5 Tips For Making A Last-Minute Move

Moving is always a stressful process. Ideally, you will take your time and properly prepare yourself for it. Being that this is a 3-4 week long process, all members of the household are supposed to be given certain tasks to make this transition go as smoothly as possible.

Unfortunately, we don’t live in an ideal world. We live in a world where unforeseen events can make us leave our homes and prepare for a sudden and unexpected move. Realistically, this is not the only scenario for making a last-minute move. More often than not, procrastination is the core reason for leaving in a hurry. Delaying the much-needed plan making when it comes to moving eventually leads to doing things in a rush.

No matter what the reason is, here are 5 tips to help you execute a last-minute move.

1. Downsize

Getting rid of unnecessary possessions is hard. Mostly because we don’t realize they are unnecessary. We are constantly surrounded by items we don’t need. The question is “How to tell if you need something?” The best way to do this is to ask yourself if you used it in the last 4 months. If the item in question is seasonal clothing, ask yourself if you wore it last season. If the answer is “no”, it is time to get rid of it. Make the same decision for other stuff, such as furniture, decoration, food, etc.

No matter what you do, make sure to avoid procrastination. It may sound tempting to say “I will take all my stuff into my new home and then make the decision”. It may be the easier way out but it will undoubtfully lead to creating unnecessary clutter in your new home. A move is a great chance to free yourself of everything you no longer need and turn a new leaf. Don’t miss out on it.

2. Throw Away, Donate or Recycle

Once you decided what will you keep and bring into your new home, divide the things you will get rid of into three piles. The first pile will be the one with your items that are to be donated. The other two will be for throwing out and for recycling.

Donating your belongings is always a great idea. Luckily, you can donate just about anything you own. Your local soup kitchen will accept all food that is still within the expiration date. Used linen and towels can be donated to animal shelters. Donating furniture can be a bit trickier. What you could do is take a look at your local charity organizations. It’s very possible they will need your old couch, nightstand or a rug you no longer like or need.

Alternatively, there can be another pile. This pile contains all those things you don’t want to get rid of for sentimental values but you also don’t want it in your new place. The solution is finding a local storage unit. You can find storage fast using your Internet browser and quickly store your belongings.

3. Hire Help Or Do It Yourself

Once you decided on what items will be moving into your new home with you, it’s time to choose how will you get them there. There are two options. The first one is to rent a truck and drive your belongings yourself. Being it is a last-minute move we are talking about, this could be potentially risky. Especially with large pieces of furniture and breakables.

The other way to go is to turn to the experts. Hiring a professional moving company to help you out will buy you much needed time for other aspects of the move. The best part is you can leave some tasks for them as well. They can help you out with packing and wrapping so nothing gets injured in the moving process.

4. Involve Other People

Don’t be shy when asking for help. Moving is a difficult process and a huge life change. It takes time and effort to pull out a successful move. It takes that much more to pull out a last-minute move.

Reach out to your friends, family, and neighbors Ask them to help you with this transition. The more hands you have for packing, wrapping, and labeling, the better. You can always thank them later with some homemade pie or a hot meal.

5. Moving Bag

The last step before the move is also one of the most important ones. Creating a moving bag. Take a simple duffel bag and fill it with your essentials. It can contain anything that may easily be lost in the moving chaos. Such items are mobile phone chargers, toiletries, keys, medications, and fresh clothes. Having a moving bag by your side will help you keep organized and save you from constantly searching for something.

Conclusion

Even if you have plenty of time for the move, this will still be a stressful process. The key is to keep yourself away from obsessing about the little things. Try to get an overall view of the situation. The most important thing here is to get all your belongings to a new home in one piece. If you manage to do that, it really doesn’t matter if it was a last-minute move.