Step 1: Plan Ahead

The key to any successful endeavor is a solid plan, and moving is no exception. Start by creating a timeline that outlines all the tasks you need to accomplish leading up to moving day. Divide it into manageable stages to prevent feeling overwhelmed. Set aside specific days or weekends for packing, organizing utilities, and notifying important parties like schools, banks, and your grandma who sends you daily cat memes.

Step 2: Declutter and Downsize

Moving homes provides a unique opportunity to declutter your life. As you pack, evaluate each item you come across. Ask yourself, “Do I really need this old collection of vintage milk bottles?” If the answer is no, it’s time to say goodbye. Give your unwanted items new homes through garage sales, donations, or online marketplaces. Remember, downsizing not only lightens your load but makes space for new memories in your fresh abode.

Step 3: Get Your Packing Kit Ready

Moving day will be a breeze if you have the right tools at your disposal. Gather sturdy boxes, bubble wrap, packing tape, and markers well in advance. Label each box by room to ensure a smooth unpacking process. And here’s a pro tip: color-code each box based on the importance and urgency of its contents. For example, green for “Open Me First” items like toiletries and kitchen essentials, and red for “Non-Essential” items that can wait a little longer to be unpacked.

Step 4: Seek Professional Help: Moving Companies to the Rescue

Now, let’s address the elephant in the room—moving companies. These superheroes of relocation are your secret weapon against stress. From heavy lifting to transporting your precious belongings, they’ve got your back. Research and gather quotes from several reputable movers in your area. Look for reviews, check their credentials, and ensure they have insurance coverage. Once you find the perfect fit, coordinate the dates and details with them, and feel the weight of stress being lifted off your shoulders.

Step 5: Make Moving an Adventure

Moving doesn’t have to be all drudgery and boxes. Inject some fun and excitement into the process! Blast your favorite tunes while packing, or have a mini-dance party in your empty living room before you leave. Create a moving day playlist with songs that keep your spirits high and your feet moving. Maybe even have a friendly competition to see who can best imitate your grumpy neighbor’s move-in rant. Remember, a positive attitude can turn even the dreariest of tasks into an unforgettable adventure.

Step 6: Enlist the Help of Friends and Family

They say that a burden shared is a burden halved, and what better way to lighten your load than by asking for help? Call upon your trusty friends and family members to assist you on moving day. Assign tasks, such as packing fragile items, dismantling furniture, or directing the movers, to each eager volunteer. Not only will this speed up the process, but it’ll also create lasting memories and make your journey less stressful.

Step 7: Treat Yourself

Moving is hard work, and you deserve a treat! Schedule some post-move pampering, such as a massage, a bubble bath, or a whole pizza all to yourself. Reward yourself for a job well done and take the time to relax and recharge. You’ve successfully conquered the moving mountain, and now you can revel in the serenity of your new home.

In conclusion, moving doesn’t have to be a nail-biting, hair-pulling experience. With proper planning, the help of moving companies, and a fun and positive mindset, you can transform it into a stress-free adventure. Embrace the journey, immerse yourself in the process, and before you know it, you’ll be basking in the joys of your new place. Happy moving day!

The post Moving Made Easy: Your Ultimate Guide to Stress-Free Relocation appeared first on Miracle Movers.

Making a move that is long-distance opens up a wide door for things to go wrong. You could have everything from timing issues, to weather problems, and mechanical mishaps that will make your experience tough to deal with and not very smooth.

But, if you do some good planning and research ahead of time, you can decrease your chances for having to ask “What do you mean it’s not coming?” with regards to the moving truck that has your whole life in it.

So, read on for some tips on how to plan for your move across the country that are meant to make everything go a bit more smoothly for you.

Tip #1: Start Packing Early

The earlier you can start packing, the better. By doing it early, you allow yourself to go at a slower pace. People’s perception of packing for a big move is that it’s a mad dash that makes you exhausted and isn’t enjoyable at all.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Packing early means you can take it slow and only pack for as long as you feel like it that day.

There are plenty of things in your home that you don’t use all the time. Packing up things like this will save you from some of the stress you’ll feel later when the time to move is getting closer.

Packing early also helps you to organize your things better. That means it will be easier to unpack your stuff when you’re setting up your new home. You won’t be packing in a hurry so the whole process will be easier and much more effective.

Tip #2: Ditch Things You Don’t Use

You’re bound to find tons of things you don’t use during the packing process. And remember that on the other side of your move, you’re going to have to unpack everything you take over there. If you find that there are items that just don’t serve a purpose in your life anymore, or that they never did, then get rid of them.

You can give them away to neighbors or friends. You might want to sell them online or have a yard sale. You could also donate them somewhere. The point is, don’t pack things that are just going to be useless things you have to unpack and find space for in your new home.

Tip #3: Plan the Layout of Your New Home

This may not be possible in some cases. If it is though, take time to plot out how you want to place furniture in your new home and where you’ll be storing certain things.

This will help when the moving company pulls up with your truckload of stuff. You’ll have a reference for directing the movers where to put pieces of furniture and where certain boxes should go.

When you aren’t able to do this, you can at least have boxes pre-marked with what rooms their contents came from. Then the movers can place them in rooms in your new house accordingly.

