No one ever plans to move at the last minute—after all, advance planning is takes a great deal of the hassle and stress out of moving to a new location. But life happens: great job offers in distant cities that are too good to pass up, parents and other loved ones become ill or injured, or the house of your dreams suddenly becomes available. Whatever the reason, moving with last minute notice requires special strategies to help make things go as smoothly as possible. Following are five of them.
Create an Essentials Kit
Place everything that you absolutely have to have in a large box. This could be a couple of days worth of clothing, grooming items such as shampoo, conditioner, shaving cream, soap, nonperishable food and beverage items such as coffee and your favorite canned foods, coffee pot, prescription medication, and anything else you need to keep you comfortable, happy, and safe.
Leave Dressers Full
Instead of taking everything out of your dressers and putting them in a box, leave your dressers full. Use strong tape to keep them closed will prevent their contents from spilling out everywhere during the course of the move. You can also fill any drawers that have extra space. However, try not to load it down with heavy items, or it may become too difficult to move.
Host an Impromptu Moving Party
Invite your friends, coworkers, neighbors, family members, and more to an impromptu last-minute moving party. Provide snacks, beverages, music, and incentives such as allowing each person to choose items that you won't be able to take with you. For instance, if you're got a refrigerator and freezer full of food, moving it to a distant location on short notice simply isn't practical. Other possibilities include pieces of furniture that you plan on replacing after you get settled into your new place, clothing, and household decor.
A last minute move is also an excellent time to re-home house plants—some may not survive the move, and certain states have strict regulations concerning bringing plant material across their state lines. States such as California with a large agricultural industry often have border checks at the state line to help guard against plant pests and pathogens being inadvertently brought into the state.
Use Garbage Bags for Clothing, Bedding, and Assorted Household Linens
You can pack clothes, blankets, sheets, quilts, pillowcases, towels, curtains, tablecloths, and other any household items made of fabric into garbage bags in very little time. You can even leave the clothing items in your closet on their hangers—just fold them over so the hangers aren't against the bags. If possible, use the large bags specifically designed for lawn and garden use because they're the biggest and strongest. This will also make them much easier to unpack when you reach your new location, and they're generally much easier to maneuver than boxes.
Hire a Professional Moving Company
Good relocation moving services often provide an invaluable service no matter whether you're moving on short notice or your relocation has been planned over a period of time. They can pack for you, load everything into a climate controlled moving van, and unload the van at its destination and place your items in your new home. They can even unpack for you so that all that you have to do is relax and enjoy your new surroundings.
An unexpected move can be pretty daunting in you're not prepared. Hopefully these tips can help take the stress out of your upcoming move. If you have further questions or need of assistance, be sure to contact local moving services.
