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7 Tips to Help You Stay Calm During a Move

happy moving couple

Studies show that moving is one of the most stressful life events. The level of stress may vary depending on the reason for the move (i.e. divorce vs. an incredible new job opportunity). No matter the level, there are still common factors that make a move stressful because of the number of details involved. The key is to stay calm during a move not only for your sake but also for the sake of your family. Here are 7 tips to help you stay calm during a move:

Time is your friend: The best gift you can give yourself to help reduce the stress of a move is ample time to plan your move. Organization is extremely important when balancing all the details of a move. You will not only be more productive; you will also have more time to work through any potential obstacles when you give yourself enough time.

Hit the ground running: The first day you decide to make a move, begin the process immediately. Whether you have the beauty of extra time or not, don’t procrastinate and wait until the week before to get started. Start packing your things as soon as possible, especially those items you won’t need early on. Planning is key in a move and a moving checklist can also help you prepare for success.

Let others do the moving: If planning a self-move is too overwhelming, save yourself the stress and let the professionals worry about moving day. Zippy Shell can help with the heavy lifting and refer you to professional loading and packing services.

Be mindful of your moving expenses: According to the American Moving and Storage Organization (AMSA), the average cost of a move is approximately $4,300 (for a distance of 1,225 miles). Create a budget, stick with it and keep more “green” in your wallet.

Keep important documents with you: Don’t take the risk of losing important documents (passport, birth certificate, bank records, school documents, etc.) during a move. Keep items in a secure folder or lockbox and make sure it stays by your side.

Beat stress with something you love to do: Beat the stress by taking some time to do something you enjoy such as taking a nature walk, reading a book, or enjoying time with friends and family. By “stepping away” from the moving process, you will feel refreshed and energized to keep working on the moving tasks at hand.  

Eat, sleep and focus on the positive: When we are under stress, it’s easy to gravitate to unhealthy foods, sleep deprivation, and negative thinking. Instead of scarfing down a pizza, packing until 3 am while cursing the moving process, fill your belly with healthy options, catch some zzz’s to avoid fatigue and focus on the positives of your move. Whether it’s a fresh start in a new town or city or a chance for a better job, try and keep the negative thoughts at bay.

Whether your move is exciting or a nuisance, focusing on staying calm will help the process goes much smoother. Exercise these 7 tips for moving success (and lower blood pressure!) And remember, if you need to store some items that aren’t moving with you, consider a climate-controlled facility with Zippy Shell!

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6 Tips on Preparing and Transporting Food for a Move

food

While this may be a seemingly odd topic to discuss, it really is an important task to consider for an upcoming move. Depending on if you make reservations or make weekly trips to a large food membership club, you have an investment of food items residing in your kitchen. In a similar fashion to packing up your clothes or household items, you need to determine what to keep, what to donate, what to toss and how to transport it to your new home. Here are 6 tips on preparing and transporting food for a move.

  1. Sizing up the new digs: How does your new kitchen size up to your old one? If you are moving from a one-bedroom apartment to a 5-bedroom house, chances are your kitchen will be larger and include more pantry space. If the situation is the reverse, you can pretty much bank on a smaller kitchen. Knowing how much space (fridge/freezer and pantry) you will have dedicated for food will help determine how much to keep, donate and/or toss.
  2. Clean out the fridge/freezer: Prior to the move, start decluttering your refrigerator and freezer. Toss out spoiled and expired items. Consider eating up as much of the food as you can in the days before the move to eliminate items being moved. The distance to your new home will determine what you should do with the remaining food. If you are on the road for days, you may want to donate or toss. If your move is less, grab a dependable cooler and ice your items down. If you are moving your fridge, it will need to be unplugged for at least 24 hours to ensure it is properly thawed prior to a move.
  3. Pantry purge: Decluttering is the key task with a pantry purge. As with the fridge/freezer purge, toss out spoiled and expired items. If space is an issue with transporting, donate dry and boxed perishable items to a shelter or soup kitchen. For items traveling with you, prevent spills by sealing boxes and lids with tape. You can also transfer items into airtight containers for extra safety measures.
  4. Eliminate glass: Consider donating, tossing out or transferring food contained in glass bottles or jars. If these heavy items were to fall and break, the mess won’t be pretty and could potentially ruin any dry and boxed items. If you must take these items, place at the bottom of moving boxes or coolers and surround with bubble wrap or softer items to cushion the glass.
  5. Pack lightly: Food items can become heavy quickly, especially with any glass bottles or jars on board. Store heavy items in smaller boxes and be sure and tape up boxes securely so items won’t fall out.
  6. Destination arrival: Unpack any items in ice-filled coolers immediately on arrival to avoid spoiling. Unpack dry and boxed perishable items when convenient. Create a shopping list to replace the items you had to donate, toss or eat to keep from spoiling.

Arrive at your new destination with your food items intact with these preparation and transportation tips. And remember, if you need to store some non-perishable items that aren’t making the move with you, consider a climate-controlled facility with Zippy Shell!

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Whoa! You can’t pack that!

Zippy Shell Portable Storage Container

It’s moving day and you’re all geared up. You have the portable storage container, boxes, blankets, tape, packing foam, newspaper and, most importantly, the help! You’ve been organizing for weeks and your plan is set. The kids are at grandma’s and you’re exercising your supervisory skills when you see Brad pick up that tank of gas in the garage and start to move it into the storage container.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, Brad!

There are some things that you never want to pack or store and it’s important that you set those things aside well before your moving commences. You may either want to dispose of them or haul them personally. This is a friendly reminder of what NOT to pack or store:

  1. Important documents: We mean things like birth certificates, marriage and death certificates, bank information, deeds, bills of sale, wills and social security information. These sorts of things should always be kept with you when you move to your new place. Ideally, they would be placed in a fire-safe place when you arrive at your new home.
  2. Illegal items: Seems like a no-brainer, but when you move across state lines, sometimes the laws change. Consider leaving firearms, ammunition, and even prescription drugs for someone to handle personally.
  3. Perishables: Food spoils quickly and can easily attract bugs and rodents into your things, as well as a stench that may stick to your items. The only exception to this rule is if you are moving a short distance on the same day. You might be able to pack a cooler and keep a few things, but your best bet is to toss it or give it to the neighbor and start over.
  4. Hazardous Materials: “No, Brad, you can’t pack that gas can in the portable storage container!” There are lots of things in your home that may be considered hazardous when moving. It’s best to consult your moving company for their specific list, but things like aerosol cans, fingernail polish remover, fertilizer, charcoal, cleaning supplies, ammunition, fire extinguishers, and gas cans are just a few you may not have thought about. Always consult with the experts at Zippy Shell if you are unsure.

If you’d like to know more about what can and can’t be packed in a Zippy Shell portable storage container, please ask one of our representatives for a complete list. We look forward to helping you move one day soon.