Tip #4: Pack An Essentials Box

An essentials box can basically be thought of as a last out, first in box. Put things in it that you’ll want to have as soon as you get to your new home. Items that you might think about adding to it are:

• Sheets
• Toilet paper
• Paper towels
• Garbage bags
• Soap
• Toiletries
• Towels
• Paper plate
• Plastic silverware

You can put anything you feel you’ll want on-hand before everything gets unpacked. This will keep you from having to open every box in the house to find that one thing you’re looking for.

Tip #5: Pick the Right Time

Choose a good time to make your move. Obviously, there are some factors that are out of our control when it comes to when we have to move. Moving because of a new job can be one of them.

If you do have control over the timing of your move, then make sure you look at factors like temperatures and weather for when you’ll be moving. You can also look at what’s happening in the region at the time of year you’re considering. For instance, in America, you wouldn’t want to move to Sturgis, North Dakota in the middle of the famed Sturgis Run. It just wouldn’t be very convenient with so many people flooding the area.

Another example would be moving to Toronto in the middle of the frigid winter season. Toronto gets a lot of snow in the winter. Plan your move when the weather might cooperate for you a little more so you don’t have to get stuck with nothing to furnish your house because the moving truck couldn’t make it through.

Tip #6: Get It in Writing

Choose your moving company carefully. Compare moving estimates between different options. Once you decide on one, get the quote, arrival times, and other information pertaining to the contract in writing. You’ll also want to know about insurance options that will cover any damage to or loss of your items.

Having it in writing gives you something to reference in the case an issue arises. Hopefully, that won’t be what happens for you, but if it does, you don’t want to have to fight with the movers to get it all straightened out. You’ll have it right there in front of you, so they have to honor it.

Final Thoughts

Moving doesn’t have to be the pain that it’s made out to be sometimes. There are a lot of nightmarish stories about people moving and the woes they encountered along the way. You don’t have to be one of those people. With the proper planning and organization, you can make your relocation experience smoother than other people’s. Follow these tips to make your move go as well as it can, and you’ll find that moving can be an easy and wonderful occurrence. Enjoy the excitement of it and stop the hiccups of moving before they can even get started.

The post “What do you mean it’s not coming?”—Planning Your Move Across the Country appeared first on Miracle Movers.

Ever been caught in an awkward situation without any toilet paper? Many of us have at some point. One of the times that your chances of this go up is when you’re moving. Why is that? Because everything you have gets packed up in boxes and nobody thinks about how there are some things that are needed after the packing is over and before the unpacking begins.

Enter an essentials box. You can save yourself and your family members from having to ask, “where’s the toilet paper?” by designating a spot for it and other items that will undoubtedly be missed once they’re gone. This article is about what kinds of things you should pack into an essentials box to use before and after a move.

An Essentials Box Defined

Before we get into what should be in one of these, let’s just touch a little bit on what it is. This is a box, or some other kind of container, that you fill with everyday items that you’ll need in your home when the packing is done, but you’re still there, or in your new home when the unpacking isn’t done, but you’re already there.

The items that go in this box are ones that we usually take for granted. It’s stuff you use all the time, but you don’t think about very much. It’s there when you need it, so you just assume it always will be, and you won’t miss it…until it’s gone.

If you’re going to ship your essentials box with your other stuff, you want to make sure that it’s the last box that goes into the truck so that it can be the first box that comes out at the new place. Also, make sure you clearly label it. You can also choose to just take this box with you and transport it yourself, especially if you’re going to be at the new house long before your shipped goods get there.

Now that you know what it is, let’s get into what you need to put in it.

Toilet Paper

We’ll start here because of our intro example. You need toilet paper in your home while it’s being packed up, and you also need to have it as soon as you get to your new place. This isn’t something you want to do without. It is essential enough that you don’t want to have to do without it at all. Just pack a couple of rolls to get you through until you have time to make a run to the store.

Paper Towels

Moving can be messy. There will inevitably be things that get spilled and need cleaning up. It also takes a long time to pack and unpack, so people have to eat. Food equals messes and paper towels equal the cleanup. Throw a roll of these versatile wipes into the box also.

Soap

You, your family, and even your movers will likely want to wash their hands. Without soap, you can’t do that properly. Get a bottle of hand soap with a pump on it that you can stick next to the sink. In fact, you might want to throw two in there because it helps to have one by the kitchen sink and one in the washroom.

Toiletries

You may think you don’t need to add any of these items to your essentials box because you’re packing some in a suitcase that’s going with you in a vehicle or traveling with you on a plane. We still recommend that you add toiletries into your essentials box because you don’t know what could happen on your long road trip across the country. You might leave your toothbrush at a hotel. Your luggage could get lost on a flight, too. Put toiletries for the family in your essentials box, so you don’t have to worry about having them at your new home.

Trash Bags

Moving creates a lot of trash (or recycling). In any case, you need somewhere to put discarded paper and other packing materials. You’ll also have all those paper towels to throw somewhere. Either throw a box of trash bags in your box or a stash of bags so you’ll have them to use when you get to your destination.

