{"id":17390,"date":"2021-01-22T08:17:27","date_gmt":"2021-01-22T13:17:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cubesmart.com\/blog\/?p=17390"},"modified":"2024-04-22T09:50:57","modified_gmt":"2024-04-22T13:50:57","slug":"21-moving-tips-for-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/your-life\/moving\/21-moving-tips-for-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"21 Moving Tips for 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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For many of us, the New Year represents a time for a new\nstart. 2021, in particular, is especially welcome due to the overwhelming\ndifficulty of 2020 for much of the world. Many of our CubeSmart customers have\nindicated that they are ready for a change in 2021 \u2013 be it a new job, new\nhabit, or new place to live. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re on the hunt for moving tips for a planned 2021 relocation, you\u2019re not alone. According to some reports<\/a>, more than half of respondents are already on the hunt for a new home or plan to be within the coming year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve conducted our own (extremely informal) polling among\nCubeSmart teammates and customers for the top 21 tips and tricks for moving in 2021, so keep\nreading to get the advice you need \u2013 straight from those of us who\u2019ve \u2018been\nthere and done that.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Top 21 Tips for Moving and Packing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1. Clean and dust your stuff before you move it. <\/strong>Take the time to clean your personal belongings before packing them away for moving. It\u2019s hard to get off to a fresh start in your new accommodations with dirty or dusty belongings, and you won\u2019t want to take the time to clean them when you\u2019re unpacking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2. Get quality moving materials. <\/strong>Make your life a lot<\/em> easier by investing in quality moving materials. Every CubeSmart<\/a> location sells boxes, tape, and other moving supplies. There are all sorts of products out there that might be useful, depending on what exactly you\u2019re moving. My favorite general material is packing paper. Think of a giant stack of newspapers without the ink. It is super handy, cheap, and easy to use to pack fragile items.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Have the right moving tools. <\/strong>In their blog post Moving Safety Tips for a Drama-Free Move,<\/em><\/strong><\/a> The Storage Queens recommend using a dolly, lifting straps, furniture sliders, and gloves to minimize wear and tear on your body during your move. These might seem like an unnecessary expense, but protecting your physical health during something as stressful as a move is a must. The last thing you want to be dealing with is a sore back or torn-up hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Use your things . . . to pack your things. <\/strong>Be creative when you\u2019re packing and use what you\u2019ve got on hand. Wrap a mirror or framed picture in a beach towel. Stuff (clean) socks into dishware. Pack empty suitcases with your clothes. You may be surprised at how easy it is to pack efficiently and effectively with items you\u2019ve already got.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Rent a self-storage unit.<\/strong> One of the best moving tips is to rent a self-storage unit to help you strategically plan and execute your relocation. Many CubeSmart customers lease a unit to stash personal items when staging a house for sale or finding a sublessor on a rental apartment. Another time storage comes in handy is when people move in together and find they have duplicates of items. Nobody needs two toasters in the kitchen, but it\u2019s good to have a spare. Enter, storage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Cull everything. <\/strong>Similar to the point above, now is the time to cull your living quarters of any extraneous items you can. Take a good hard look at the belongings you\u2019ve accumulated and divide them into five piles: Store, Trash, Donate, Sell, and Bring. You may be surprised at what you realize you can do without for the time being \u2013 or forever \u2013 or what you have that someone else might need or want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. When I say \u2018cull everything,\u2019 I am definitely including the plunger. <\/strong>Here\u2019s the best moving tip of the entire article: never pack the plunger. Just don\u2019t. Do yourself a favor and bid it a fond farewell as you toss it into the trash bin at your old abode. New place, new plunger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. Donate, donate, donate. <\/strong>Moving is a fantastic time to take stock of what you have versus what you actually use. It\u2019s also a fantastic time to donate anything extra. There is even an organization called Move for Hunger<\/a> that will take your unopened, non-perishable food items when you move to help feed local families in need. You can also donate them to your local food bank or food closet. Many thrift stores will also let you schedule a time for donation pickup, saving you the trip and hassle of dropping your items off yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. Don\u2019t move if you\u2019re sick.<\/strong> Of course, this is of critical <\/em>importance during COVID-19. But even when we\u2019ve moved on from the COVID-19 virus in particular, it will still be important to make sure you\u2019re at your healthy best when you\u2019re moving. You do not want to deal with the stress and fatigue of a move at a time when your body is trying to heal. It might seem like you can\u2019t, but trust me: you can always reschedule. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

10. Schedule your move mid-month and\/or mid-week. <\/strong>Speaking of scheduling, you can often get better rates (or at least better availability) if you schedule your move mid-month, mid-week, or both! If you\u2019ve absolutely got to move at the end of the month, start locking down your reservations today. This leads us to the next tip for moving and packing…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

