The average Canadian will own between four and six homes in their lifetime. That means four to six stressful, difficult, and negative experiences, right? Not necessarily.
By carefully planning your moving day in advance, you can make the process smooth and stress-free. So what are the tasks you can get out of the way in advance? And how should you manage your time in the days and weeks leading up to the move?
Be sure to keep reading to find out what to expect before moving day.
6 Weeks Before You Move
As soon as your moving date is set, there are plenty of jobs you can begin to get out of the way. These tasks can be taken care of as far in advance as your moving date allows. Getting these done early on helps reduce your to-do list, and will make the latter stages of your moving process much calmer.
If you have children who will be changing schools, it’s time to apply for their places at their new school. You’ll also need to inform their current educational establishments that they will be leaving.
This is also a great time to contact your utility providers, in addition to your internet and television companies, and your insurance providers.
4 Weeks Before You Move
As you approach one month before your moving date, the preparations start ramping up. It’s time to start contacting moving companies, such as Moving Butlers, to find the team who will help you out on the big day.
If you will be needing a temporary storage facility, this is also the time to secure your reservation.
You’ll also need to put in a request with your business to take a few days’ vacation. Make sure your colleagues know you will be unavailable during this period.
It’s also time to start decluttering. By donating items to charities, getting rid of junk, and gifting items to friends and family, you’ll make the packing process much easier.
2 Weeks Before You Move
One of our top moving day tips is to pack as much as you can, starting now. Your moving day might still feel a little far away, but you should be packing up as much as possible two weeks out. You should be able to pack most of your clothes, books, kitchenware, and all non-essential items.
At this stage, you can also take care of crucial admin tasks. Set up redirection of your mail to your new address. Make sure you’ve nailed out the details of when you will collect your keys and the finer points of the moving day timeline.
Another task is to make your way through the contents of your freezer. Any items you won’t be able to get through can be gifted to neighbors and friends.
1 Week Before You Move
As you’re now approaching moving day, you need to keep up the packing momentum. Envision what you and your family will need for one week. Everything else needs to be boxed up, taped, and labeled. Make your moving day smoother by writing the name of the room each box needs to go to in your new home with a marker pen.
It’s also time to organize a cleaner to come in and do a deep clean. Hiring a professional for this service is often well worth the cost, even if you feel you could do this job yourself.
Make sure you’ve organized childcare and pet care for the day of the move, and perhaps one day on either side to be safe.
1 Day Before You Move
Now that it’s the day before your moving day, it’s time to get the final tasks underway. Pack overnight bags for each family member, and put these in the car. Be sure to include the essentials such as toothbrushes and toothpaste; you don’t want to be hunting through boxes to find these in your new home.
Another way to prepare for moving day is by defrosting the fridge and freezer. You can also take down any curtains that you aren’t leaving behind.
It’s essential to make sure your phones are fully charged, as well as any electronic devices to occupy your children. Take this opportunity to say goodbye to your house and your neighbors, as tomorrow is likely to be a whirlwind of activity.
Moving Day
The big day has finally arrived! One of our most important tips for moving day is to move your valuables to your car first thing. You don’t want to be worrying about these precious items amongst the rest of your belongings once the movers arrive.
There are several other key points to go on your moving day checklist. As well as exchanging keys with your realtor, you’ll also want to make a note of your gas and electricity meter readings.
Give yourself enough time to do a thorough check of the house before leaving. Go through each wall of every room methodically to make sure nothing gets left behind.
Once you arrive at your new home, let your movers do all the heavy lifting. Unpack your overnight bags and valuables from your car, and treat your family to a takeout after all the hard work they’ve put in.
Now You Know What to Expect Before Moving Day
We’ve now seen how moving day doesn’t have to be a hassle when you can get any tasks that aren’t last-minute out of the way, early on. Using Moving Butlers for your residential or commercial move is also a great option to ensure an easy and straightforward moving process.
Why not get a free quote to find out more about how Moving Butlers can help you with your move?