Sheets and Blankets

You should have some bedding in your essentials box. When you get into your new house and the beds arrive, it’s not a given that you’ll know where your sheets are packed. For all you know, your household goods delivery won’t get there until 5 in the evening.

The hours will pass, and you’ll be left digging through box after box looking for the sheets that you haven’t the slightest idea for where they are. If you have packed sheets in your essentials box, you can calmly get them out, put them on the bed, and get the rest that you’re going to need before the unpacking frenzy starts the next day.

You can also use this stuff to make a palette on the floor should you be stuck without beds for a night or two. It will ensure you have some kind of comfort in the event you have no furniture right away.

Paper Plates and Plastic Silverware

You’ll need these items to eat your meals and snacks before and after your move. Even if your belongings show up, it might be a couple of days before you have your kitchen squared away with all of the dishes and utensils you need to eat with. Plasticware and paper plates will give you something to use in the meantime.

Make Inconvenience a Little More Convenient

Moving is full of aspects that make your life very inconvenient for a period of time. You can make some of it a little bit easier to deal with by packing an essentials box. Start with the items on this list, but then add whatever things you can think of that you will miss. Put in the things that you deem to be essential.

The post “Where’s the toilet paper?”: Packing an Essentials Box appeared first on Miracle Movers.

It’s an unfortunate truth that not all moving companies are reputable with trustworthy employees. But, in today’s world of online reviews, social media, and incredibly accessible platforms for spreading word-of-mouth information, you can easily find out about experiences others have had with specific movers. That’s the good news.

The not-so-good news is that you do need to put a little effort into finding the right company for your move. However, there are people to help you with that, which is where we come in. Let’s talk about why this is so important and how you can find out what you need to know before you hire a moving company.

What Harm Can They Do?

To make our point about the importance of a trustworthy moving company, we’ll look at how the actions of a dishonest employee or company can negatively affect your life. A quick online search can find you countless stories about people’s moving experiences that turned into living nightmares. Here are some things that can go wrong in cases where the company isn’t very reputable:

• Broken or damaged belongings
• Damage to homes (coming from or going to)
• Lost items
• Stolen items
• Identity theft
• Invasion of privacy

Some of these are quite obvious, like broken or missing items. However, you may not have thought about how a moving company employee has access to things of a private nature, like photos, diaries, personal articles of clothing, or intimate items. They also have access to things of monetary value and any documents and other paperwork that isn’t properly secured somewhere.

In the majority of cases, you wouldn’t have to worry about any of this, but not all people live with integrity. You want to make sure you’re working with a company that’s provided excellent and honest service to customers before you.

Less-than-Reputable Indicators

There are usually some “red flags” you can look for that may indicate a less-than-reputable company. Note that if you run into any of these, it doesn’t always mean there’s something dishonest about the company, but it should cause you to look a little closer at the company before you decide to hire them.

No Certification

First off, a moving company should be certified. That means that if you ask them, they should be able to provide you with a certificate that is legal and proves legitimacy if nothing else.

Does this mean on its own that this is a reputable company, or that everyone working there is going to be honest and work with integrity? No. But, it does mean that the business is recognized and tracked by the appropriate governing agency, so it’s a good place to start.

Insane Deals

We’re all looking to save some money most of the time. Moving can be incredibly expensive. You’re going to compare moving estimate and we highly recommend that you do that. You’re also likely going to want to pick the company that offers you the lowest price for your job. That can be ok too.

You do need to be leery of insane deals from moving companies. When you’re comparison shopping for these services, you should get a good feel for what the average cost looks like. If you come across a mover who’s offering to make your move for much less than any of the others you’ve checked with, either move on or, in the very least, do more research to find out why the quote is so low. If you don’t, you might end up paying big time for it later.

Lack of Insurance

Reputable moving companies should have a number of good insurance options for you to choose from. It goes with the territory of moving that things will get damaged or broken during the process. That’s why insurance is expected to be part of the process too.

Ask upfront about insurance options they offer. If they don’t have any, don’t waste your time. If they don’t offer much, that one might be a waste of time too. If they show you something resembling an insurance certification, but there are no other prepared documents or accompanying information about the plans, that’s a red flag too.

Find out what the name of the insurance provider is. You can contact them directly to get more information about the coverage the moving company has through them. You might need to make a claim for something that gets broken in the move, so take the steps to ensure you’ll be able to do that, should it become necessary.

No Physical Address 

All moving companies that are legitimate will have a physical address. You should be able to verify it yourself. If they don’t, do not hire them for your moving job. Why not?

Here’s what’s happened to people who have gone this route. The company shows up to pack and load the household goods onto their truck. They’re polite, seem friendly, and incredibly fast. They drive away with all of the stuff that belongs to this customer. Then they shut down their website, disconnect the phone numbers that were used, and the customer never sees their things again. They’re left with no means to contact anyone and no means to make any sort of claim.

Moving companies will always need space to maintain their business in. They have to have a physical location. If there isn’t one, it almost always means this isn’t a legitimate moving company.

Get Expert Help

If you want help finding a moving company, so you don’t end up in an unfortunate situation like the one we mentioned above, then let experts help you find the perfect fit for your long-distance move. We can match you up with a company that will make you feel comfortable and at ease with one of life’s most stressful situations, moving.

