Things Your Mover Doesn’t
Know and Won’t Tell You…
Valuable Lessons I learned From My Recent Move
You’ll need more boxes:
At least 2x the number of boxes you think you
do. A comforter can take up an entire
box all on its own! After unpacking them, they almost seem to multiply, even when
they’re flattened! Try to have a plan beforehand of what to do with them when
you’re done. Believe it or not, they can be heavy, bulky, wide and just a
general pain.
Your old place is
dirty:
Even if you think it isn’t. The place you’re moving out of
will take 3x as long to clean as you think it will. So keep those cleaning supplies handy. Or
better yet, hire someone if you can swing it. By the way, your new place is
dirty too, even if the previous tenant doesn’t think so.
You have a lot of crap:
Get rid of it. One of the best things I learned was to post things
in the “free” section on Craigslist. You
wouldn’t believe the crap people are willing to come pick up. I had a crappy trampoline & a broken
treadmill. Gone. Otherwise you’ll be PAYING to have stuff hauled off. I ended
up moving a pressed wood microwave cart (cheap, ugly, heavy, and useless) and
now it’s taking up a garage space. Your
camera phone will come in handy here too. Take quick photos of your crap and
then upload directly onto the Craigslist app and voila; gone!
Your garage is not designed for self storage:
Don’t move stuff into your garage if you can help it.
Otherwise, you’ll be too tired to deal with it and you’ll be tempted to put it
off. Then, there it will stay for a LONG time. Your car is likely more
expensive than the crap you leave in your garage that’s taking up valuable
parking space. You garage is designed to house your car for convenience, safety
and protection…not as a second rate storage unit.
If you like TV, internet and phone, be prepared to suffer
for it:
Set aside several hours (cumulatively speaking) to deal with
your TV/internet/phone service provider; especially
if you’re planning to change providers.
In the Colorado Springs market there are essentially 2 major players for
these bundled services, Centurylink and Comcast/Xfinity. I went from the previous to the latter and it
was one of the most time consuming and frustrating aspects of the move. Between the horrendous automated system, the
eternal hold times, the inefficient/inconsistent/passive aggressive/often
inaccurate customer representatives, it’s super challenging. When signing up for service, they LOVE you,
but even it’s confusing and time consuming (they do a credit check now) and
installation (4 hour windows…and of course, my installer showed up at the end
of that). The billing?? Forget about
it. Then you’ll have to deal sending
back specific pieces of their old equipment. Ugh.
Your snail mail will be sluggish:
You can do most of your mail forwarding online at www.usps.com.
Be SURE to write down your confirmation number, because when trouble
hits (and it will) it’s helpful to have that.
Even so, you’re likely to have problems. It is the post office after
all.
You need more time than you think:
Whether or not you hire movers, count on at least 2 hours
more than they say it will take.
Luckily, most moving companies charge by the weight, not the hour. Your own physical recovery time should be
considered as well. If you move on a Friday, you may not be ready for work by Monday.
You’ll be distracted at every turn:
Loading and unloading. Try to focus on one thing at a time,
or you’ll walk in circles. I suggest you
hook up your washer and dryer first. But
first, take a picture (with your phone ideally) of your dryer plug or the 220 outlet
to make sure they match up with your existing dryer. If not, you’ll have to
make other arrangements (hire a professional or go to the laundromat, etc.).
Pretend you’re taking a vacation:
When you pack for vacation you usually have the essentials:
clothes, toiletries, hair dryer, medication, device charger(s), your photo ID
and extra cash. That way, if you can’t move in right away (in my case because
the movers couldn’t find the pieces to put my bed together…which again, take a
picture with your phone of your bed without the mattress & box spring), or
you’re too tired to even make your bed, you’re ready for a hotel.
The essentials you need that you wouldn’t take on
vacation:
Have handy: toilet
paper, paper towels, towels, alarm clock, water, ibuprofen, something to sit
on, light bulbs, trash bags, cleaning supplies, laundry detergent/softener,
TOOL SET, temporary paper window shades, all of your cars, something to eat, pet
accoutrements (bowls, food, bed, etc.)…the pet.
You guessed it…Take more pictures:
Take pictures of your furniture, set up in the old house,
before it’s loaded on the moving truck.
This could serve several purposes:
You can later text the photos to your movers, so they know which
furniture goes together, in which rooms.
You may also need them for proof if something gets damaged during the
move.
You’ll practically live at the local home improvement
store:
For that reason, make sure you take pictures or video with
your phone of the existing issue that brought you to the store in the first
place. A picture is worth a thousand
words…especially to the salesperson at the store. For instance, take a picture of the faucet
you need to replace, or the electrical outlet, or the toilet, or the screws, or
the garage door opener, or the paint can label…you get the picture (no pun
intended).
The biggest take away for me, you ask? Prepare as best you can and take LOTS of
pictures.
