New Year, New Home, New Adventures

Moving is an exciting, yet stressful event. Planning to move after the holidays may seem like an even more stressful situation, but it can actually be a good idea. Putting off your move until after the holidays means you can spend one more holiday in your current home; with proper planning it can be a great way to start off the New Year. Here are a few tips to help you stay organized, calm and stress free to get through the moving process.

Be Prepared

Whether you need a moving and storage company to help with everything from the packing to the moving or you need to arrange for temporary portable storage, the sooner you contact these companies, the better. In many situations, contacting a moving company before the New Year as opposed to waiting until the week of the move may also help you save money on end of the year discounts and specials. When contacting the moving company make sure you have all of your information on hand, including the date of your move, the new address and whether you need to purchase packing supplies or if you want the company to take care of the packing for you.

New Address Change

Visit the post office to put in a change of address or go online to request a moving guide from them. When putting in a change of address it is best to use a date that is a day or two before your actually moving date. Remember to contact your bank, the utility companies, employer and credit card companies to give them your new address; this will prevent a delay in receiving statements and ensures your utilities will be turned on before you move in.

Packing

If you are choosing to do the packing yourself, go to local businesses that use boxes and gather as many as possible (in different sizes). Remember to pick up packing tape and old newspapers, bubble wrap or tissue paper for fragile items. When packing, always start with the largest or most frequently used rooms first, such as the kitchen. Pack as many items as you can, as soon as you can. When packing the kitchen, remember to leave out items that you use daily, such as the coffee maker, but consider using paper plates for meals for a couple of days so you can pack the dinnerware. Label every box with the room it goes in and what items are in the box. This will make it easier for the movers to put the boxes in their appropriate rooms as well as make it easier for you to find what you need on your first night in the new house.

One of the best things about moving after the holidays is it's the perfect time to organize your holiday decorations. Instead of tossing items in boxes and storing in the garage, take the time to separate items according to their prospective place. For example, put all of the tree trimmings in one bin or container, clearly label the container and place it with the bin containing the tree. Then when these items get moved to the new house, they will already be “categorized," which will make it easier to gather the items you’ll need next year for the holiday’s in your new home.

Contact Zippy Shell of West Houston to learn more about how we can make your post-holiday move go much smoother and you can get 30 free days of storage with every long distance move. We also make sure you don’t overpay for storage, because we beat competitor prices by 20%! Contact us today to get your storage quote.