Moving is a necessary evil in life which most people do not find easy or the least bit enjoyable. Although it may be fun once it comes time to setting up and decorating the new home, getting to that point is usually riddled with hassles and headaches. The entire ordeal can be made much more manageable with proper planning and preparation.

Pick Your Partners In Moving

Moving companies and storage facilities are readily available in nearly every corner of the globe, however; finding the most trustworthy and reliable moving help is not always easy. Look for real reviews from actual customers and thoroughly check that your preferred company is fully insured and reputable. Have a rough idea of what services you will need, the amount of space your belongings will occupy and for how long, and get a few quotes so that you can do comparison shopping before choosing. Once you’ve found your ideal partner in moving and storage, the real work begins.

Make A List

Go through each room and write down which items will take priority during the transition from old house to new; compile a list of all the necessities that need to be brought with you. This will give you a good idea of the amount of things left over and how much packaging and storage space is needed. Once you’ve gone through every room in your house, think about things you really don’t need to take or that you have more than one of and seriously consider throwing a quick yard-sale together or donating to a tax-deductible charity; this will save you considerable time and effort and may even make you a few dollars in the process.

Purchase Materials

Brand-new cardboard boxes will hold their shape and be much more sturdy than the used boxes you can get for free at various places. They will also be uniform, which makes it easier to stack, store and transport them. Have plenty of industrial-strength packaging tape, bubble-wrap or peanuts and permanent markers at the ready before starting the process. Consider buying or renting a dolly to ease the burden of heavy lifting and have safe-grip gloves on hand as well.

Prepare For Packing

Separate your belongings destined for storage according to how fragile they are and pack everything else up first. Devote extra care for breakables with plenty of wrapping and cushioning and clearly mark the boxes “fragile.” Depending on how long items will be in storage and conditions they may be exposed to such as temperature and moisture, material that insulates may be better for more delicate valuables and older items. Store things like old photographs and printed materials in air-tight plastic bags before stashing them into the boxes.

Allow Ample Time

Although getting a move over with as quickly as possible is usually thought of as preferable, it’s also important to allow for last minute changes and possible mishaps, like inclement weather, scheduling conflicts and other unforeseen events. Plan to be in your packed-up home at least one night before the big move. Conditions may be less than favorable for sleeping and it may be necessary to call out for a pizza, but this extra time will ensure that all goes according to plan.

Moving is a difficult and laborious process, but if you’ve got all your bases covered with a well-thought out plan, the transitions should be smooth and organized.

Author’s Bio:

Alisa Martin is a freelance writer, professional blogger, and social media enthusiast. Her blog Moversandpackers.org focuses on Moving Packers bloggers. You can follow her on Google+