11. Start today. <\/strong>One of the best packing tips for moving I ever got was to \u2018start today.\u2019 It\u2019s probably safe to say that if you\u2019re reading articles like this, it means the time to move is fast approaching. Take my advice and start digging into it today. Whether that means calling to get moving quotes or reserving a self-storage unit online<\/a> or dusting your knick-knacks, it\u2019s a start. Make it happen today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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12. Pack a box of essentials. <\/strong>One of the other moving tips the Storage Queens mention<\/a> is to pack a box or suitcase of essentials. Think what you need for the first night and morning in your new home: sheets, prescriptions, change of clothing, hand soap, pet food, toilet paper, coffee maker, corkscrew \u2013 you get the picture. This is especially important if you\u2019ve hired a moving company and won\u2019t have access to all of your stuff immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

13. Make a tool tote. <\/strong>Similar to your box of essentials, you\u2019re gonna want a \u201ctool tote.\u201d Think of a bag with items like tape, screwdrivers (flat-head and Phillips-head), measuring tape, rubber bands, and boxcutters. Don\u2019t forget the Allen wrench or hex key for all that IKEA furniture. Take it from me: there\u2019s nothing more frustrating than not being able to find the tool you need in the middle of a move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

14. Snap a picture of the back of your electronics. <\/strong>Before you unplug a single cord, take pictures of the back of your electronic devices so you can seamlessly recreate the magic at your new place. A picture is worth a thousand words, as they say \u2013 so it must definitely be worth a few misplaced electronics set-up guides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

15. Make a list of everyone and every business you need to notify of your new address. <\/strong>A good place to start is by making a list of the bills you pay each month: Internet, cable, electricity, garbage \u2013 you get the drift. They all need to be notified that you\u2019re moving, and when you\u2019ll no longer need their service. Others to inform as soon as possible include banks (don\u2019t forget to order new checks!), credit card companies, and employers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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16. If you can, hire the pros. <\/strong>Here\u2019s a hot moving tip: there\u2019s really nothing like outsourcing it. Companies will do everything for you from delivering moving supplies to packing up every item in your home (including the contents of waste-paper baskets, ask me how I know) to simply showing up and moving boxes you\u2019ve already packed. In general, they are extremely efficient and will make your life \u2013 and move \u2013 1000 times easier. Of course, there are always horror stories so be sure to . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

17. Ask your network for moving company recommendations. <\/strong>Oftentimes, good moving companies can be found by word-of-mouth. Start asking friends, neighbors and colleagues about their experiences with moving companies, and also be sure to check online reviews. Get quotes from at least three moving companies before deciding who to use. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

18. Get cash for tips. <\/strong>Movers accept (and expect) cash tips. There are all sorts of ways to calculate what you should give<\/a>, but basically budget for between $20 – $60 per person, per day. And make sure you\u2019ve got the cash in your wallet on \u2018go day\u2019 so as not to have to drop everything and run to find an ATM while your movers stand around waiting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

19. Make sure the moving truck has a parking spot. <\/strong>Depending on where you\u2019re moving, this may or may not be a big deal. To a house with a driveway? Not a big deal. To an apartment in midtown Manhattan? A huge deal. The pros generally know how to negotiate parking, but if you\u2019re doing it on your own, be sure to scope out the situation ahead of time and maybe even invest in a few orange cones to make your life easier. If is always a good idea to let neighbors know what you\u2019re up to; they might even have some moving tips to help you navigate the parking on the big day.  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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20. Make sure your pets are out of the picture at the old place \u2013 and the new. <\/strong>One of the best tips for moving is to make sure your pets are being taken care of somewhere other than the place being moved out of or<\/em> the place being moved into. During the commotion of a move, there are simply too many chances for a scared or stressed animal to escape through an open door. Don\u2019t risk it. Plan for them to be boarded with a friend or a professional until you\u2019ve settled into your new home and can welcome them with your full attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

21. Bring a door stopper. <\/strong>Speaking of open doors, be sure to have a door stopper on hand at both your old place and new place. Another of the best moving tips is to take a rubber band from your trusty tool tote, and string it across one doorknob and then cross it over the door latch and secure it on the second doorknob. Voila! No locked doors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So now you\u2019ve read our 21 tips for moving and packing, tell us: what\u2019d we\nmiss? Everyone who\u2019s been around this block before has their own special ways\nof moving. For instance, I buy several bags of Donettes white powdered\ndoughnuts. I find they take the edge off, for me at least, and I\u2019d never move\nwithout them. \n\n\n\nTell us your moving tips in the comments below!\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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