\u2022 <\/em>Death of a loved one<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 <\/em>Divorce<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 <\/em>Major injury or illness<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 <\/em>Job loss<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 <\/em>And, yes, MOVING! <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Most of these life situations come without a warning. Once in a while moving also comes suddenly, but, for the most part, most people do have an inkling that it\u2019s coming up. That doesn\u2019t make it completely stress-free, but the good thing about it, you can mitigate some of the damage by planning ahead.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Even if you don\u2019t know the exact date it will be, because you may be waiting to first find the home you\u2019re moving to, you can still get a head start by preparing for it in advance. Whether your next move is this month, next year or sometime in the next decade (in which case, you maybe should get some scissors out to clip this article and save it for the future), here are some tips to make the journey easier on you and your family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Use Checklists Don\u2019t Close on the Same Day! Hire a Professional Mover Enlist Friends & Family for Help Make a Plan for the Kiddos Don\u2019t Forget to Think About Pets Prep Meals in Advance Don\u2019t Pack Items You Don\u2019t Want If your turnaround time for your move is very short (not much time between your purchase and the closing date), and if you\u2019re not paying by the pound to move your items, it\u2019s sometimes easier to just pack everything and sort your items as you\u2019re unpacking in your new home. You don\u2019t want to get sidetracked and take 10x longer packing when you\u2019re already short on time. Most people have an easier time parting with things when they\u2019re moving into their new place, as they don\u2019t feel as sentimental when there aren\u2019t as many memories associated with the new house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keep Your House in Order Prior to the Move<\/strong> Don\u2019t Forget to Label Things Well Make Sure to Reward Yourself Listen to Upbeat Music While Working<\/strong> Pack an Overnight Bag True story Stress is inevitable when you\u2019re moving \u2013 after all, it does show up in the top five most stressful life events. But, I hope that I have helped you to realize that you really can do some things to make the whole process more manageable with some good planning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The top five most stressful things in life are as follows: \u2022 Death of a loved one \u2022 Divorce \u2022 Major injury or illness \u2022 Job loss \u2022 And, yes, MOVING! Most of these life situations come without a warning. Once in a while moving also comes suddenly, but, for the most part, most people […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":9899,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[215],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9898","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-moving"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/homesplusmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9898","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/homesplusmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/homesplusmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homesplusmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homesplusmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9898"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/homesplusmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9898\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9910,"href":"https:\/\/homesplusmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9898\/revisions\/9910"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homesplusmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9899"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/homesplusmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9898"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homesplusmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9898"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homesplusmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9898"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/strong>Most good Realtors and Real Estate Lawyers have a checklist that they share with their clients to keep them on track. These lists should include which tasks need to be done and when. You can also find sample checklists online (check with national movers, for example). Not only do you need to know what to do, but who to contact, such as your utility companies for the home you\u2019re leaving as well as the one you\u2019re moving to. And don\u2019t forget things like Amazon, Hello Fresh or your magazine subscriptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>If you are selling a home as well as buying, getting bridge financing in place makes the whole process so much smoother. Even a few days in between moves makes a difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>This is always going to be easier, but it\u2019s not in everyone\u2019s budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/staging.homesplusmagazine.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/stacked-removal-boxes-in-empty-room-on-moving-day-2021-08-26-16-15-36-utc-683x1024.jpg\"){kind=spacer}
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<\/strong> If you aren\u2019t hiring a moving company, line up dependable friends and family instead and call on their natural abilities. Some can help you pack your boxes and be the voice of reason when you are trying to decide what to take with you, what to sell and what to give away. Don\u2019t forget that asking for help is a sign of strength. Most are willing to help out, especially if you load them up with pizza and their favourite beverages. The whole process will go much better if you are organized so that you can give simple tasks to each person, and they will be more willing to help if you let them know that all you need is to have them load the truck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>Let\u2019s face it, it\u2019s always great to be able to delegate tasks. But, if doing chores isn\u2019t a part of your children\u2019s everyday life or if they aren\u2019t quite old enough to pull their weight yet, now is not the time to teach them. See if they can stay a couple of nights with their grandparents or a good friend\u2019s house. And maybe slack off a little on the screentime rules. After all, moving can be very stressful for kids, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>It can be very traumatic for pets when there\u2019s too much activity going on in the house. It would be ideal to take them to a pet sitter\u2019s house for a few days in between your two homes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>You could either double up on the meals you cook leading up to the move and pack half of the food in the freezer, or you could ask a friend who may not be cut out for heavy lifting but would gladly cook a couple of meals for your family to enjoy the week or other the week after the move. This way, you don\u2019t have to stop and start as much to cook in between the packing and unpacking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>This sounds simple, but it\u2019s easier said than done. If you have trouble making decisions, get a friend who loves you enough to be honest with you, and will be able to help you to see the value in passing items you no longer need along to someone who needs it more than you do. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
As you\u2019re packing up from the home you\u2019re moving out of, keep as much order as possible by clearing out the garage or a specific room in the house for packed boxes.\u00a0 Rather than having boxes in every room, having one place where they can all be stacked gives you a greater sense of order and helps you to keep a clear mind as you go through the process.\u00a0 This would also really help your friends or movers on moving day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>This should include which room it should go to in the new house, and you could do this by colour-coding the boxes or simply writing Kitchen, Bathroom, Living Room, etc. You could also number each box for each room and make a list of very important items that you can\u2019t be without for too long. This way you don\u2019t have to wonder where the more time sensitive items are located.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>Set a goal of packing a certain number of boxes each day, and when you\u2019ve met your goal, have a nice treat, watch your favourite show, or make a phone call to a friend you love to chat with.\u00a0 But, hold yourself accountable and no rewards until you\u2019ve met your goal for the day. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/staging.homesplusmagazine.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/crop-man-packing-casual-clothes-into-carton-box-4498138-1024x683.jpg\")
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This energizes everyone and keeps the fun factor high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>Whether you are moving across the country or just across town, you would be wise to pack 3 changes of clothes, and all of your most basic toiletries, so you\u2019re not searching for your deodorant and toothbrush the day you move in. Your friends and family will thank you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>Over the years, we have had several times when people pack things away that should stay with the house, items like the garage door openers, extra keys, the appliance manuals or the house survey. Find a spot in the house where these items are being gathered so that you aren\u2019t left with the task of searching frantically for them at the last minute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n