You can take the guess-work out of it by using expert relocation services. We use a tried-and-true method for finding the right movers for your job, so you don’t have to do it by yourself.

The post “What jewelry box?”—The Importance of a Trustworthy Moving Company appeared first on Miracle Movers.

Moving to a new location can be pretty exciting sometimes. But, the actual process of moving is not so exciting. It’s stressful, exhausting, mentally draining, and tedious. That is, if you do it correctly. If you don’t do it correctly though, you might get where you’re going, open up your boxes, and find that you now get to put back together the pieces of your life…literally.

Moving does usually require that you piece your life back together in one sense. However, you don’t want to find that you have to physically put items together piece by piece like a puzzle.

Avoiding this might take you a little more effort, but it will be worth it to avoid having to deal with broken items and damaged goods on the other end. You just need to know how to pack correctly, so that doesn’t happen to you.

Below are tips for packing different types of household goods so they won’t get broken or take any damage during transit.

Don’t Pack Your Tools First

We want to start by cautioning you not to pack up your tools first. Many of the things in your house will need to be disassembled before moving so they can be relocated in the safest manner. You’ll need to have a toolset around that will allow you to take items apart quickly.

An important thing to remember when you’re doing this is to take all of the hardware for specific pieces of furniture or other things you’re breaking down and put them in separate containers with labels indicating what each set goes to. You’ll need things organized on the other end so you can unpack and set up your house as quickly as possible. You don’t want to end up stuck without the screws and other pieces that hold your furniture together because you didn’t take the time to be diligent about things on this end.

Wrap Fragile Items

Make sure you get some packing paper, foam wrap, or bubble wrap. Maybe even get all three. These are great for wrapping up any of your fragile items, like dishes, frames, and more. We recommend not using newspaper as the ink will sometimes transfer to certain items and ruin them. Wrap fragile items loosely as doing them too tightly can lead to them getting broken anyway. Now let’s look at some specifics.

Glasses

Glasses are notorious for getting broken. Usually, it’s because they don’t get packed correctly. It’s not because people don’t wrap them up, it’s because they often get put in the box wrong.

Once you’ve wrapped the glasses, place them in the box standing up. Glasses are not as strong when they’re laid down, so they break much more easily in this position. Fill the box with glasses that are standing up and then seal up the box with three strips of tape on top and bottom. Don’t use or leave any metal staples in the box because these can cause damage to your glasses. Then finish by marking the box clearly with the word fragile. You should also mark what room the box should go to at the new location.

China

China and things like plates that can be set upon each other nicely need to all be individually wrapped. It’s not enough to just put one thin layer of paper between each piece either. And do not wrap a set of plates or bowls together with nothing in between them. This is a surefire way to end up with broken dishes when they’re transported.

Every breakable dish needs to be wrapped by itself. There also needs to be enough of a barrier or padding between each one that there’s not clattering or banging that could result in broken items. Transport trucks get jostled and bumped throughout the relocation trip, so you need to make sure your dishes are protected.

Pots and Pans

Just because your pots and pans are metal doesn’t mean you can just toss them in a box and call it good. You might not need to wrap these up in enough padding to keep them from breaking, but you should wrap them in at least one layer of something to keep them from getting scratched. They have a way of getting dinged or scratched by other items or scratching each other.

Silverware

Don’t just throw your silverware into a box haphazardly. You can put flatware into small bunches and wrap them up. Then they can be placed safely in boxes. Don’t put these items in boxes that have fragile, breakable pieces in them. Silverware can be heavy and could cause other things in the box to get broken if they break free from their wrapping and get jostled about.

Pictures and Paintings

Paintings that are done in oil-based colors should be wrapped first with a clear wrap that is non-acidic. Then you can wrap it again with bubble wrap or something else just like any of your other pictures in frames. From there you’ll want to put it in a picture box. Tape all sides of the box that can come open, so the picture doesn’t end up slipping out during the move.

Lamps and Lamp Shades

For starters, don’t pack these together in the same box. Lamp bases should be wrapped with bubble wrap and placed in a box that has cushioning like bunched paper. If the lamps are small, you could probably put more than one in the box, but be sure to put enough padding between and around them.

Lampshades should only be wrapped with clean, white paper. A box shouldn’t be packed with more than one lampshade. This is the best way to keep the shade clean and in the right shape.

Don’t Do Puzzles

Don’t cause yourself to have to do puzzles when you get to your new home. Be organized and pack things correctly, so your items make it where they’re going safely and in one piece

The post “I like puzzles, but…”—How to Pack Correctly appeared first on Miracle Movers.

Moving is usually a pretty exhausting endeavor. It’s also exciting and a fairly essential part of life. Those of us who have done it much know that it’s a time when you discover that you have way more stuff than you need as well.

Here’s the good news though. Moving affords you the opportunity to go through all of your things and get rid of some of them. You have to pull everything out of where you have it hidden and stored away anyway, so take advantage of the situation and set aside everything that you don’t need to take with you. You’ll have less to pack upfront, and less to unpack on the other end.

Prime Candidates for Things to Rid Your House of

It’s inevitable that when you’re packing up to move, you’ll run into things that you forgot you even had. This is the time when you see that we really live with a lot of excess stuff that we don’t need. We have things stowed away in every corner of our homes just taking up space. But how do you know what to get rid of?

