When it comes time to move, do you hire a moving service or commission friends? Do you carefully and strategically wrap and pack each item in your home, or do you toss everything in the closest box and call it good?
Regardless of your packing style, moving is equally as exciting as it is stressful. Juggling so many to-dos, while logistically orchestrating a seamless transition is no small feat.
Weekends are the most popular days of the week to move as more people are off work. Did you know that summer is by far the busiest time of year to move though? In fact, 80% of moves in the U.S. happen between April and September.
Surprisingly, the hottest month, July, is also the month most popular for moving. There are several reasons that July holds the title for peak moving season. Sweating isn’t one of them!
The most common reason for summer moves is that school is out. Most parents do not want to relocate their children during the school year. Even if they aren’t changing school districts, the disruption that a move brings to a child's environment is not one that parents take lightly.
Secondly, while summer is hot in most parts of the United States, the weather is typically dry and predictable. Dry is the desired environment for loading and unloading boxes and furniture. Anyone who has moved in the rain can tell you it adds a whole new dynamic to the equation.
Third, summer days are longer. More daylight equals more time to load up and unpack the boxes.
Where do I start packing for a move?
Being organized and keeping good records will benefit you greatly during and after a move. So, before packing a single item, we suggest creating a moving binder.
A moving binder is a great way to keep track of all your important documents. Moves are a hectic time and things are notorious for getting misplaced and lost during packing and unpacking. Filing away items such as leases, contracts, warranties, receipts, etc. in a specific binder is a great way to stay organized. The peace of mind you will have, knowing where these items are once you settle into your new place is worth the effort.
10 Moving Tips to Save You Time and Money
Moving entails so much more than just physically moving your belongings from one place to another.
It takes weeks to find a new place, sign the lease or close on a mortgage, sell your current home or notify your landlord that you intend to vacate, transfer and set up utilities, and much more. Not to mention, coordinating professional movers or family and friends to help when it’s go time.
Whether this is your first or your 100th move, there are tips that can help ease the process. Here are some we think you will find helpful.
- Have a master moving checklist. Not only will this keep you on track, but it will also free up some mental headspace.
Once it’s on paper, it’s one less thing you have to worry about forgetting to do. A checklist also allows you and your family or roommates to divide and conquer. The list can be kept in your binder for safekeeping.
- Sort your belongings. Before you begin to pack, create donate, sell, and trash piles. As you pack your belongings weed out the items you no longer love or have a distinct purpose for.
Not only will this mean less stuff to pack, but it will eliminate clutter in your new space. You’ll have peace knowing that every item that made the move is something you and your family cherish for one reason or another.
PRO TIP: Many organizations offer scheduled pick-up. Set this ahead of time, so you aren’t making last-minute trips to donation sites before handing over your keys.
- Save on packing essentials. Good, sturdy, moving boxes are key to an easy move. If you’re looking to save on packing materials though, visit local grocery and warehouse stores in the weeks leading up to the move. They always have plenty of extra boxes from shipments and will oftentimes give them to you free of charge.
PRO TIP: Save on bubble and packing wrap by wrapping fragile items in your towels, sheets, and clothes.
- Pack the essentials first. Before you get into the thick of packing, set aside a change of clothes, pajamas, a toothbrush, and toiletries for each person in your home. Put these items in the front of the vehicle you will be driving to the new house. After a long day of packing no one wants to sift through hundreds of boxes to find clean clothes before bed.
PRO TIP: If you’re a coffee drinker, add the coffee pot to this pile so you aren’t fishing for it the first morning in your new place.
- Consider child and pet care. In addition to a moving company, having someone to keep your children and pets the weekend of a move is a huge help. Doors are often left open while loading and unloading and the last thing you want to be worried about on top of packing is what could happen if your small children or pets got out without your knowledge.
- Take before and after photos. It is wise for renters to have well-documented photos showing the state of the space when they take possession of the keys and when they do their final walk-through. During move-in keep a running list of property imperfections in your binder. Send the list to your landlord so they know the state of the property and you aren’t responsible for these damages when you move out.
PRO TIP: Categorize the list by “FYI” and “Please fix.”
- Schedule utility setup in advance. Things like cable (and even the internet) can wait, but moving into a new place without water or electricity will certainly create some challenges. Imagine moving in the summer with no air conditioning!
- Clean your new space. Make plans to arrive at your new place ahead of the moving trucks. If it's a long-distance move, you can even hire a cleaning service to arrive ahead of you. Either way, the idea is to start with a clean slate.
Even if the space has already been cleaned, a good once-over in the kitchen and bathrooms certainly won’t hurt. Doing this before the boxes arrive is much easier.
- Notify others of your new address. You can easily use social media to share your move with friends and family; but, don’t forget to call your bank and credit card companies. Your address, specifically your zip code, is tied to these payment methods.
- Forward your mail. How do I forward my mail? This can be easily done online through USPS.
There are plenty more packing hacks and useful moving tricks online.
The Ultimate Tip for Tenants and Landlords
Hopefully, you now feel well-prepared with tips for an easy move. Before you rush to get the U-haul, there’s still one more important thing you need to do! Sending an Intent to Vacate notice to your current landlord is very important. This notice should be sent via Certified Mail®. Once you receive your tracking information and delivery confirmation, be sure to file it (along with a copy of the notice) into your moving binder.
Certified Mail is a service of the United States Postal Service that offers the sender proof of mailing and proof of delivery or delivery attempt. This includes the date an item was mailed, letter tracking, and delivery confirmation. Learn more about how it works, here.
Certified Mail is used primarily for important legal and compliance mail, regulatory, and notice to owners' mailings.
When Else Should You Utilize Certified Mail?
For Tenants,
- When mailing a rent check, deposit, or payment of any kind
- When mailing a signed contract, lease, or formal agreement
- When mailing a Notice of Non-Renewal
For Landlords,
- When mailing a Notice of Entry, Repairs, or Outages
- When mailing a Notice of Ownership/Management Transfer
- When mailing a Notice to Pay or Notice of Rent Increase
- When mailing a Renewal Offer
- When mailing a Notice of Disposal of Abandoned Personal Property
Reference your unique lease agreement for detailed communication preferences and notice requirements.
How to Save Time and Money During a Move?
Moving is already hard enough. Don’t complicate it further by waiting in long lines at the Post Office to spend more money than you must to send your Certified Mail.
Instead, save time and money by addressing and printing your labels at home with Certified Mail Labels. This easy option will save you money on postage for each Certified Mail® green card receipt.
Create USPS Certified Mail®, Priority Mail, and Express Mail labels online from your Certified Mail Labels account. Click here to learn more or get started now!
Already packed your printer? Learn more about our full-service, print and mail solutions by contacting our customer support team.
