Moving is one of the most stressful and rewarding events you’ll encounter in your life. For the most successful, sane, and economical move – be a planner! Consider the home you are moving to. Are you downsizing? How many rooms will you be furnishing in your new location? Who is moving with you? These are all questions that will dictate your moving plan and budget. The great news is that once you move to Myrtle Beach, it’s all rest and relaxation from here on out!
Label
Arm yourselves with colored post-its and walk through your current home assigning a post-it to each furnishing. Use a color for items that will definitely move to the new location, assign a different color for those items you are unsure of, and use a third color for those items that will not make the trip. If you have the benefit of time, begin with the items you will not bring.
Sell/Get Rid of Clutter
Photograph those items and list them for sale on a selling website such as Craig’s List. You are more likely to achieve your asking price through a posted listing than through a yard sale where bargain hunters rejoice and excel at cajoling the lowest deal. Donate other items to local charities.
If you don’t have time to manage the selling, use the services of an auctioneer. Often times an auction service will offer you a fixed price for a number of items and they will take immediate possession – leaving you with much needed space and cash to organize your move.
Pack
The most economical and organized way to ready for your move is to do the packing yourself. Invest in quality packing supplies including heavy duty corrugated boxes, bubble wrap, and shipping-quality tape. Clean out your closets setting aside old blankets, towels, news papers and tissue paper as wrapping material. Visit your local grocery store as soon as you know you are going to move and request their empty egg carton boxes – most stores will hold these for you and the quality of these boxes are sturdy enough to use for packing smaller household items and they are a good size for the average person to manage. Larger moving boxes are designed with removable metal reinforcement bars to ensure the integrity of the box and its contents – these are wonderful!
Once you have assembled your materials pick a room at your new home and think about what you are going to put into it. Pack for that room labeling each box accordingly – for example “Myrtle Beach Bedroom #1” or “Myrtle Beach Sun Room”. Don’t pack boxes heavier than you can comfortably carry yourself. Attach a small bulleted list of what each box contains to the outside of the packed box. This will help you if you have to find something in a hurry!
It also helps to make a separate list of what you packed for each room. Pace yourself. Again, if time allows plan to pack one room each week leaving the last room with what you need to manage daily living.
If you don’t have time or the inclination to manage your own packing you can hire this service from local or national moving companies. But even using full service you will need to exercise caution and exert some energy. You will want to photograph everything you are moving. Take care to capture the condition of each item. You will also want your own inventory list of what is being packed. Generally, packing services are trained professionals (make sure they are bonded and insured). But even the best of packing experts cannot guarantee the perfect move.
If the packers are disassembling furnishings for the move make sure all parts are labeled and inventoried with re-assembly instructions. Often times the person who took the items apart is not the same person who will be putting it back together on the other end of your journey. Careful planning and packing will ultimately save you money (and headaches) once you have arrived at your new home.
Budget
In addition to the physical movement of furnishings, you need to budget the move of yourself and your family. Will you be driving or flying? If you are driving you need to consider gas, tolls, hotels and meals. If you arrive before your moving truck you need to be prepared to survive without your furnishings until they arrive. Will you need a hotel room in your new town or an inflatable bed in your new home for a few days? Usually, a moving van will take several more days than does the typical driver making a cross-country trip.
It is wise to engage the service of the moving company to unload your furnishings once they have arrived at your new home. The movers are armed with the appropriate tools and gear and they are usually poised to place boxes as labeled or instructed. Be sure this is detailed in your moving contract. If you are choosing to save a few dollars and unload yourself it will be difficult to negotiate service for broken items as you will have to demonstrate that items were broken in transit rather than at the mercy of the unloading process.
If you have amassed friends, family and colleagues for loading and unloading then you should also budget for refreshments. Use a large cooler filled with ice and pack it with bottled water and other refreshing beverages. Plan for light sandwiches and other snacks that don’t require seating to serve and make for easy clean up.
Another often over-looked budget item is security and down-payments for services and utilities. Make a list of services you will need at your new home. Begin by listing the services you currently use.
- Electric/Gas
- Cable
- Internet
- Lawn Care
- Telephone
- Security System
- News papers
You will want to contact your service providers prior to your move to set up installation or begin dates. Many service providers will require advance payment of services to begin service provision.
Finally, don’t forget to budget for groceries. Grocery set up can be expensive and includes purchasing many household items that cannot be transported by moving services. Most movers will not move chemicals, batteries or flammable materials. You will need to purchase household cleaners, light bulbs, detergents, and your edible staples. Depending on the size of your family and the size of your new home you will want to budget between $500 and $1000 to re-establish your pantry and cleaning closet!
And the last thing…. You must budget for that outdoor rocker or glider. You are going to love sitting on your new porch, deck or lawn admiring the views and breathing the warm Atlantic air in Myrtle Beach. Welcome home!