintenance and any other costs.

It's best to leave a spot in your moving budget for an emergency fund. You never know when something unexpected will happen. Make sure you have some money set aside for emergencies.

• Prepare Your New Home Ahead of Time

While you can't do everything before you move in, some things can be done. If you plan to renovate or make repairs, do it before you move in. In addition, you should take the time to inspect your new home before you move in. Make sure you know what you're moving into before you pack up and head down the road.

• Label Boxes Properly

You will have the same types of rooms in your new home, so make sure you label your boxes properly. You want to make sure the kitchen boxes start with the title "KITCHEN" and list what's in the box. If you label boxes this way, you will know where to find everything you need when you need it. This can make moving in a bit easier.

• Don't Move with Food

Be careful to move with packed up food. It can spoil and attract pests. The best thing you can do is consume all perishable food items before you move. In addition, eat up as much of the rest of your food as possible before you move.

If you have a large amount of food to eat up, throw a farewell party and feed everybody you know. This will allow you to use up the food without wasting it. If you do have some non-perishable items left, you can pack them in a box and let that travel with you on moving day.

Proper moving preparation will go a long way to making sure your move is easy and smooth. Hiring the right professional moving company can certainly help. Make sure you use the tips above and you'll be much happier on moving day.

Family Moving in Chicago

Moving as a family can be a very exciting endeavor. It can also become stressful on you and on the children. There are several things you can do to make family moving easier. Here are a few tips to get you started.

Understand the Possible Stress

Before you move, it's important to understand the stress each family member may feel. Both physical and psychological stress are possible during a move. Physical stress is the easiest to manage and deal with.

You can reduce physical stress by staying organized, packing a little at a time and keeping up with a normal routine. Psychological stress is a bit harder to manage. However, you can manage it by allowing each person in the family to feel the way they feel. Don't discount their feelings because they are children.

It's important to keep your family focused on the positive with the move. When dealing with family moving, focus on the chance for new adventures, the possible attractions and things to do they will love, and the possibility of a larger space or nicer weather.

Work Together and Stay Organized

Moving as a family may come with stress, but sticking together can keep it to a minimum. If you're well organized and you work together, you can accomplish plenty more than fighting each other and going into moving without a plan.

You can even turn the packing process into a fun game. It can be a race to pack, but you will need a few rules. Maybe the parents are the ones labeling the boxes and while speed matters in this game, getting the right items into the box also matters.

Remember, you’re the Adult and the Leader

Children of all ages will look to you for guidance and ques throughout a move. Younger children often want to be just like you. If you're negative and complaining about the move, they will likely do the same thing. Even when things get frustrating, keep your complaints between you and your spouse. Don't complain, fight, bicker or spread anything negative in front of the children.

Staying positive will help you to keep your children positive and on task. When you're calm and positive, they have an environment to become calm and positive about the move, too.

Give Your Children Decisions to Make

Children want to be included, at any age. They may act out because they had no choice in the move. Giving them things to decide about will help. They could approve your choice for bedding, rugs or paint for their room or you may finally need to give in and let them have a pet.

Use Age-Appropriate Books for Moving

There are several great books you can read to your children before a move including:

• Big Earnie's New Home, By Teresa and Whitney Martin - Ages 3 to 5

• Maybe Yes, Maybe No, Maybe Maybe by Susan Patron - Ages 6 and up

• The Bernstein Bears' Moving Day, by Stan and Jan Bernstein - Ages 3 to 5

• Where I Live, by Eileen Spinelli - Age 6 and up

By sharing these books with them, it may help your children relate better to what to expect.

Family moving isn't easy, especially if you're moving across the country or to a new city. You can relieve some of the stress by hiring a professional moving company to handle the packing, loading, unloading, and loading.

Packing Fragile Items During a Move

When it comes to packing fragile items, you certainly want to take extra precaution. It takes more than just a little extra bubble wrap. Here are a few tips to help you with packing those fragile items before you move.

• Have a Plan

When you're packing up crystal, breakable items, porcelain and other fragile items, you need to have a plan. Preparation will allow you to have the right supplies to help you pack the item.

• Pack Plates Properly

When you pack your plates, you should pack them in small to medium sized boxes. Pack them vertically and use crumpled packing paper on the top and bottom. Wrap all the plates in bubble wrap and tape them before packing them. Make sure you don't over pack a box with plates.

• Glasses Should be Packed Carefully

Wrapping glasses in packing paper individually will go a long way to protecting them. You want to line a small to medium box with crumpled paper and use the crumpled paper to fill in any space in the box. Layer the paper around the glasses and keep the heaviest items on the bottom of the box.

• Pictures and Frames Should be Packed Standing

When you pack pictures and frames, you want to use a small to medium box. Just like plates, you want to pack them vertically with crumpled paper in between each frame or picture. Frames should be wrapped with packing paper to ensure they stay safe. If your picture is more than three feet in size, a moving blanket and plastic wrap can be used to protect it.

• Packing Other Fragile Items

Using plenty of wrapping paper, bubble wrap and tape is always a good thing. When packing fragile items you don't want to take any chances. You want to use the right type of supplies and methods for each item. If you're not sure how to pack the item, talk to your moving company. They can pack it for you or at least give you a few tips.

• Mark All Fragile Items

If you pack an item and it's fragile, mark the box as fragile. Use large letters and a bold color. Don't be afraid to mark the box in more than one place and use fragile stickers on the box.

Fragile items need to be protected. If you want to make sure all your most fragile objects are packed correctly, hire a moving company to pack your fragile items.

How To Pack For Movers

When it's time to pack up your home and move to a new location, you need to know how to pack for your movers. Hiring a professional moving company will go a very long way to making the move easier. Here are a few tips to help with packing for movers before moving day.

• Know What Your Movers will Move and What they Won't Move

While professional movers will move just about anything, there are some items they cannot transport due to safety issues. This may include liquids, paints and household chemicals. There are other items they may not move due to liability reasons, such as medicine, pets, food, important papers and photographs. Make sure you know what your movers will and will not move for you.

• Create a Plan for Packing

Hiring professional movers means you may have them pack and unpack some of your things. Make sure you choose which things they will be responsible for and what you will be responsible for. In addition, make sure you have a plan for which rooms you will pack firs and which ones will be last. It's always a good idea to have a bag or a box of essentials you pack last.

• Stock up on Packing Supplies

Your moving company will likely sell boxes and supplies you can use for packing. Often, they have boxes for specific items, such as TVs, dishes and other common items. Make sure you have plenty of boxes, bubble wrap and tape on hand.

Don't Make Boxes Too Heavy

One of the biggest mistakes you can make when packing for movers is to make the boxes too heavy. They could struggle to pick them up or the box could break when they do. Use smaller boxes for small and heavy items, such as books. These smaller boxes will be easier to carry because they won't be so heavy.

When you're getting ready to move, packing for your movers is very important. Make sure you check with your moving company as they can give you more pointers and tips for how they prefer you pack for their crew.