Here are some categories of things that you should be able to convince yourself to let go of, and why.

• Clothing – Most closets in your house have clothes in them that the owner does not ever wear. We tend to hold onto clothes that used to fit and might fit again one day. If it hasn’t been worn in the last year, get rid of it.
• DVD and CD cases – Yes, there are still plenty of people who have actual DVDs or CDs. If you are one of them, then do yourself a favor and at least transfer the discs to those carrier books. Then you don’t have to transport a bunch of cases that take up way too much space.
• Small kitchen appliances – Many of us have small appliances that we really thought we were going to use—but it turns out they’re still just sitting in their boxes taking up valuable space in our cabinets. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you’ll start using them at your new house.
• “Art” – You know the type, stuff you bought for your starter home. Things that are still decorating your walls or sitting on shelves because you just haven’t ever moved them. Let someone else decorate their new place with that stuff.
• Books – Ok, some folks will read the same book again, but they certainly won’t do that with all of them. Books are heavy and require lots of room. Let them go.
• Dishes – You’ll likely find that you have way too many coffee mugs and other mismatched dishes in your cabinets. Cookware is another big part of this category. As you’re probably never going to host a dinner party for 20 people, do away with the dishes.

This definitely isn’t a complete list of things you could do without, but it will get you started. So, now to how you can rid yourself of this stuff.

Hold a Yard/Garage Sale

You’ll need to be planning ahead for this one, but if you’ve allowed for enough time for it, and you have a lot of stuff to get rid of, you can have a sale. Call it a yard sale or a garage sale, what matters is that you get the word out about it, so you’re sure to have lots of people stopping by.

This is a really great option because, as you know, moving is expensive. Selling your unwanted items gives you a chance to make a little money to put towards your move. You can put prices on your items, but don’t be closed off to negotiation because that’s one of the things people like about these kinds of sales.

Donate It Somewhere

There are people who are certainly less fortunate than you and who are in need of some of what you don’t need anymore. Look for places in your area that take donations of items to either sell for a very low price or even somewhere that places your items with families who could use whatever it is.

Make sure you check for what types of items specific places take donations of. Locations to look for are thrift stores, schools, churches, non-profits, and libraries.

Gift It

Sometimes you’ll find items that still have tags on them, or are still in the boxes they came in sealed up tight. These are great for gifts. Just because you didn’t wear it or use it doesn’t mean someone else won’t. Wrap it up or slap a bow on that thing and give it as a nice gift. You’ll make someone happy and save some money at the same time.

Leave It Behind

If you’re selling the home you’re moving from, chances are there are new buyers already involved. If you have contact with them, through a realtor or directly, you can find out if they would like you to leave some of what you’re getting rid of behind. Maybe it’s yard equipment, decorative items, shelving, or something else that works great for that particular place. Our only advice is that you ask first, don’t just leave it on assumption.

Give It Away

You can also just ask friends and neighbors if they want any of what you don’t. It’s worth it to find out. You might have something that will fill a gap for someone you know. It won’t hurt to ask. Then if they don’t want any of it, don’t take it personally, just donate it or try one of the other avenues we mentioned above.

Make the Most of This Time

You should definitely make the most of this time. Get rid of everything you can. It will make the packing and unpacking easier. Plus, you’ll have more free space in your new home, and you could even be making someone else’s life better at the same time.

The post Your Trash, Their Treasure: How to Get Rid of Stuff Before You Move appeared first on Miracle Movers.

It’s a pretty common theme from person to person that moving is one of those things that will make you choose a hot poker in the eye if given a choice between the two. And why wouldn’t it be? It’s a lot of work, costs a lot of money, is largely inconvenient, and usually, it’s an experience that’s riddled with a lot of mistakes.

All of the things we just mentioned can lead to a lot of stress. So we thought we’d spend a couple of minutes going over ways you can avoid making some common mistakes that people often make during a move.

Mistake #1: Hiring Any Old Moving Company

You can’t just hire the first moving company you run across. You need to look into the background of the business, what their safety and satisfaction records look like, how much they cost, as well as many other things.

You’re going to sign a contract with these people to take everything you own from one place to another. That means they will be coming into your personal space, they’ll have access to your personal items, and they will be taking your whole life with them when they leave. You need to be able to trust the company as much as possible.

Check out driving records, business reviews, and references. You also need to get a quote with everything you agree on together in writing. Then compare moving estimates from other companies as well. You could set yourself up for a lot of heartache and headache if you don’t look into who you’re working with.

Mistake #2: Purchasing All of Your Moving Supplies

You don’t have to buy every bit of your moving supplies. Boxes can cost you a lot of money. You can find some of them for free, though. Ask at grocery stores, big box stores, ask friends and neighbors, or even schools. See what you can find before you go buying all of them. You can also use newspaper for some of your wrapping. Just be careful about what things you wrap with it because the ink can sometimes transfer and ruin what’s inside.

