Moving Preparation Done Right

When it comes to moving, there are a number of things you can do to make it easier on yourself and your entire family. By preparing ahead of time, you can make a smooth move without hitting a nasty snag along the way. Life is full of surprises, and they tend to show themselves at the most inopportune moments. But if you’re prepared and have thought about possible surprises beforehand, you’ll be less likely to be thrown off course when one of them pops up. Here are some ways in which you can prepare to have the best moving day possible.

As moving day approaches, one of the most important things you can do is start to taper off on your groceries. If you’re like most people, you probably have a pantry full of food that is just sitting there, waiting to be eaten or thrown away. You want to take as little of that stuff with you as possible, and it’s just a waste to toss it out. Start eating those cans of soup and making those boxes of macaroni and cheese. When you go to the grocery store, get only what you need and nothing more.

Make sure you have any maps you might need before setting off. Today, this likely means printing off some material from Google Maps or setting the GPS in your car or on your phone. If you’re moving somewhere local, it wouldn’t hurt to take time out one day and make the drive beforehand just so you know where you’re going. This is especially true if you’re renting a U-Haul. Remember that the big trucks may have clearance issues on some roads and in some areas, so stay vigilant when it comes to watching for these issues.

If you’ll be traveling far with kids on moving day, you will not want to back out of the driveway without making sure your children have enough to keep them entertained. It may be possible for an adult to sit quietly with only the radio for entertainment for hours, but anyone under the age of 19 is going to go insane without something to do. As the day will already be stressful enough for you, this is one aspect of the trip you don’t want to neglect. If you have one of those vans with flat screen TVs in the back, make sure you bring plenty of DVDs for the kids to watch. Let them bring their iPods and other technological gadgets to play with. This might even be a good time to splurge on a handheld video game player, if it means preserving your long term sanity.