Moving can bring with it a number of positive experiences such as starting out in a new city or even moving in to your dream home. It can however also entail a lot of frustrations and stresses. From finding a new home that suits your needs to adjusting to the new neighbourhood, chances are you’ll find the move daunting at some point.
It’s understandable that you may experience some emotions along the way, but it’s what you do to overcome the challenge that really matters. To help you out, we’ve compiled four of the most frustrating challenges you should expect during a move and how you can solve them.
An Unplanned Move
Whether you’re forced to move sooner than you hoped, or due to procrastination, failing to plan your move ahead of time can cause big headaches later on.
Because you have so little time, you probably won’t be able to organize your things to make packing and unpacking easy. It can also lead to a lot of unnecessary costs since you haven’t been able to reduce your load by getting rid of junk and items that should’ve been donated or kept in a storage facility.
Solution:
Avoid making excuses when you’ve finalized the decision to move. Once you’ve confirmed a date, make sure that you’re already in the process of planning for it.
A great way to stay on top of this and to give you an idea where you’re at is with our moving checklist. It’ll help you along your moving journey and break down what you’ll need to dedicate the most time on.
Having Too Much Stuff
Packing can be one of the toughest parts of a move, and it becomes even harder the more stuff you have. For a family, it isn’t surprising to have plenty of items to pack during a move, so it’s worth considering what is really worth keeping when it comes to moving day.
Solution
This is fortunately one of the easier frustrations to handle (although, it’s still common). If you have too many items to move, or simply don’t have a use for it anymore, just reduce it. Keeping it would only add to the clutter that would already be in your new home so getting rid of the item before a move will only help reduce your stress.
As you begin to pack, evaluate what you’d like to do with any items that won’t be making it to your new home. Separate them into a donation, share and trash pile. Donations will be given to a local charity, as long as it still works or is useable. The Share pile will be given to friends or family that you think want them; and lastly trash, which I’m sure you know where it’s going.
If there are items that you are unable to move on your moving day but would still like to keep, try putting them in storage instead. If you’re in need of a place to store items, check out any TWO MEN AND A TRUCK location.
Lost or Damaged Items
It’s not uncommon to hear of moving horror stories where people find their items to be damaged or missing once they arrive at their final location. This is often due to negligence or poor packing during the transport.
In some instances this can be due to the fact that they’re specialized items that weren’t pack properly. Some examples include dishes, tv’s, or even a computer.
Solution
One of the easiest ways to avoid damaged items is to let the movers know about the things that require special packaging or handling. This can be through a moving checklist or by labelling boxes on how to properly handle them (e.g., “Fragile,” “This side up,” etc.).
You should also do your part in ensuring that your things are safe by wrapping breakables in bubble wrap. You should also make sure that the boxes are properly sealed so that nothing falls out of them while they are being carried to and from.
As for missing items, you can easily avoid this by hiring a reliable moving company who has a good track record. Check reviews and look for references from people you trust.
Not Enough Packing Materials
This is an issue that is far too common in families that move. This problem ensues from underestimating the time left before the move and the number of items that need to be packed.
Solution
During our pre-move estimates we will ask about the furniture as well as the number of other items you need to move in your home. During this estimate, if asked, we will also provide you with an estimate of how much packing materials you’ll need.
If you’re in need of boxes or other moving supplies, each and every one of our locations has them on-hand for your move.