Mistake #3: Putting Heavy Things In Big Boxes

When we pack things up, we tend to put as much into one box as we can. Do you know what happens though if you put a lot of heavy items into a large box? Injuries. Too many heavy items all in one box equals a box that is too heavy to move. You, or whoever gets to move that box, could hurt their back, their neck, their shoulders, or their knees. Anything that is very heavy should be packed in smaller boxes and, in some cases, by itself.

Mistake #4: Not Measuring

Unless you’re moving to a place that you’ve not actually physically been to, you need to have measured the entryways that will be used to bring things into the home. It has happened to many people that they get where they’re going and the furniture doesn’t fit through the door. You don’t want this to be you.

If you haven’t seen the place in person, then speak to your contact person who has. You can ask to have them measure the doorways. Then you can compare that against the measurements of all your furnishings.

Mistake #5: Not Labeling

Take the time to label your boxes accordingly. When the goods get to the new place, the movers will be bringing in all of those boxes. If you’ve spent the couple of seconds it takes to write on them “kitchen”, “master bedroom”, “coat closet”, or any other number of rooms there are, they will know where to put it down for making your time with unpacking much easier.

There will still be some boxes that probably won’t have a pre-determined space in the new house, but if all of them are left blank, then you’ll be left with a stack of boxes that have to be sorted as you go. It’s just extra work that you don’t need.

Mistake #6: Packing Necessities

There are things that absolutely shouldn’t be packed because they’re necessary to have all the time to someone in the house. This is where the question, “Have you seen my wallet?” that’s in the title of this article comes from. Wallets and purses carry debit and credit cards, identification, and other important documents sometimes. They also do get packed in moving trucks sometimes, and then they’re off to a new destination.

You need to be very careful about setting any necessities that aren’t to be packed away from all of the things that will be getting packed up. Once that wallet, or another necessary item, is taken away on the truck, you won’t see it again until you get the delivery of your goods at the new place.

Mistake #7: Treating Movers Poorly

Movers are people just like you. You might be stressed out, but these people are coming to do you a really big service. They have hard jobs that require a lot of physical effort. Treat them in a respectful manner and show your appreciation.

When the moving company employees show up, start by introducing yourself. Speak to them kindly and positively. It’s a good idea to have refreshments to offer them like you would any other guest in your house. These tips aren’t required or anything, but they’ll go a long way toward making the people who are responsible for getting your household goods relocated feel the need to be careful and protect your things.

Mistake #8: Not Learning From Others’ Mistakes

Don’t make the same mistakes that others before you have made. If you read this, but don’t learn anything from it, then you could be setting yourself up to go through the same nightmare someone else already has. You don’t need to deal with the headaches others have. You’re a step ahead just by doing the research you’re doing. Now just apply what you’ve learned, so your move goes as smoothly as you want it to.

The post “Have you seen my wallet?”: Avoid These Moving Mistakes appeared first on Miracle Movers.

If you’ve ever had to move, which is just about all of us, you know that it can cost you a lot of money. Even when you think you’ve saved enough cash for the big event, you undoubtedly end up coming across expenses that you didn’t think about. Or, you end up with a bill from the moving company that is much higher than you were expecting.

So for this article, we’re going to look at moving costs and how they’re calculated. We’ll also go over different kinds of estimates from a moving company, so you know how to come up with a good overall approximate cost for budgeting purposes.

What Goes Into the Cost of Moving?

One of the biggest factors that contribute to people ending up stunned at the cost of moving is not accounting for everything they should be. Here’s a list of considerations for figuring out how much you can expect to spend:

• Travel costs: This covers any money you’ll be spending to get from your current home to the new one. It could mean the cost of gas, food money, and even hotel fees. Whatever you will have to spend on physically getting to your new location.
• Scale of the move: It should be obvious that if you’re moving more stuff, it will cost more. For instance, if you’re moving a household’s worth of things from one place to another, that will cost more than if you’re a college student who is moving just their own stuff out of their parents’ house.
• Moving supplies: You should definitely try to collect boxes and other moving supplies for free from wherever you can. However, you’re not likely going to be able to find everything you need this way. You need to add in the cost of buying boxes, paper, bubble wrap, tape, and other moving supplies.
• Packing services: If you opt to have a moving company do the packing for you too, you’re probably looking at an additional few hundred dollars.
• Storage time: Sometimes there’s a gap in time from when we have our goods taken away from the old home and then delivered to the new home. When that’s the case, you’ll have to allow the moving company to store your belongings. That is going to cost you some extra cash.
• When you move: Moving companies often have different rates at different times. There are some times of the year that are considered peak seasons. Summer would be a good example of this. A move during the peak season will be more expensive than one during off-peak times. Also, moving on the weekend is typically more expensive than during the week.
• Insurance: You’re going to need to pay for some kind of insurance coverage during your move. It will cost you more upfront, but you’ll be happy you paid for it if the time comes for you to make a claim for a broken or damaged item.

How Are Moving Costs Calculated by Moving Companies?

First of all, a local move isn’t going to be calculated in the same way that a long-distance move would be. If you’re moving locally, moving companies will usually just charge you by the hour. Long-distance movers charge based on the load of your move.

Moving companies will look at how much stuff you have to move across the country. If you’re moving from a five-bedroom house and going to another territory, that’s going to cost you more than it would be moving from a studio apartment to that same place.

