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How to Minimize the Stress of Moving

by kigray

Regardless of whether it's across the country or across town,
moving is a stressful, expensive and time-consuming event. It
requires extensive planning, organization, and a lot of physical
activity. While there is no easy way to move house, there are
several things you can do to simplify the process and reduce the
amount of stress on yourself.

First things first: identify a target moving date. You'll want
to take a variety of factors into consideration when determining
your moving timeframe, such as work schedules if you're changing
employment, school schedules for your kids, housing
considerations such as rent or lease terms, and even the weather.
A good rule of thumb is to give yourself a two-to-three week
window to complete your entire move, from packing and cleaning
your current residence, to moving itself, to unpacking and
organizing in your new home.

Summer is always a peak moving time particularly for families,
as it provides for minimal interruption in kids' school schedules
but it's also typically the hottest and least physically
comfortable time of year to be doing all that heavy lifting.
While unpleasant, blistering heat is not likely to be a deal
breaker, but it is worth taking into consideration (scheduling
your move for late May as opposed to mid-July, for example, could
make a significant difference).

Once you've worked out a timeframe for your move, it's time to
take inventory of your home. The most important part of this
process is identifying what to keep, and what to get rid of
before the move there is no sense in moving items you don't plan
on keeping long-term. A good way to determine what to keep and
what to lose is to divide your household into three categories:
'Must Keep,' 'May Keep,' and 'Don't Need.' Once you've gotten rid
of the 'Don't Need' items, go back through the 'May Keep' piles
and eliminate everything you can.

If you're having trouble knowing when to let go of something,
apply the six-month test: If it hasn't been used in the past
six-months, you don't need it (the exception here, of course,
would be season items like winter coats, box fans, etc., that
aren't intended for use year-round). Tip: Don't automatically
throw things you no longer need away there are plenty of charity
organizations that are constantly accepting donations of all
kinds to help others in the community, and they would be happy to
have your unwanted items. Plus, you can write off the donations
for a nice tax break next April.

Now that your household is organized and you've done a thorough
inventory of everything that will be making the move with you,
it's time to start thinking about the logistics of actually
moving it all. The easiest way to do it (but also the most
expensive) is to hire a full-service moving company (*Note: Be
sure to shop around for the best rate, and check out customer
reviews online to make sure you choose a reputable company that
won't rip you off). They'll come to your house, pack everything
up, ship it off for you, and unpack at your new home. The next
option a bit more time consuming and work-intensive on your part,
but certainly less expensive is to pack and unpack yourself, but
hire movers for the heavy lifting and physical transportation
part of the process. All you have to pay for is the time they
spend physically moving your possessions.

A third option would be to rent a truck and pack, lift and move
everything yourself. There are plenty of truck rental services
designed just for these kinds of projects, and their rates are
typically very reasonable (although rising gas prices may make
this option slightly less appealing). Finally, if you're
determined to spend as little as possible, get a group of
kind-hearted friends and their cars together and make moving a
group activity. You can typically get away with a small payment
to each helper, or the cost of dinner for the group. This is
certainly the most labor-intensive option, but it won't cost you
much at all.

Once you've chosen the right moving method for you, get
everything planned out and scheduled at least 4-6 weeks in
advance. Also, it's a good idea to begin the organization and
overall move-out process as early as possible, so as to avoid
having to cram it all packing, cleaning, moving into a few days
or a weekend. Hit your local grocery or wholesale store to pick
up empty boxes for free and pack up seasonal items and other
things you don't use on a daily basis early on fancy china, extra
bedding, etc. While prolonging the moving process isn't exactly
fun, spacing the massive task out will significantly reduce your
stress level and help you feel more relaxed, prepared and in
control of the process.

No matter how well you prepare, moving is always at least
somewhat stressful, so do what you can to reduce that stress
ahead of time, breathe deeply, and remember: it will be over
before you know it.

Ki provides information on <a
href="http://www.escapesomewhere.com">Austin real estate</a> for
buyers and sellers investigating the Austin market.  His site has
a search of the <a
href="http://www.escapesomewhere.com/realestate_searchthemls.html">Austin
MLS</a> and information on <a
href="http://www.escapesomewhere.com/realestate_austin_neighborhoodinfo.html">Austin
area neighborhoods</a>.

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