8 weeks before you move

If you’re going the professional mover route, it’s important to book your movers as far in advance as possible before they’re full for the summer. Booking early also means you’ll have a better chance of beating the heat with a morning move time.

• Take inventory of your stuff. What are you keeping? What are you selling/donating? What needs to be thrown out? 
• Arrange moving transportation, whether that’s a friend’s pickup truck or professional movers.
• Transfer school and vet records if needed. Getting your human and fur babies to the new place is only half the battle.

Pro Tip: If you’re booking movers, they’ll ask for a detailed inventory of your belongings to provide the most accurate estimate of your moving costs. This is also how they determine what size truck they’ll be bringing to move your stuff, so don’t lowball it. In addition to your furniture, use this guide to give your movers an estimate of how many boxes you’ll have come moving day.

6 weeks before you move

Before you buy packing supplies, think strategically about how soft items (like towels and bedding) can be packed with more fragile items to minimize how many supplies you’ll need. Plus, it’s great for the environment.

• Buy packing supplies (more than you think you’ll need).
• Remember that casserole that’s been sitting in your freezer? Time to use it or lose it.
• Measure your new space to make sure your furniture will fit. No sense lugging a dresser across state lines only to find that it won’t fit through your new doors.

4 weeks before you move

• Packing time! Make your life easier by setting aside a box of items you’ll be using up until the day of the move.
• Disassemble furniture you’re not using. Your movers will likely do this anyway, but nobody cares for your furniture like you can.
• Label your boxes. Your future self will thank you when it’s time to unpack.
• Change your address and update your billing information once USPS has processed your request.

Pro Tip: Packing early isn’t just important for saving you last-minute complications. If you have pets, seeing their home packed up gradually gives them more time to adjust to the change, rather than everything they’re familiar with disappearing overnight. You can find more helpful tips for moving with pets here.

2 weeks before you move

These next two weeks will fly by. As you get closer to moving day, it’s time to tackle all those moving tasks that fall outside of the actual moving process, like car maintenance, requesting time off from work, and more.

• Submit your workplace PTO requests for moving day (or week, moving is stressful) if needed.
• Make sure your car is ready for the trip. Even if it’s just across town, it’s one less thing to worry about on moving day.
• Confirm moving day details with your mover (or friend with a truck). Where can they park? Is it a gated community that they’ll need a code to enter? What time are they arriving? What form of payment is preferred?
• Schedule utility account transfers for your move-in day (electric, internet, gas, and water are the big four).

Week of your move

It’s almost time! In the week before your move, make sure your payment for your movers is ready to go and that your billing address has been updated on all relevant accounts.

• Refill prescriptions if you have them.
• If you have pets, update the address associated with their microchips.
• Defrost your freezer if it’s moving with you.
• Get cash to tip your movers (or buy your friends a round).
• Remember that box of items you’re still using? On the day of your move, tape it up and add it to the stack for your movers to handle.

Bonus items for your summer moving checklist

Even if you’re not doing the literal heavy lifting on moving day, the summer heat is no joke. Consider adding these items to your summer moving checklist to keep things cool.

• Stock a cooler with cold beverages so you’ll have hydration on hand while transitioning between your old fridge and your new one.
• Turn off the AC but keep a fan going while movers are coming in and out to avoid wasting energy.
• If you have pets that need to be kept in a separate area while movers are in the home, make sure that space has plenty of ventilation and cool water (and shade if it’s outdoors).
• Don’t forget to celebrate. Moving is a big deal!

Since summer is peak moving season, it’s important to book your movers as far in advance as possible before they’re full.

The post Summer Moving Checklist: How to Nail Your Warm-Weather Move appeared first on Cardinal Financial.

1. Ask a local store for boxes before you buy them

Before you buy cardboard boxes, visit nearby stores and ask if they mind saving some boxes from their next shipment. Most retail establishments trash or recycle these boxes, so there’s a good chance they will be willing to let you take them off their hands. Usually, they will require your name and phone number so they can contact you when your boxes are ready for pick up.

2. Wrap glass and other delicate items in towels and t-shirts

If you’re packing both fragile and soft items, why not pack them together? By wrapping glass and other delicate items in towels, t-shirts, and blankets, you save space and repurpose your textiles—without having to buy bubble wrap or paper towel.

3. Stack disposable styrofoam plates between breakable kitchen and dining plates

This dollar store find is an easy and inexpensive way to protect your delicate dishes. Simply place one disposable plate between each breakable plate and you have a stack of dishes that won’t get scratched. You may even be able to try this packing hack on your breakable bowls if they’re the right shape.

4. Place screws and other small furniture parts in sealed plastic bags, then tape them to the piece of furniture to which they belong

Rather than stuffing bags of screws, nails, and other furniture assembly parts in a box or bag, attach them to their corresponding furniture. When you unpack your moving vehicle and boxes are all over the inside of your new home, you won’t have to search for parts that match. This will help make furniture reassembly much easier and more frustration-free.

5. Pack books or other heavy/bulky items in rolling luggage

Similar to hack number two, this trick provides dual purpose to an item that you’re already packing—rolling luggage. By repurposing your luggage cases as rolling boxes for your heavy valuables, you’re saving money on boxes and saving yourself from unnecessary back pain.

6. Pack and label an essentials box (or two)

It may seem logical to pack your toothbrushes in the bathroom box, your coffee pot in the kitchen box, and your socks in your bedroom box. The problem with this thoughtful organization is that you have to sort through and open several boxes to get to these few essential items. Instead, pack one or two boxes of essential items that you’ll need to use daily until you have the chance to unpack everything.

7. Use plastic wrap to keep dresser drawers shut or books on their shelves

Plastic wrap is an inexpensive tool that can prove very useful in many packing tricks. One way to keep your dresser drawers from sliding open (be sure to empty them first) is to secure them in place using plastic wrap. The same method can be used with bookcases. If your bookcase is light enough to comfortably carry while it’s full, wrap it in plastic wrap to keep the books from falling out during transportation.

8. String necklaces through empty toilet paper rolls or individual straws

One common frustration among movers is the tendency for necklaces and other strung jewelry to tangle when they’re packed in boxes or bags. To avoid this annoying problem, string multiple necklaces on an empty toilet paper roll or string individual necklaces on plastic straws. The rigidity of both the toilet paper roll and the straw will keep your necklaces straight and prevent them from tangling with each other.

9. Pack knives in oven mitts

Knives are considerably one of the trickiest household items to pack. It’s easy to forget where you packed what and unprotected blades are risky when you stick your hands in boxes to unpack. Like hacks two and five, repurpose those oven mitts you’re already packing as ultra-padded cases for your kitchen and utility knives, and thank us later.

10. Slide glass picture frames in t-shirts to prevent scratching

Another way to repurpose items you’re packing anyway is to place your fragile picture frames in t-shirts. This saves you from the added expense of purchasing foam or bubble wrap while still keeping your precious glass from surface scratches. High-five!

The post 10 Hacks That Will Change the Way You Pack appeared first on Cardinal Financial.