The reasons for this include that it takes more movers to move more stuff. That means more payroll for them. Another reason is the size of the truck it takes to move your goods. More stuff requires bigger trucks, which cost more to use.

You’ll also be charged more for moving specialty items. These could be things like pool tables, pianos, or collections of art statues. These things could require the use of special equipment, plus they need more effort to move usually so they will add more money to your bill.

If you have to make any last-minute changes, there might be an extra fee for that. For instance, let’s say you hear from your realtor that your new house won’t be ready as early as you had thought. So you tell the moving company they have to hold your stuff for an extra week. Well, you’ll be charged for the storage time, but you could also get charged a change fee because you altered the contract.

Moving Company Estimates

There are a few different kinds of estimates you should be aware of. But before we get to them, we want to note that it’s important to get your estimate given to you in writing. Anything that the moving company is saying they’ll put in the agreement with you should be on paper for you. Now, here are some estimate types:

1. Non-binding estimate – These aren’t very common as they often cause conflict between the two sides. This kind of estimate has an approximate cost but not one that the moving company has to stick to. Many companies who aren’t reputable will try to use these. They give a low, low estimate to get your business and then bill you some amount well beyond what was quoted once the service is completed.
2. Binding estimate – These are much more common. The movers have to adhere to the agreed-upon cost regardless if the true price ends up being higher than the quoted amount. The downfall of these is that if the true price falls below what was quoted, you don’t get to pay less either.
3. Binding not to exceed estimate – This is the ideal kind of estimate you want. You get a guaranteed price, meaning you won’t pay more than that. Then, if it ends up that the estimate is higher than what it actually costs for your move, you get to pay the lower amount. You should look for a company that is willing to give you this kind as it shows they care more about their customers.

The post “It Costs How Much?”: A Look at Moving Costs appeared first on Miracle Movers.

It’s no secret to anyone that moving is stressful. I mean, think about it. You’re taking everything you own, uprooting it, and planting it somewhere else. It’s stressful even if you’re just moving down the street. But, add in the fact that you’re moving to a whole different city and the stress factor goes up even more.

When we move, we often call on our friends and family to help us with the packing or unpacking processes. That means your move can be stressful for your friends and loved ones too. So, how about we have a little discussion about some tips for how to de-stress your move? Then you and your friends can still be friends, and you’ll get your move all taken care of without needing to drown your sorrows in something.

Why Is Moving So Stressful?

For starters, we, as humans, are creatures of habit. Moving means all or most of our habits are about to have to change. Especially if you’re moving to an entirely new city or territory, the things that you do habitually, like stopping for that delicious latte on the way to work, chatting with your neighbor after doing yard work, even the order in which you clean your house, will be no longer.

Money is another reason moving is stressful. It costs a lot to move most of the time. There are lots of financial decisions involved from choosing a moving company, to finding a new home, to eating out, to paying for packing materials, and so much more. Budgeting for a move can be tough, so it definitely creates stress.

The amount of physical effort it takes to move certainly stresses us out too. Packing, sorting, cleaning, hauling, lifting, and moving things is serious work. Physical stress on your body also causes stress within it.

Mental distress is exhausting. You have to plan and think about a lot when you are making a big move. This causes stress and anxiety for everyone involved. You might even be losing sleep over these things. Moving turns our entire world upside down, so of course, that induces stress.

So, let’s talk about how you can combat that.

Step 1: Make Packing Fun

While you need to be diligent about your packing and do it right, so things don’t get broken or damaged, you can make your packing time fun. Put on some music you love and dance around when you’re putting items in boxes. There’s no reason it has to be a mundane task.

It’ll also be more fun if you don’t leave it until the last minute. Give yourself plenty of time to get all of your stuff packed. If you start early enough, you can set a number of boxes to pack per day so that you don’t get overwhelmed by how much you need to get done.

Step 2: De-Clutter Your Life

You can multi-task by using this opportunity to do something you might have wanted to do for a long time. De-clutter your life by going through closets, your basement, your kitchen and getting rid of things you don’t need. You can give items to friends, sell them for some extra cash, or donate them at the appropriate facilities. You’ll have less to unpack once you get to your new home and you’ll feel good about accomplishing something you’ve wanted to do for some time.

Step 3: Organize the Boxes

When you pack your things, be as organized as you can. Knowing that you’ve sorted everything out already will give you some peace of mind when you’re thinking about how you have to unpack your things on the other end of your move. If you just throw things into boxes and bags without thinking about where they go and without labeling anything, you’ll be creating more stress because you know you have to sort everything after you move.

Step 4: Bring in Reinforcements

Don’t feel like you have to move all by yourself. There is nothing wrong with asking for help. You can ask friends, family, coworkers, or neighbors for help with packing, keeping your kids, breaking down furniture, and moving large items. You don’t need to feel guilty about it. No one should have to do such a big job by themselves. Besides, you’ll likely have to return the favor one day.

Step 5: Take Breaks

All work and no play makes for a very stressful situation. Hopefully, you’ve started your process early enough that taking breaks doesn’t make you stress more because of the lack of time you have. But even if you don’t have a lot of time to work with, you have to allow yourself some breaks. You need to stay hydrated, take time to eat, remember to breathe, and maybe even laugh a little bit. Sit down, relax, and get rejuvenated before you get back at it. It will allow you to release some of the stress you’re feeling instead of letting it continuejust to build up more.

