When moving 4 times in 6 years, you’re bound to find yourself in some sticky situations. But the good news is – you also learn from it! So now that we’re practically professionals at this point, I thought I would pass some of our wisdom to you so that your moving day can go as smoothly as possible!
1 | SMART LABELING TO KEEP EVERYONE ON THE SAME PAGE |
I’ve used a number system for the last 6 years. It’s a little more work on the front end, but everyone who has helped us move or unpack will tell you it’s a lifesaver on moving day!
If you’ve ever wound up in a new place, crying and overwhelmed at the sheer amount of boxes but uncertain where anything is… You need this system in your life. This is what it looked like for our family…
I’ve broken down exactly how I do this in THIS VIDEO, so be sure to give that a watch.
2 | FOR LONG HAULS, FORGET THE RENTAL + LET SOMEONE ELSE DRIVE THE TRUCK |
Sure, if you’re moving within city limits, this is completely unnecessary for you. But if you’re moving a long distance (meaning more than one day’s drive), save yourself the hassle (and most likely some money).
Not only has Uhaul proved themselves unreliable time and time again for us, but we have saved money, time, and energy by using the alternative. What alternative is that?
For our past 3 moves, we have used UPack. They come and drop off several cubes, or a trailer, depending on how much room you need. You then get 3 days to pack it up (although we still do it in just one). Just give them a ring and they pick it up and drive it to the facility nearest your new home. Then you just call them when you are ready to schedule a delivery and get up to 3 days to unload!
Now, doesn’t that sound easy? No worrying about the moving truck breaking down in the middle of nowhere or all your stuff getting stolen overnight.
It worked great for us because we just got to pack for a road trip and drive our family across the country like it was vacay!
3 | KNOW WHEN TO HIRE SOME MUSCLE |
And the answer is always a resounding YES. I mean it when I say this – never again will I load or unload the moving truck! If we can afford to move again, we can’t afford not to hire movers.
In most cases, over the last several moves, we’ve been arriving in cities where we know little to no one. You know what that means – unloading a truck by yourself while supervising impatient children! It’s kind of a lose lose situation. You’re exhausted physically, mentally, and emotionally. You may even end up fighting with your husband as you’re killing yourself to lift a couch awkwardly through a doorway. Not that I know from experience.
The last two moves, we hired help to unload our truck. In Florida, that looked like a bunch of college guys. It wasn’t the best experience. They weren’t very careful with my stuff, left my house filthy, and tried to charge me double what they quoted me to move a piano because they couldn’t figure out how to get it out of the truck.So when we looked for help upon arriving here in Nevada, we needed a company that was reliable AND had experience. When Muscle Movers LLC, Las Vegas reached out to me, they had already come highly recommended by our new community’s Facebook page. When we called for a quote, they asked detailed questions so that they knew what to expect and could give us an accurate quote. I appreciate that they offer services including college moving and even assist with bulky items such as pianos or hot tub moving in Las Vegas.
I have nothing but amazing things to say about our experience with them! They were incredibly efficient, professional, and conversational. They didn’t even bat an eye when I asked them to remove their shoes on the carpet (even though I know it was a pain in the butt). I always get nervous having strangers in my home, especially with kids. But they instantly put my fears to rest and even answered my toddler’s bazillion questions and listened to my kids’ crazy stories while working.
What impressed me most was that they inspected all the items for damage as they were unloading them, even though they didn’t load them and were in no way responsible for any damage. One of the employees was particularly concerned with the scratch on my guitar. As his coworker was working out the details of payment with my husband, he offered to unwrap it to make sure it was still ok. When we found out he was also a musician, we urged him to play us a little something and had a little mini concert in our living room!
Now I’m not guaranteeing you’ll get serenaded on moving day when you hire Muscle Movers, but I do know you won’t regret it!
I hope these three tips help you have the smoothest moving day yet! It may seem simple, but sometimes it’s the simplest things we overlook on big days like these.
Let me know what tip you found most helpful in the comments!
Don’t forget to head on over to my YouTube Channel and hit subscribe so you can follow along on our moving vlogs.
