The single person’s guide to relocating to a new city
So you’re moving to a new city. Whether it is due to a change in lifestyle, a job promotion, or just looking for a new lease on life, moving to a new place can get tough, particularly when you are doing it as a single person living alone. Don’t be too sad though, shifting homes (and life in general) is far less complicated if you only have yourself to mind and only your things to contend with. Here are a few tips for a hassle free experience of moving to a new city.
Get a head-start on packing
Packing is the most difficult part of the whole moving process. It is a smart idea to start packing up non essentials as soon as you decide to move. Little by little pare down on things that are no essential for your daily functioning, all the frills and fluff around your home, leaving only the skeleton if you will.
Hire professionals for the big stuff
It might be a good idea to hire a packing and moving company. My college roommate recently moved to sunny California and hired an LA moving company to assist her. She claims it was a breeze. Do some research and find a company with good reviews, top quality services, and affordable rates. If you have specialty items like say a baby grand piano, find movers who have the right equipment to pack and move them.
Make Lists and lists of lists
This is a must do whether you’re an organized person by nature or not. Not only should you itemize all the items you are packing, but make lists of what you’re packing in which box in a master list. This will help you tremendously especially when you unpack. It is also a smart idea to tape the list of contents on to the boxes. That way, you can identify which boxes to open as needed when you arrive, rather than wasting time.
Use the move as an opportunity to de-clutter
As you pack, ask yourself if you really truly need everything you pick up to put away. Trash or donate everything you don’t need. Old clothes can be donated, as can furniture and other non-essential items. As a standard rule of thumb, I will donate things that I haven’t used in the past year. This will help you reduce not only the number of boxes you will need to pack, but also the cost you will need to pay to ship or transport them.
Keep tabs on Important Documents
While you are preparing and paring down on your possessions, keep any important or essential documents and paperwork in a separate file folder. An accordion file is excellent for such things, or a file with separators.
Pack a separate small carton of essentials
Identify the things you will need as soon as you reach the new place. This may include things like toiletries, first aid box, some snacks, chargers for your phone and laptop chargers plus toilet rolls and any other important gadgets. I also like to pack some candles and other things to create ambiance for my first night at the new place.