Step 6: Take Pictures

This might sound weird at first, but let us explain. There are a lot of items that you’ll be taking apart, disassembling, and removing pieces of. Furniture, toys, electronics, and more can require that you do this to transport them safely to your new destination.

Taking pictures of these items gives you a visual reference for how they go back together. You will save yourself a lot of stress by making a visual file like this that will show you how to put everything back the way they’re supposed to be.

This Too Shall Pass

Moving is sure to be stressful on some level. But it doesn’t have to be debilitating and cause you to have a total meltdown. Take big, deep breaths, surround yourself with friendly faces who will help you, and remember that the seemingly chaotic mess that is your life right now is just a passing moment. You’ll be on the other side of it soon.

The post “Where’d all your friends go?”—Tips for De-Stressing Your Move appeared first on Miracle Movers.

Moving companies are amazing businesses for helping you get through a very stressful time in your life. Depending on what level of help you opt for, you might not have to do much of the physical moving at all. The movers simply show up, pack up your stuff, load it all onto a truck, and take it away. Then they show up at the new location, unload the truck, and even unpack it in some cases.

However, there are some items you might own that are in a class of things called “non-allowables”. If you have some of these, the moving company will not transport them with the rest of your things. You’ll end up having to make your own separate arrangements for how these items will make it to your new residence.

What Are Non-Allowable Items?

Non-allowable items are things that pose some kind of risk when moving. That risk could be in terms of safety, legality, or ethics. Moving companies have the right to put certain items onto a list of non-allowables. If you pack any of those items in boxes they’re moving, you have to disclose that to them. They then can refuse to transport the item or the box it is in. If you don’t disclose that a specific item is packed in a container they are being asked to move, you are in violation of the contract you entered into with the moving company.

Examples of Common Non-Allowable Items

Different companies will have their own lists of things they won’t move for you. It’s up to you to check with the business that you choose to work with. But, there are some items that are pretty common for this category. So, let’s take a look at what they are.

Guns and Ammunition

Guns and ammunition are rarely going to be allowed by a moving company. The reason is that it poses a risk to their employees. These items are considered to have a hazardous nature.

When it comes to firearms and their ammo, there can also be a legal factor for the movers refusing to move them. There are many laws governing the purchase, handling, transporting, and other aspects of these items. When you’re making a long-distance move, you need to make sure you look up the legal issues involved with moving them across different regions. You need to find the correct way to get your guns moved, so you stay in compliance with any regulations for areas you’ll be transporting them through.

Power Equipment

These items are usually things that you use in the yard or on your property. Examples might be lawn mowers, chain saws, edgers, trimmers, or anything else that will require some type of fuel.

Most moving companies will transport pieces of power equipment. That being said, they will not if you leave fuel in them. You need to go through your shed beforehand and drain all of your yard power equipment so they can be transported safely by the movers.

Liquor

This one is hit or miss. Some companies will Miracle Movers; some will not. Usually though, if a moving company does agree to Miracle Movers, it has to be only bottles that haven’t been opened and are well-packed.

If you have a wine collection or some other kind of expensive collection of a type of alcohol, your standard moving company probably isn’t going to want to take that. There are specialty companies who have experience with moving these. They’ll be able to handle moving the collection separately from your other household items, ensuring that nothing gets broken or damaged in the process.

Cleaning Supplies

You will most likely have to leave your cleaning supplies behind. This is ok though because once your household goods are out of the way, you’re going to have to clean out the entire place anyway unless you’re leaving that job to someone else.

Moving companies don’t like to transport cleaning supplies because the liquid cleaning solutions can end up causing a lot of damage to your things, the truck, and anything else they come in contact with if they get tipped over and spill. Nobody wants that.

Use up what you have left when you clean the place you’re leaving behind. If you don’t use everything, either look up how to dispose of the solutions safely and get rid of them, or knock on your soon-to-be ex-neighbor’s door and give them away. You’ll just have to buy new supplies when you get where you’re going.

Perishable Food

This might seem harmless to some people, but if you really think about it for a moment, there’s no reason to ask a moving company to move these kinds of items. They’ll tell you no anyway.

Reasons for telling you no include they can stink, they can make a big mess, and it just isn’t very sanitary. By the time your goods show up to your new home, the food will most certainly be bad. Rotting food can lead to some pretty bad odors. All of your stuff will smell bad. The mess it can make will attract pests like ants and mice too. Those guys can cause damage to your things.

As with the cleaning supplies, you need to either find a way to use up the perishable food, dispose of it properly, pack it with you personally in a cooler or something, or give it to your neighbors.

Plants

Plants, much like food, can be very perishable in nature. Moving companies won’t be able to take your house plants in the truck. It’s illegal in most places. Plants often provide a home to parasites and other pests. When they get transported long distances, such as from one side of Canada to the other, those pests could be introduced to a new territory and wreak havoc on the plant life found there.

Summing Up

Don’t get caught in a situation where the mover has to refuse to transport something for you. Find out what isn’t allowed upfront and move forward accordingly.

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